Gritos: Essays

by Dagoberto Gilb

When he first started writing, Dagoberto Gilb was struggling to survive as a journeyman high-rise carpenter. Years later, he has won widespread acclaim as a crucial and compelling voice in contemporary American letters. Tackling everything from cockfighting to Cormac McCarthy, Gritos collects Gilb's essays and his popular commentaries for NPR's Fresh Air, offering a startling portrait of an artist-and a Mexican-American- working to find his place in both the cloistered literary world and the world at large, to say nothing of his strange and beloved borderland of Texas.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Dagoberto Gilb was born in the city of Los Angeles, his mother a Mexican who crossed the border illegally, and his father a Spanish-speaking Anglo raised in East Los Angeles. They divorced before he began kindergarten. He attended several junior colleges until he transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he studied philosophy and religion and graduated with both bachelor'
s and master's degrees. After that, he began his life as a construction worker, migrating back and forth from Los Angeles and El Paso. A father, he eventually joined the union in Los Angeles; a member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, he became a class-A journeyman carpenter, and his employment for the next twelve years was on high-rise buildings.

Reviews

[♑︎♑︎♑︎ ♑︎♑︎♑︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember ever reading a book of essays before that made me want to date the author. Ok, Jeanette Winterson maybe. But what Gilb has done here feels very rare. These essays are smart without ever becoming egotistical. They are full of love but never sentimental. They are deeply observant without ever becoming cynical. Gilb's essay about traveling in Mexico, "Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes," reminds me of Paul Theroux, but better, because Gilb highlights human frailty without ever becoming mean. "Vaya Con Dios: Rosendo Juarez" is just amazing--a mini lesson on systemic racism but told so disarmingly that its effect is all the more devastating. Then segue into a sympathetic look at the "sport" of cock fighting--details about the culture and the practice that I never would have otherwise known. Gilb has a lightness of touch that reminds me of Sherman Alexie but Gilb never descends into folksy self deprecation. I was very happy to spend time with this author and I'll look forward to reading his fiction.

[Giovanni García-Fenech · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gilb's essays are earnest and baggy (he would probably say conversational); he seems to write until he's said what he wanted to say, and then ends abruptly, without much thought to a coherent narrative or structure.

Most of the pieces are okay, interesting and entertaining, and a couple are seriously cringey (a defense of cockfighting and, not unrelated, an account of his macho-ness). The book is redeemed by two pieces: the fascinating "Vaya Con Dios, Rosendo Juarez," about being asked to write a spec script for a seriously flawed Latino-themed cop show, and the brief but searing "The Donkey Show," which is as good an essay on racist attitudes towards Mexicans as I've ever read.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection of essays--my first foray into reading Gilb outside the New Yorker. One of my favorite parts was the Introduction's explanation of "gritos" in the beginning of the book. "Gritos. When I turned in this collection, my publisher wasn't sure about that title. That's because he thought the title translated as "shouts." ...If you don't know, yeah, right, it's a shout. But it's not. The most famous grito is the one from Father Hidalgo, el grito de Dolores, declaring Mexico's independence from Spain...A grito is what a coyote does--an animal wail of need, singular and for the group. A grito is the "¡Viva!" at a wedding or a political rally--joy and support. A grito is most known when mariachis sing, that loud, extemporaneous howl of triumph, or the sad--and loud, it has to be loud--lament of love lost, the orgasmic agony of love found. I wanted this collection to be all of those." I'm not sure if this collection lives up to all that, but it is certainly worth a read--fun and thought-provoking, joyful and a touch cynical--a rare find these days.

[Tamra Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book grew on me, then faded some. It's certainly interesting writing that seems focused on racial prejudices, particularly Hispanic-focused. Living in the Southwest for the first time in my life (right next door to the author's hometown), I enjoyed getting a feel for his version of the culture here. Racism, especially unintentional stereotyping, is a slippery subject and at times felt like Gilb was looking for it when it didn't exist or at least finding it when others were unintentional, but maybe that is his point: that we should know people before treating them according to a predetermined bias based on how that person looks.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection includes an essay about racism that should be mandatory reading for everybody. It is very informative. The essay, "Vaya con Dios, Rosendo Juarez, is about Gilb's struggle whether to write some screenplays for a TV series about a Hispanic cop in El Paso, TX, where Gilb was living. The Hollywood vision of El Paso and the fictional characters who would be depicted was dramatically different than the realities of being Hispanic American and living in El Paso that Gilb knew. He needed the money that the scriptwriting would provide, but he had moral/ethical concerns about writing contributing to false stereotypes. This is really a good read.

[Patrick O'Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half, brilliant essays. The second half? Glib's off on one tangent after another. Felt too personal. As in a vendetta, or a diatribe of anger and unresolved resentments. And of course there is nothing wrong with that if that is what you're after. However it just felt so anticlimactic, and at least for me, not as interesting or engrossing.....

Did I mention the first half is brilliant?

[Angie Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first ever Gilb book and I really enjoyed it. I feel like I learned so much as a reader and writer. Gilb's writing is honest, without affectation or embellishment. I loved the details he shared in every day life and details about the simple things. My understanding about an entire people was broadened to such an extent to hopefully change my behavior if needed. Very well done Mr. Gilb.

[Christine Granados · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring read. "Pride" is my favorite.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It made me laugh, and it was close to home on cultural observations.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's some gems here, such as Pride and Me Macho, You Jane. It's the worth the read for these essays.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting set of essays. Covers a wide range of hard hitting issues. Worth the read.