The pain of the macho : and other plays /

In this debut collection, Najera proves himself to be one of the most exciting and talented Latino writers of his generation. Consisting of the title play, A Quiet Love, and Latinologues, which has been produced on Showtime's Latino Comedy Festival, the collection embodies self-deprecating humor, witty satire, and a deep empathy with the abuses and stereotypes Latinos have endured. In the title play, a collection of ten linked but separate monologs, Najera probes the multiple meanings of machismo through diverse characters, including a Beverly Hills busboy who is seduced by an attractive customer, Desi Arnaz speaking before the Miami Rotary Club, an outgoing Miss East L.A. who refuses to give up her crown, and Bufford Gomez, a conflicted INS agent. A Quiet Love, the one multicharactered play in the collection, is a treatment of Najera's own family. Latinos, Anglos, and everyone else will experience much of what binds us, and still distinguishes us, through these brilliantly realized characters. Variety has called Najera "one of the 50 Creatives to watch," and his collection belongs in every contemporary drama or multicultural literature collection.‘Robert W. Melton, Univ. of Kansas Libs., Lawrence (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.