Carlos J. Queirós

Laughter and love mix with hardship and havoc to define family in Justin Torres's debut novel, We the Animals. | Read

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HBO book and documentary explore immigration, naturalization and a sense of belonging. | Read

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Pantelion Films releases It’s Not You, It’s Me with Eugenio Derbez. | Read

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From Dirty Girls to Enlightened Ladies: Chica lit writer Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez challenges genre expectations with her novel The Three Kings. | Read

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The publication of Vida by Patricia Engel marks the impressive debut of a young Latina talent. | Read

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New York Yankee catcher Jorge Posada and his wife, Laura, reveal why they decided to write their memoir. | Read

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The Pulitzer Prize winning author talks about his new book, Beautiful Maria of My Soul, gives advice to his younger self and tells me what's next. | Read

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Motherhood and a multicultural lens add to the human touch of her stories. | Read

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In an interview with my mother for StoryCorps, I learn about her sacrifices, heartaches, and joy. | Read

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StoryCorps Historias lets you archive your life: It's Time to Tell Your Story. | Read

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Bound

By Carlos J. Queirós

Framed in my bedroom door, Diogo was the epitome of sixteen-year-old cool: black mane slicked back with gel, baggy white jeans with matching hightops, left earlobe with a diamond stud. He and his older brother João shared bunk beds in the room above mine, creating a stack of Portuguese boys in our four-story apartment building in New Jersey.

“Can’t you even play with GI Joes like a normal kid? They’re supposed to kick the shit out of each other,” he said, ramming together my usually mild-mannered soldiers.

It was February, 1989. The previous night’s blizzard had shuttered the schools, and Mãe decided Diogo would be my impromptu babysitter. With a day off from third grade, I was eager to cocoon myself in blankets, watching Thundercats for endless hours on the color TV my parents had given me two weeks earlier for my ninth birthday.

“Come on, let’s go,” Diogo peeled my covers off. “Aww, how cute—Superman tighty whities.”

I’d been lying on my stomach and raised my butt. I screeched in a teakettle pitch—the hope was that he’d just call me a retard and leave. Head buried in a pillow, still the scent of his Old Spice.

“Okay, enough. I told your mom I’d check up on your sorry ass and if I’m bouncing so are you.” A fingernail scraped through my crack as he yanked my briefs down.

“I told you, that’s not funny,” I bolted out of bed, and charged at him. He pushed me away with a clammy palm, and laughed while I flailed at the air.

“I knew that’d get you up,” he said. “Stop being a baby. I’ll get you back before your mommy gets home.”

“You know I’m not supposed to leave.”

“You have two minutes,” Diogo announced. 

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No matter how Sex-and-the-City the book’s cover may appear, don’t mistake Reclaiming Paris for chick lit. Although it’s certainly sensually seductive, the book’s origins were anything but, as author Fabiola Santiago tells me. | Read

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Oscar Casares, the critically acclaimed author of the short story collection Brownsville, spends an afternoon with me to discuss his debut novel Amigoland, to detail the pain of fiction colliding with life, and to read an excerpt from one of Amigoland's most poignant scenes. | Read

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At 72, Brazilian mystery writer Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza is 13 years into his second career and has never looked back. In this interview with me, he talks about the latest installment in his bestselling Inspector Espinosa series, Rio de Janeiro as inspiration, and how age has affected his writing. | Read

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Book review of Liz Balmaseda's first novel, Sweet Mary. | Read

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On the 25th anniversary of the publication of The House on Mango Street, Chicana literary icon Sandra Cisneros reveals her life's passions, and how she is nurturing a new generation of writers.| Read

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Read an extended Q and A with Cisneros, where she discusses the pivotal role her novel played in the acceptance of Latino culture, her years as an academic migrant, and more.| Read

Marie Arana discusses her new novel, Lima Nights, a timeless tale of forbidden romance set in the Peruvian city of her birth.| Read

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My review of Lima Nights. | Read

Junot Díaz’s first published work, the bestselling short story collection Drown (1996), earned Díaz critical praise. His second publication and first novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, garnered Díaz the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In an exclusive interview, the Dominican American writer speaks of the challenges of his craft and of the unexpected consequences of his writing. | Read

Angolan writer José Eduardo Agualusa discusses identity and Jorge Luis Borges, the inspiration for his sixth novel, The Book of Chameleons. | Read

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My review of The Book of Chameleons. | Read

Five of AARP VIVA's favorite authors featured over the last five years answered five questions about their lives as writers and readers. | Read

The winner of the 2007 Arizona Literary Treasure Award sat down with me to discuss his ninth poetry collection, The Theater of Night, his relationship with his grandparents, and reconnecting with the Spanish language. | Read

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My print-only review of The Theater of Night available upon request.

my 'read' shelf:

I sat down with Anthony Romero and spoke openly with him about his new book In Defense of Our America: The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror. In 2005, Romero was named one of Time magazine's 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America. We spoke of motivation, the fight for civil liberties, and grappling with sexual orientation in a Hispanic family. | Read

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My review of In Defense of Our America: The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror. | Read

I sat down with Ana Castillo in her very first interview about The Guardians.| Read

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My review of The Guardians. | Read

Acclaimed author Cristina García speaks candidly with me about aging, Cuba, and the importance of roots in her first interview about A Handbook to Luck. | Read

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My review of A Handbook to Luck. | Read

The bestselling author on her newest book, issues of identity, aging, and more. AllendeInterview.pdf

My review of El búfalo de la noche (The Night Buffalo) by Guillermo Arriaga (published in Críticas Magazine) Read

Print version of this clip (and all others on this site) is available upon request.

My interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Maraniss about what prompted him to write his latest book, Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero. | Read

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My review of Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero. | Read