MANY CULTURES * ONE WORLD"Boricua is what Puerto Ricans call one another as a term of endearment, respect, and cultural affirmation; it is a timeless declaration that transcends gender and color. Boricua is a powerful word that tells the origin and history of the Puerto Rican people."--From the IntroductionFrom the sun-drenched beaches of a beautiful, flamboyan-covered island to the cool, hard pavement of the fierce South Bronx, the remarkable journey of the Puerto Rican people is a rich story full of daring defiance, courageous strength, fierce passions, and dangerous politics--and it is a story that continues to be told today. Long ignored by Anglo literature studies, here are more than fifty selections of poetry, fiction, plays, essays, monologues, screenplays, and speeches from some of the most vibrant and original voices in Puerto Rican literature. Contents: Catharsis. Here by Sandra Maria Esteves To the Persecuted by José de Diego The Sounds of Sixth Street by Martita Morales A Letter to a Child Like Me by José Torres It Is Raining Today by Sandra Maria Esteves How to Know the Puerto Ricans by Jesus Colon Island of Lost Causes by Esmeralda Santiago Hallelujahs by José de Diego Puerto Rican Nationalism by Pedro Albizu Campos On Recent Disturbances in Puerto Rico by Luis Muñoz Marin The Boy Without a Flag by Abraham Rodriguez, Jr. Grand River of Loiza by Julia de Burgos The "Lamento Borincano" by José Luis González The Party (From Palante! Young Lords Party) by Pablo Guzman Los Macheteros by Ronald Fernandez Double Allegiance by Rosario Morales Child of the Americas by Aurora Levins Morales Ay Ay Ay, of the Kinky Negress by Julia de Burgos Puerto Ricans: Between Black and White by Clara E. Rodriguez Nigger-Reecan Blues by Willie Perdomo Black and Latino by Roberto Santiago Babylon for the Babylonians (From Down These Mean Streets) by Piri Thomas African Things by Victor Hernandez Cruz The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria by Judith Ortiz Cofer A Mongo Affair by Miguel Algarin Puerto Rican Obituary by Pedro Pietri The Konk by Piri Thomas The Story of My Body by Judith Ortiz Cofer To Julia de Burgos by Julia de Burgos Hangin' (Out) with the Homeboys by Joséph B. Vasquez Niggerlips by Martin Espada Little Things Are Big by Jesus Colon The Docile Puerto Rican - Literature and Psychological Reality by René Marqués The American Invasion of Macun (From When I Was Puerto Rican) by Esmeralda Santiago Urban reality. Monday Morning by Pedro Pietri "Looking Good" by Freddie Prinze Carlito's Way by Edwin Torres Short Eyes by Miguel Piñero Poppa Dio! by Reinaldo Povod Bayaminina by Pedro Juan Soto Roots (From Palante! Young Lords Party) by Felipe Luciano I Became My Own Path by Julia de Burgos Yoruba (From The Santeria Experience) by Migene Gonzalez -Wippler Aunt Rosana's Rocker by Nicholasa Mohr Aerobics for Love by Ana Lydia Vega Malig; Malig & Sal; Sal. (From Dominoes and Other Stories from The Puerto Rican) by Jack Agüeros My Old Flame by Ed Morales HIV by Miguel Algarin Poem for My Death by Julia de Burgos Dedicated to Maria Rodriguez Martinez - February 24, 1975 by Lucky CienFuegos The Freddie Prinze Story by Maria Graniela de Pruetzel A Special Kind of Courage: Bernard Carabello by Geraldo Rivera Loiza Aldea by Victor Hernandez Cruz Redemption. The Final Act by José de Diego