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Sanchez Across the Street and Other Stories,
by Barbara Mujica. Sarasota,
Fla: FLF Press. 1997.
While the ten stories in this collection are set in various places, from Los Angeles and Washington D.C. to New Jersey and several unidentified cities, almost all focus on some aspect of life in the U.S. as experienced either by Hispanics or Jewish Americans. They address a number of themes common to the experience of uprooting and resettlement in the new country: the difficulties faced by immigrants in finding acceptance in their communities; the problems created by ignorance, prejudice, and superstition; the dilemma of preserving a sense of identity in the face of cultural assimilation. These are serious and compelling issues, but the author treats them with a disarmingly light touch that effectively brings out the underlying message in her stories. The style is clear and direct, and Mujica succeeds in establishing a comfortable rapport with the reader. The stories are full of humor even while sometimes shadowed by tragedy.
The opening story, which gives its name to the collection, exemplifies...