The Republic of East LA: Stories

For those of you who have read "Always Running" or any of Mr. Rogriguez's poetry, you already know he is a brilliant writer. If you have not, treat yourself to those works as well as this one. "Republic of East. L. A." is a collection of short stories; they can be read back to back, as you would a novel, or one at a time, which is what I would recommend. The stories are rich in language and imagery and gave me much to think about after I finished it. Each story is different from the others, some are humorous like "My Ride My Revolution", "Miss East L. A.", and (the majority of) "Chain Link Lover", some are unbearably sad like "Shadows" and "Las Chicas Chacuas", others are more political like "Pidgeons" and "La Operacion". All of them offer a unique point of view, a passion for the characters, both those sympathetic, and those less so, and images and phrasing that can shine with Mr. Rodriguez's ability to use the English language. The stories are earthy and occasionally profane, as are the characters in them, but they are vivid, true to the life of many people in America, not just East. L. A. and always memorable. I would recommend that you NOT read these stories on the train or bus and certainly not at the beach, but at a time and place where you can concentrate and savor the rich vibrancy of each story.

I had to get this book for English class and it was soooo much better than what I expected. I love this book, prepare for all of the feels you will feel reading this one!

Great book! I grew up in East LA and it is so exciting to read stories about places I have been to and the short little history about East Los Angeles. A great book to read!

Enjoyed the down to earth stories. Very well written stories

So far the stories have all been interesting and have had plenty of surprises. Even as a student that is being made to read it, it's hard not to get interested in most of the stories within it.

Loved the book!

Great book!

Really good book

Didn't particularly enjoy the stories in this book. Sorry