Quinceanera

For students, specialists, and lay readers, Stavans (Latin American and Latino culture, Amherst College) brings together nine essays that examine the quinceanera celebration's social importance in the Latino community, especially in the US. Writers, educators, a seamstress (who discusses her experiences in the community), and scholars of Chicana/o studies, sociology, art history, anthropology, and English address the roles of religion, gender, family status, class, race, and performance of the ritual, as well as the context of American debutantes' coming of age, within the Chicano community, in Guadalajara, Mexico, and women's experiences of the ritual. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Ilan Stavansis the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Latin American and Latino Culture and Amherst College and the recipient of numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Latino Literature Prize, the Antonia Pantoja Award, Chile's Presidential Medal, and the Ruben Dario Distinction.