BARRIO STREETS CARNIVAL DREAMS

A tantalizing but disconnected sampler that hints at the range of contributions of 20th- century Hispanic authors and artists to this country's culture. On a foundation of reminiscences—Marco Rizo on his boyhood chum, Desi Arnaz, and Carnival in Santiago, Cuba; novelist Susan Lowell remembering her strong-minded grandmother; Oscar Hijuelos celebrating the ubiquitous street music in Spanish Harlem—cemented with brief introductions, Carlson (American Eyes, 1994, etc.) assembles anecdotes, photos, cartoons, poetry (some bilingual, with all Spanish translated), art, and essays from over two dozen contributors, on such diverse topics as music, racism, Operation Bootstrap's 1950s sterilization program in Puerto Rico, and the tin folk art called hojalateria. As the arrangement is broadly thematic and the editor stingy with dates, it's usually hard to tell an author's—or a piece's—age, and there is no sense of dialogue or historical development in the collection. Carlson declines to cite her sources or offer suggestions for further reading or viewing; her intent seems to be to pay tribute rather than to open a gateway for young readers. Parts of this are better than the disappointing whole. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Anthology. 10-13)