Men Without Bliss - (Chicana and Chicano Visions of the Américas) by Rigoberto González (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In cities and fields, Mexican American men are leading lives of quiet desperation. In this collection of thirteen startling stories, Rigoberto González weaves complex portraits of Latinos leading ordinary, practically invisible lives while navigating the dark waters of suppressed emotion--true-to-life characters who face emotional hurt, socioeconomic injustice, indignities in the workplace, or sexual repression. But because their culture expects men to symbolize power and control, they dare not risk succumbing to displays of weakness.

González shines an empathetic light into the shadows of Mexican culture to portray characters who suffer in silence--men both straight and gay who must come to terms with their grief, loneliness, and pain. By exploring the private moments of men trapped inside unforgiving stereotypes, he critiques long-held assumptions of Latino behavior. He shows us individuals who must break out of various closets to become fully realized adults, and makes us feel the emotional pain of men in a culture that recognizes only the pain and hardship of women.

Men without Bliss conveys the silent suffering of all men, not just Latinos. It will open readers' eyes to unexpected facets of Latino culture, and perhaps of their own lives.

Review Quotes

"The momentum of Gonzalez's clean prose carries the reader, without distraction or intrusion, deep into other lives and cultures. This is a fine book, to be read by everyone who wants the truth, who wants insight into contemporary issues and problems, especially related to Hispanics."--Jimmy Santiago Baca, author of Spring Poems Along the Rio Grande