It takes the average reader 6 hours and 53 minutes to read Bendición by Tato Laviera
Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more
“I think in Spanish / I write in English / I want to go back to Puerto Rico / but I wonder if my kink could live / in ponce, mayagúez and Carolina.” Born in Puerto Rico but raised in New York City, Tato Laviera’s poetry reflects his bilingual, bicultural Nuyorican existence while celebrating the universality of the human condition and his European, indigenous and African roots. Tato Laviera explores identity, community, urban life, oppression and much more in these multi-layered pieces that spanned his too-short life. Many deal with themes specific to the immigrant experience, such as the sense of alienation many feel when they are not accepted in their native or adopted land. In “nuyorican,” he writes about returning to his native island, only to be looked down upon for his way of speaking: “ahora regreso, con un corazón boricua, y tú / me desprecias, me miras mal, me atacas mi hablar.” Music and dance, an integral part of Puerto Rican life, permeate Laviera’s verse and pay homage to the Caribbean’s African roots. “i hear merengue in French Haiti / and in Dominican blood, / and the guaracha in yoruba, / and the mambo sounds inside the plena.” Including all of his previously published poems and some that have never been published, these are bold expressions of hybridity in which people of mixed races speak a combination of languages. He skillfully weaves English and Spanish, and frequently writes in Spanglish. The importance of language and its impact on his identity is evident in poems entitled “Español,” “Bilingüe” and “Spanglish.” Known for his lively, energetic poetry readings, Bendición represents an internationally recognized poet’s life work and will serve to keep Tato Laviera’s words and the issues he wrote about alive long after his death.
Bendición by Tato Laviera is 405 pages long, and a total of 103,275 words.
This makes it 137% the length of the average book. It also has 126% more words than the average book.
The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 9 hours and 24 minutes to read Bendición aloud.
Bendición is suitable for students ages 12 and up.
Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.
When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.
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