Gritos y Susurros: Experiencias Intempestivas de 38 Mujeres [Spanish]

by Denise Dresser

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: Spanish
• ISBN: 0307274101
• ISBN13: 9780307274106
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Grijalbo
• Length: 408 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Gritos y Susurros

Shouts and Whispers is an excellent book for someone who wants to know more about women, and, in particular, Mexican women. I was amazed at the candid honesty, bravery, and generosity displayed by most of the women in their stories. They truly wear their hearts on their sleeves. Although all of the contributors are of outstanding caliber, I would probably not have included a couple of the authors. Overall, the book is good, and certainly worth reading. The following are my specific responses to some of the writers and stories that impressed me most. Lourdes Arizpe. In her sophisticated writing, she describes violence - a very sensitive issue- with class and depth. Her narrative depicts violence as viewed and suffered by women. Ms. Arizpe's writing confronts the reader with images of our own crude humanity. She never employs propagandistic tactics to elicit sympathy, but stays true to her own message. I must confess that although I did not know anything about Ms. Arizpe before reading this book, I am now a fan of hers. I think that because Ms. Arizpe is an anthropologist, she is better able to show us human nature in all its complexity. Although I do not want to deny respect to the other authors in this book, I would certainly venture to say that is the deepest and most complex story in the book. Patricia Reyes Spindola. This story seems to be written for those who doubt that beautiful and successful women may be insecure. Ms. Reyes confesses her insecurities with such candor that you can only admire her all the more after reading her story. To say the least she is very honest!! Julieta Fierro. My teenage Godson is a fan of hers, and once I read her story, I was able to understand why: she is very sharp! Elena Poniatowska. After reading her story, I was nearly convinced that one will never be able to find someone with a heart as big as hers. Maria Amparo Casar. Anyone who has ever felt the pressure to succeed in school will be able to relate to her anxieties and challenges. Guadalupe Loaeza. As usual, Ms. Loaeza is very funny! I simply cannot understand Mr. GC.- although he seems smart, he screwed it up big time! Ana María Olabuenaga. Modest and Humble! Nina Zambrano. Sensitive, very sensitive. Denise Dresser. For those of you who read her columns, the author here is not simply a brilliant mind; she is a woman made of flesh and bones: generous and brave! P.S. I definitively support the idea of having this book translated into English.

Shouts and Whispers from Mexican Women

Denise Dresser initiated this edited volume by asking thirty-seven prominent Mexican women the question, "In what ways has life taken you by surprise?" The "shouts and whispers" of their responses have taken Mexico by surprise, made this book a bestseller, and led to a related program on Mexico's largest television network. These thirty-eight accounts of life's surprises are all well written, often funny and joyful, and mostly honest and candid. The list of contributors reads like a "who's who" of famous Mexican women, including the novelists Elena Poniatowska, Carmen Boullosa and Laura Esquivel, the painters Helen Escobedo and Carla Rippey, and the actresses María Rojo and Patricia Reyes Spíndola. Other contributors include a singer, academics, feminist and human rights activists, journalists and prominent political figures from different political parties. Editor and contributor Denise Dresser is a well-known academic and respected political commentator in her own right. Certainly part of the appeal of this book for anyone familiar with Mexico is the insight it gives readers into the lives of accomplished, creative and well-known women. Some of Mexico's most important novelists elucidate the process of writing, powerful party leaders explicate a particularly difficult political decision, and many women at the top of their professions describe often bumping against and sometimes breaking through Mexico's glass ceiling. But while these remarkable women have done extraordinary public things, their stories surprised and spoke to the Mexican public as much for their frank discussion about common private experiences. Dresser calls their stories a "challenge to silence," and many contributors take on taboo themes rarely discussed publicly in this socially conservative country: An actress reflects on growing old in a country and profession where women are valued above all for their looks. Others recount fighting cancer or facing life after the death of loved ones. Several tell of lovers who have left or been left, or describe confronting a philandering spouse, the other woman, or even becoming the mistress of a married man. These personal stories tell us much about the not-so-eternal feminine in Mexico: changing relations with mothers, fathers, lovers, husbands, children; the selective embrace and mix of Mexican and global cultures; and the jumble of pride and inadequacy women sometimes feel in their personal and professional accomplishments. This book deserves to be published in English. Meanwhile, among those north of the border with adequate Spanish, it should appeal to a wide audience of students of Mexico and gender studies, Mexican-Americans, and those simply interested in the shouts and whispers of the human condition.