Latin Deli

Reviewing her novel, The Line of the Sun, the New York Times Book Review hailed Judith Ortiz Cofer as "e;a writer of authentic gifts, with a genuine and important story to tell."e; Those gifts are on abundant display in The Latin Deli, an evocative collection of poetry, personal essays, and short fiction in which the dominant subject-the lives of Puerto Ricans in a New Jersey barrio-is drawn from the author's own childhood. Following the directive of Emily Dickinson to "e;tell all the Truth but tell it slant,"e; Cofer approaches her material from a variety of angles.An acute yearning for a distant homeland is the poignant theme of the title poem, which opens the collection. Cofer's lines introduce us "e;to a woman of no-age"e; presiding over a small store whose wares-Bustelo coffee, jamon y queso, "e;green plantains hanging in stalks like votive offerings"e;-must satisfy, however imperfectly, the needs and hungers of those who have left the islands for the urban Northeast. Similarly affecting is the short story "e;Nada,"e; in which a mother's grief over a son killed in Vietnam gradually consumes her. Refusing the medals and flag proferred by the government ("e;Tell the Mr. President of the United States what I say: No, gracias."e;), as well as the consolations of her neighbors in El Building, the woman begins to give away all her possessions The narrator, upon hearing the woman say "e;nada,"e; reflects, "e;I tell you, that word is like a drain that sucks everything down."e;As rooted as they are in a particular immigrant experience, Cofer's writings are also rich in universal themes, especially those involving the pains, confusions, and wonders of growing up. While set in the barrio, the essays "e;American History,"e; "e;Not for Sale,"e; and "e;The Paterson Public Library"e; deal with concerns that could be those of any sensitive young woman coming of age in America: romantic attachments, relations with parents and peers, the search for knowledge. And in poems such as "e;The Life of an Echo"e; and "e;The Purpose of Nuns,"e; Cofer offers eloquent ruminations on the mystery of desire and the conflict between the flesh and the spirit.Cofer's ambitions as a writer are perhaps stated most explicitly in the essay "e;The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria."e; Recalling one of her early poems, she notes how its message is still her mission: to transcend the limitations of language, to connect "e;through the human-to-human channel of art."e;