Author : Suni Paz
5th Grade and up
Destellos y
Sombras
Sparkles and Shadows
Destellos
y Sombras, Softcover, Spanish, Book, Suni Paz,
5th Grade and up, $19.95
Sparkles and Shadows,
Softcover, English, Book, Suni Paz,
5th Grade and up, $19.95
$412.60 for the Suni
Paz Collection
, Including 20%-Off, Free Shipping, and No Sales Tax : 2
Bilingual CDs, 23 Spanish CDs, 1 Softcover Spanish Book, and 1 Softcover English
Book
Author's Note : This book is a memoir written with anecdotes. It is the saga of an Italian-Argentine family, the Calandrelli family. They gave birth to talented, original people whose works became published, printed, played and recognized in Argentina, in Europe and in the United States. Their lives were lived in Buenos Aires, a bustling city even in the 1900, but with mores, beliefs and happenings that move from the innocent, to the humorous, to the terrifying. Throughout the book runs a thread of love and understanding of the values and prejudices of the times. Of this book, it was said: “Here, early encounters with prejudice are recounted with unflinching honesty and tales of immigration told with such timeless tenderness and thoughtful insight that they remain fully relevant to today’s world.” Among the characters in the book we find an aunt that makes magic, is a writer, a graphologist, an amateur astronomist and becomes a celebrated poet writing in French and in Spanish; an uncle who is a pianist and an inventor; a grandfather that is a well-known doctor, a musician, and a poet; a grandma, an artist, not an architect, that makes blue prints for a house she is set to build in the middle of nowhere; a mother that in her deathbed sees Death entering through a balcony, and a four-year-old musical genius that ends up in the United States with 25 Grammy nominations, two Grammys won, and two Oscars. Finally, the author of Sparkles and Shadows is the recipient of several awards, a performing artist, a singer and a songwriter with more than four hundred recorded songs. To make this saga more real, today, in the hills of Rome, in the Trastevere, one can see busts of members of the Calandrelli family with a nearby street named after them: Via Calandrelli. I, personally, must add that I wanted my children to know what kind of family they came from, what heritage they had behind, the makings of their DNA. Today, too many children have no roots, no relatives around that can remind them of who they are. With no known heritage behind, children look for a place to belong to, usually gangs or drugs. If we want strong families, strong children, that is, strong “trees,” we need to give them strong “roots.” A way to do that is by telling them the story of their families and when possible, keep alive their language and their culture.
Listen to Vienna Rose read Sparkles and Shadows to you. A marvelous example of the magical encounter between a child and books that we wish for all children.
Early encounters with prejudice and tales of immigration are told with unflinching honesty and with such untimeless tenderness and thoughtful insight that they remain fully relevant to our current curcumstances. Throughout this memoir, exposure to European culture never overshadows the powerful influence of folklore and the Argentine avant garde on the artist's childhood. - Lisa Stewart Garrison
Enchanted and profound, this book invites the reader to take part in the intimate experiences of the author. What makes her stories unfortgettable is the authenticity of the voice and the cadence of her word. A book to be treasured. - Dr. Alma Flor Ada
This author submerges us in a pleasant voyage of discovery of the intimate, fragile, and subtle of the human experience. Then, she invites our hearts to a big laugh by introducing us to situations unthinkable in 20th Century Argentina. Suni Paz offers these flowers of her passion to our enjoyment and, surprisingly, to our reflection. A magnificent book! - F. Isabel Campoy
How good to find once in a while such a special book. After reading many autobiographical stories Suni's appeared, filled with a million histories, told with clear and involving language. Her work reunites the indispensable prerequisites to a good reading and transports us to our own history. - Clarita Kohen Klieman
“Here,
early encounters with prejudice are recounted with unflinching honesty and tales
of immigration told with such timeless tenderness and thoughtful insight that
they remain fully relevant to today’s world.” Lisa
Stewart Garrison, New Jersey
Dear Suni, I just
wrote you a long letter. Mostly, I was saying how much I enjoyed the book and
talking about certain passages that were special for me, like Tiasu's (your
aunt’s) childrearing methods (your first job, the bottle of anise); Martina
and how beautifully you wrote about your friendship and your sadness; the
unshakable determination of your brother Jorge. I really felt your respect
and love for people in your life. It is a series of vignettes, and they each
stand on their own. I know you have the right to choose what to include in your
book but I had questions though. I wanted more information about your
relationship with your mother in order to appreciate the meaning of the chapter
when you were taking care of her. It is poignant that the times when you could
have her as a child were when you were sick and then it was she who was sick and
you who were there for her. The fact that it was mostly Tiasu who raised
you makes me feel that you were very fortunate to have your aunt and that it was
sad that you lost touch with her. I also loved your camaraderie with her and
that she shared her writing with you. I would like to buy a Spanish copy
from you. I'm so glad I will get to see you (hopefully) next month. Here, we're
all fine. Have a very happy new year.” Mara Goodman, New York
Dear Suni, I’ve
just read your book and enjoyed it through and through. I will order it in
Spanish when I return to San Diego and read it again. The clarity and
intensity of your descriptions drew me in without a moments hesitation. I
loved the moments you chose to share and the compassion with which you offered
them… Let me know if you are in the San Diego area in the spring, I will be
there visiting… “ Hugs, Sarah Livia, London
“Dearest Suni, I have been thinking about you so much—your beautiful work and your beautiful spirit! I can’t wait to receive the book. Will it include a CD of your music? In Spanish I hope.” Sheri Ritchlin, California
“Encantador y
profundo, este libro invita al lector a tomar parte en las intimas experiencias
de la autora. Ya sea dolor o lucha, juego o ingenio lo que sus páginas
comparten, lo que las hacen inolvidables es la autenticidad de la voz y la
cadencia de sus palabras. Un libro para ser atesorado”. Alma
Flor Ada, California
“Esta autora nos
sumerge en un placentero viaje de descubrimiento de lo íntimo, lo frágil y lo
sutil de la experiencia humana. Y luego, invita a nuestro corazón a una inmensa
carcajada simplemente bosquejando situaciones impensables del siglo XX en
Argentina. Suni Paz nos ofrece estas flores de su pasión para nuestro disfrute
e insospechadamente para la reflexión. Un libro magnífico.” Francisca
Isabel Campoy, California
“¡Qué bueno
tropezarse de vez en cuando con una obra tan especial. Después de leer unos
cuantos cuentos autobiográficos aparecen los de Suni Paz, con una historia que
contiene mil historias. Contada con un lenguaje claro y envolvente, su obra reúne
los requisitos indispensables para pasar un buen momento y transportarnos a
nuestra propia historia”. Clarita
Kohen Klieman, California
“Hola Suni: ¿Cómo
estás? Te escribo mientras voy en la mitad de tu libro. No lo he soltado cuando
pude agarrarlo. Ando embebida en esa niña tan lúcida y determinada. Desde
que te conocí me pareció que algo muy fuerte emergía de tu personalidad y
ahora lo confirmo. Después te cuento más cuando lo termine. Voy
a seguir ahora entre la fascinante Tiasu, las exquisitas citas de Atahualpa
Yupanqui... en fin… Espero tú estés bien y sigas escribiendo para
seres como yo, que ante la imposibilidad de recordar la niñez, revivimos como
en reminiscencias la pérdida de otro anillo, otra aventura llena de animalitos
amados... tías, o compañeras de escuela admirables. Así
que después te escribo otra vez cuando lo acabe…algunos libros dan pena que
se terminen”. Mariana
Montes Shaw, California
“Hola, Suni: Te
escribo de nuevo, ya que he terminado de leer tu libro. Me gustó mucho.
Evidentemente tienes gran vena de escritora porque has transmitido en esos
cuentos algo muy vívido. He llorado y reído. La elección de los dos cuentos
finales y su contenido, me impresionaron mucho... Hasta he esbozado algún
escrito contagiada del relato autobiográfico, memorioso…” Mariana
Montes Shaw, California
“Hola, Suni: Con
respecto a tu libro, te cuento que cuando lo leí, creo que te comenté que me
gustó mucho. Me encantaron las escenas de tu hermano Matías cuidándote en la
escalera de la casa de la calle Paraguay, y luego más adelante otra
escena de Juan, tu hijo, cuidando de su hermanito Ramiro con una espada al
lado de otra escalera, todo con imágenes muy ricas y descripciones que me
gustaron mucho. Me acordé de la casa de Tula, a la que creo que yo fui algunas
veces…” Leo Sicardi,
psicólogo, sobrino de Suni