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Book Review

The Barrio Again

In this short expressive review “The Barrio Again” by Patricia Maldonado, Maldonado clearly shows that Ernesto Quinonez book Chango’s Fire has practically everything we want in a book when it comes to a strong message and the entertainment purposes behind it. In the review Maldonado creates an atmosphere where she touches on Quinonez style on making Spanish Harlem more than just your average neighborhood, Quinonez makes his childhood neighborhood come to life it’s visually creative and adds personality to what made Quinonez. Maldonado even acknowledges gentrification and forms her own perspective of Chango’s Fire as a promotion or change for a social issue. However even though Maldonado finds Chango’s Fire imaginative and addresses a controversial topic, she feels as the novel did not carry out as much influence as his national bestseller Bodega Dreams despite Chango’s Fire being fictional Maldonado hints that there’s too many individual character conflicts. Yes, Quinonez message is powerful however how many other books aren’t like “Chango’s Fire “? It grows tiresome while Maldonado wants something more out the box she questions whether if all U.S Latino book will just be about the struggles of the Latinos in the U.S and the community, and how will America resolve this issue.

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Critical/Cultural analysis

Crack In Spanish Harlem(1989)

Consumption/Distribution of Drugs: led to rise in crime
Rise in crime led to degradation in community
Distrust in community between residents and people in power
Did not take entry level jobs, 9-5 jobs due to treatment of former bosses.
Spanish Harlem (inner city) distrust of officials and no viable legal jobs pushed the community to illegal activities and degradation of area.

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Interview Questions : La Fonda

1.La Fonda is a well-known restaurant that been around since the year 1986 (albeit under different names). Despite its success, due to the economic crisis in year 2011 it unfortunately had to close its doors, what persuaded you to make the decision of wanting to keep the same name?

2.Building off of the first question, are there any specific reasons you can discuss with us as to why you were inspired to buy this particular restaurant? Does it hold any special significance to you?

3.La Fonda is located in Spanish Harlem, a place known for its rich cultured history within the Latino community, can you explain to us as to why you chose this precise location versus other potential sites?

4.It had already been emphasized that La Fonda was a communal favorite among locals in the Spanish community when it first opened, but when the restaurant closed due to unfortunate circumstances and then re-opened again in the year 2011, we wondered if you perhaps continued to acquire the same regulars and if that factor has any effect on your business? Also, is there any information you think you can tell us about the customers that arrive at your restaurant on a normal basis?

5.Are there any changes in diversity within the community that you can relay to us that affect what particular customers that you presently receive?

6.Would it be safe to ask, if it could be concluded that your relationship with the community is strong? And if so how? In what ways does it benefit your establishment?

7. La Fonda used to be a family owned business retained by the Ayala brothers, Jorge and Roberto. What is your current relationship with the family? And if there isn’t one, then does that past “family” aspect of the restaurant reflect in your business and its workers currently?

8.How has the business been trending over the course of time since it’s been open again? Could you talk to us about the national exposure bought by being on the Bobby Flay Show and the positive or negative effects it has had on your restaurant in terms of revenue and customer demographic?

9. What could you possibly tell us concerning any business or personal relation to the author Ernesto Quinonez or of his book Chango’s fire?

10.What comes to mind when knowing that your restaurant holds an honorable significance to the history of Spanish Harlem based from the book? How do you feel about la Fonda having been a famous mainstay in Spanish Harlem for so many years?

11.What does that piece of historical background do to you? What does it make you think about in regards to any future plans of your business?

12.What has been your greatest professional success and biggest setback when concerning La Fonda from when you re-opened the business until now?

13.What community projects or organizations is La Fonda associated with? Can you tell us if you are active in the Spanish community and what traditions are you carrying on to the youths of today?

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Spanish Harlem

Soni Sangha’s: Latino Neighborhoods: El Barrio, Or Spanish Harlem, Still Standing Strong In New York City (2014)

Began as a farming community in the 1600’s

Cultural heart of the American Puerto Rican community

First greeted with violence and crime waves

Greeted well by the African Americans and Cubans

‘‘Little Mexico’’

Faced with a new threat: real estate

High-income people are living across street from those struggling to survive

Activism and Nostalgia

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El barrio used to be a home place for Puerto Ricans who had just came from the island as well as for Italians, Germans and Irish. There used to be Italian and Puerto Rican business who kept the tradition alive. But many things have changed.
Today, El Barrio belongs to no one because so many people live there and have their own spot in Harlem. Approximately 15,000 Mexicans have adapted to living in East Harlem . Today, there are 57 Mexican businesses open whether they are restaurants, clothing, or soccer equipment stores. By opening up business Mexicans have kept themselves in Harlem and will continue to stay there for generations to come.
Another group that has made itself at home are Dominicans. They too have opened businesses such as grocery stores in Harlem. For these newcomers it is easy to adapt because of the language. There is no problem with having to communicate with the other people living here because of the Spanish language.

Rebuilding El Barrio

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Spanish Harlem Cont.

Spanish Harlem was dominated by Germans.
After World war 1 there was an Influx of Puerto Ricans in the neighborhood which then became El Barrio.
Because of gentrification some businesses had to move.
One local business owner Luiz Perez has taken it into its own hands to preserve Spanish Harlem Culture
The painting and graffiti are part of the community art work and speaks its Puerto Rican culture.

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Harlem Braces for Rapid Change

In the article “Spanish Harlem Braces for Rapid Change.” It is enlightening us on a personal experience of a resident in the neighborhood. “ Many people remember the fires, the abandoned boarded up buildings, and the people who left,” Barkley said in an interview. Essential services began disappearing from the neighborhood in the 1970s, she said, due in large part to city and federal policies that encouraged “benign neglect” of poor neighborhoods of color.“They left the neighborhood to fend for itself,” Barkley said. “And the community was strong, but it suffered.”“Now, East Harlem is a hot property,” Barkley said. “We have to bring the focus back to the people who were originally here and went through all of this. We have to make sure that the people who were here can stay here.”

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What did you expect?

While she doesn’t necessarily take issue with newcomers to the neighborhood, Barkley emphasizes that preserving homes for long-term residents of the neighborhood should take precedent over new developments.

Newcomers have been moving into East Harlem for some time, drawn by its upper-Manhattan perch, lower rents, and access to public transit. But now, El Barrio - like a variety of other low-income areas populated predominantly by people of color - is becoming increasingly desirable to developers hoping to accommodate waves of middle-class renters.

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East Harlem

Spanish Harlem (East Harlem) is one of the neighborhoods at the center of the gentrification debate in New York.

One of the city’s poorest district with a household income of $30,000 compared to $50,000 for all New York City according to a census data from 2010.

It’s also located North of Yorkville, one of Manhattan’s wealthiest and most expensive neighborhood which is good for development.

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Autobiography

When our group initially started this project, we were having certain issues finding a good source of information the autobiography of who Ernesto Quinonez is so instead of us getting bits and pieces and going the extra lengths on more research we decided to contact him through email to ask him a few questions to understand him better. Even though we thought this idea wouldn’t go through it became one of the most collaborative and thrilling part of this project.

Although Ernesto kept his answers short and simple we learned that his national bestseller “Bodega Dreams” [ag1] was more of an autobiography about himself. Even though we couldn’t read this book in class we found out more information in his novel and our answered our own questions about Ernesto through parts of the book. In “Bodega Dreams” we learned that Quinonez was born and raised in El Barrio Spanish Harlem New York by an Ecuadorian father who was a communist and a Puerto Rican mother who was a Jehovah Witness. As a kid, he lived a rough life from poverty to gentrification, he escaped the issues of Spanish Harlem was by becoming a graffiti artist tagging walls for memorials within his neighborhood for those who have lost their lives.

Gradually when Quinonez got older he became a 4^th grade teacher in the Bronx for a bilingual class for 3 years even though initially Quinonez wanted to become a painter he quit painting and ventured into writing which he states wasn’t an easy process starting from a blank page was hard however it was the discipline to do so. From going to short stories, reading, watching movies, going to the Met to see paintings, hearing different types of music and storytelling it formed the writer he is today.

[ag1]

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Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, how did you grow up? Where did you go to school?

The first chapter of Bodega Dreams is pretty autobiographical, though I know your class read Chango's Fire, but it's all there. I'm from Spanish Harlem New York City.

2. Why do you write, what is your message in writing? Can you tell us a critical moment in your development that encouraged you to get your message across?

I really wanted to be a painter and one day I decided I was not that great a painter and so I started to write. I am political but have no real message, the reader can take what he/she wants.

3. When did you decide to become a writer?

After I quit painting.

4. How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?

I started writing short stuff, then short stories and then novels. So I read a lot, saw movies, went to the Met to see paintings, heard different types of music and all this storytelling seep into my sub conscience.

5. What is the hardest thing about writing?

Writing. Starting from the blank page, and also the discipline of actually do it.

6. How did your family encourage you in your writing? Was writing something that your family encouraged you do or did they have a different career path for you?

Nope. Like most, not all, but most Latino family, my family did have books let alone novels, in the house. My parents were very, very, very hard working people but books were not in the equations, only work was and they expected the same in their children.

7. In Chango's Fire, Julio obviously has his views/feelings on gentrification

and El Barrio in the 2000's -- what are yours? Are they similar? Are you Julio? Or do yours views/feelings differ?

I don't know. It depends on how I wake up that day.

8. How have you seen gentrification progress after this novel?

Is gentrification progress? But I think I know what you mean. You can see for yourself how the poor areas of NYC have changed to high rents since the publication of this book in 2005.

9. Has a Santero ever influenced you in your life, as it did Julio?

No.

10. Papelito’s Botanica, was that based on a real botanica?

Yes. It was Santa Barbara on 111th Street and and Park Avenue. You can see it in a 70's movie titled the Possession of Joel Delaney.

11. Do you feel as though the topics in your book are still relevant today and are your books connected to one another?

Well gentrification still here. It began with Columbus and hasn't left.

12. What is the legacy you want to leave and are you ready to label that legacy?

Not that old yet, but thanks for the question.

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Bibliography

QuinÌ�onez, Ernesto. Chango's Fire: A Novel. New York: Rayo, 2004. Print.

Bourgois, Philippe. "Crack in Spanish Harlem: Culture and Economy in the Inner City." Anthropology Today 5.4 (1989): 6. Web.

QuinÌ�onez, Ernesto. Bodega Dreams. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 2000. Print.

Maldonado, Patricia. “The Barrio Again.” New York: ,Review 2013.Print.

Songha, Soni. “Latino Neighborhoods: El Barrio, or Spanish Harlem Still Standing Strong in New York City.”Latino Studies,2014.Print

Goodman, Daniel. “New York’s East Harlem: Neighborhood Fighting To Keep Its Culture In The Face Of Gentrification.”n.d.Print.

Calmes, Maggie. “Spanish Harlem Braces For Rapid Change.”New York: Culture and Politics, 2016.Print.

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