Luis J. Rodriguez's The Republic of East L.A.: Book Review

 

Luis J. Rodriguez's The Republic of East L.A.: A Book Review

by Armando Ortiz            

It’s said that sometimes reading books transports you to distant lands and takes you into the world that the author has created. What I recently read not only did that, but it also brought back many memories; familiar sights and sounds; of places I’ve been in Los Angeles. Although Luis J. Rodriguez’s collection of short stories, The Republic of East L.A., centers around downtown and the eastern parts of Los Angeles. The places the author mentions are places that I have driven through, are near places where friends live or are locations where I ended up for one reason or another. One of the stories in the book takes place in and around USC-L.A. County Medical Center where, “a lot of Chicanos inhaled their very first breath,” which reaffirms where I was born, and is a place that I have visited since I was a little kid.

In one of his stories a lady takes her granddaughter on a trip to Downtown LA, where they end up shopping at Grand Central Market. Just mentioning that place conjures up images of when I was a little kid and my mom took my sister and I down to the big market that was directly across the giant skyscrapers. There she’d buy fruits, meats and vegetables. Every time we took a trip down there she’d buy us some tacos from one of the stands inside and we’d go find some seats. The tacos that they sold there were gigantic. This also brought back memories of a man that sold beans, rice and other dried food stuff. It was there that my mom would buy pounds of rice and beans. She’d also buy tiny star noodles that she used to make chicken soup with.

In another one of his stories he talks about the poverty that is a reality for many families in Los Angeles. Although I never did see kids kill pigeons to take home and cook, I do remember hearing stories of people killing ducks at MacArthur Park and Lincoln Park and cooking dinners, and of course as a little kid seeing the people that fished at MacArthur Park made me want to fish there also. I remember catching one or two tiny fish which my mom then fried for me. At such a young age one doesn’t consider what might be lurking inside those man-made lakes, but nevertheless the silvery fish tasted good.

There are several stories that stand out, but I won’t dive into each individual one. They are all good and have a different perspective of the city. I particularly liked the limo driver who was also a member of a garage band. That story touched on a point that one usually doesn’t think about. That aside from the stereotypical people that exist in the poor Spanish speaking barrios of Los Angeles, there are creative minds pursuing their hearts calling and are making a positive impact in their community. In addition the majority of the people living there are working class folk that have jobs and struggle just like anyone else would in any big city. Other stories are tragic and touch on things that almost every family in this world experiences at one point in their lives, a family member that struggles with drugs or alcohol. 

There was another story that was excruciatingly powerful, and that’s the one where two sisters have to fend for themselves most of the time. The girls suffer the consequences of irresponsible parents, but are at a point where they are beginning to start their own lives, but starting their lives in tough circumstances won’t be easy. Nevertheless, the story shows that people are resilient even in tragedy and that there are other people out there that are trying to reach out to kids like Olivia and Luna, and show them that there is another and better world out there. A world that doesn’t have to be like their present and that this better world can be theirs as well. It is a world where creativity and imagination are practiced, like writing, painting and performing, a world where anger and desperation are defused via creative outlets. Though it is a short story it shows what teachers working in poor neighborhoods throughout the United States, and the world confront. The challenges are daunting, but even in such bleak environments there are glimmers of hope and compassion.

The stories contained in this collection are teeming with life, love and hope. I particularly liked the fact that the characters are a common folk. There are local eses that have grown up and are working blue collar jobs, single mothers are pushing ahead with their lives and trying to do something for their kids, and there are kids that are simply trying to survive their environment. There is a tremendous amount of love and kindness that is showcased. Be it from the next door neighbor that shares their awesome pozole with the other neighbor, to the grandmother that shows her grandchild that sometimes one has to dance their emotions away, and finally to other working folk sharing their wisdom with the young naive person.