Vivir en dos idiomas/ Living in Two Languages (Spanish Edition)

By Ada, Alma Flor

Publishers Summary:
''Vivir en dos idiomas is positioned somewhere between literature and history; it is not, however, a work of fiction.'' Using her signature style, Alma Flor Ada crafts an inspiring, intense, and personal examination of her life. This memoir presents the most significant experiences of a writer for whom narrating is synonymous with being, and an engagement that she cannot live without. From the very first pages we discover an extraordinary, gifted life. The author recounts the smallest aspects of an apparently idyllic childhood spent in Cuba -her first school years, and the first encounters with what would later become much more than inseparable companions: books. We will journey with her through ups and downs, through cities and countries in three continents. We will also witness the key incidents that led to her unflagging support of peasant immigrants in the United States. With exemplary style, Alma Flor Ada reveals the story of her career and invites us to find in books a new best friend. Description in Spanish: ''He vivido sin esperar premio ni castigo, y ahora descubro que el premio ha sido cada día vivido.'' Vivir en dos idiomas se ubica en la frontera entre la literatura y la historia. Desde las primeras paginas descubrimos una vida tocada por un don. Con la sinceridad que la caracteriza, la autora hace una exploracion personal, intensa e inspiradora de su propia vida. Este libro presenta las experiencias y reflexiones mas significativas de una escritora para quien la narracion es parte del ser, un compromiso inaplazable. Con su inconfundible estilo, Alma Flor Ada nos relata los pormenores de una infancia aparentemente idiica en Cuba, sus anos de escuela y sus primeros encuentros con los libros, que mas tarde se convertirian en companeros inseparables, amigos, confidentes y portadores de su mensaje. La acompanaremos en su travesia, llena de avatares y logros, por distintos paises de tres continentes. Seremos testigos de episodios que marcarian para siempre su camino, como el contacto con maestros como Paulo Freire y las situaciones de injusticia social que motivaron su infatigable labor en pro de los campesinos inmigrantes en Estados Unidos. En estas paginas Alma Flor Ada nos ofrece, lejos de los reflectores de la figura publica, la posibilidad de ser sus companeros de viaje, mientras revela los secretos de su apasionante trayectoria.

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ISBN
978-1-60396-611-5
Publisher
Aguilar


REVIEWS

Library Journal

Reviewed on July 1, 2009

NONFICTION Vivir en dos idiomas. (Living in Two Languages) Ada, Alma Flor. U.S.: Aguilar: Santillana. 2009. 380p. ISBN 978-1-60396-611-5 pap. $19.99. MEMOIR STAR Ada is a leading spokesperson for bilingual education in the United States, a pioneer in the development of multicultural and bilingual children's books, and herself the author of more than 200 children's books, including the 2000 Pura Belpre Award winner, Under the Royal Palms. Her academic studies took her to Spain for a degree in Hispanic studies, to Peru for her Ph.D. in Spanish literature, and to Harvard, where she did postdoctoral research. Teaching has been her life, starting at age 17; she is now professor emeritus at the University of San Francisco, where she has taught since 1976. This memoir is a tribute to her love of words, reading, and storytelling and a fond recollection of the experiences and especially the people who made her a passionate reader and determined the course of her life. As she explains, her grandmother, father, and mother taught her to read, which cemented her belief that the family plays a critical role in developing a child's love of language and reading. An affirming and uplifting portrait of what it means to be bilingual and be able to navigate a multicultural world; recommended for large public libraries, academic libraries, and large bookstores.-Yolanda J. Cuesta, Cuesta MultiCultural Consulting, Sacramento, CA Copyright 2009 Media Source Inc. ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

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