Bodega Dreams by Qui?onez, Ernesto

In this "thriller with literary merit" (Time Out New York), a stunning narrative combines the gritty rhythms of Junot Diaz with the noir genius of Walter Mosley.

Bodega Dreams pulls us into Spanish Harlem, where the word is out: Willie Bodega is king. Need college tuition for your daughter? Start-up funds for your fruit stand? Bodega can help. He gives everyone a leg up, in exchange only for loyalty--and a steady income from the drugs he pushes.

Lyrical, inspired, and darkly funny, this powerful debut novel brilliantly evokes the trial of Chino, a smart, promising young man to whom Bodega turns for a favor. Chino is drawn to Bodega's street-smart idealism, but soon finds himself over his head, navigating an underworld of switchblade tempers, turncoat morality, and murder.

"Bodega is a fascinating character. . . . The story [Quiñonez] tells has energy and verve." --The New York Times Book Review

Author: Ernesto Qui?onez
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 03/14/2000
Pages: 226
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.18w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780375705892
Award: Street Literature Book Award Medal (Slbam) - Honorable Mention

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 01/17/2000 pg. 42
Library Journal 01/01/2000 pg. 162
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2000 pg. 142
Latina 03/01/2000 pg. 36
Poder Hispanic 03/01/2000 pg. 66
Time 03/27/2000 pg. 98
New York Times 03/12/2000 pg. 11
Entertainment Weekly 04/28/2000 pg. 102
Black Issues Book Review 07/01/2000 pg. 20
School Library Journal 09/01/2000 pg. 259
School Library Journal 08/24/2000

About the Author
Ernesto Quiñonez was born in Ecuador, but arrived to New York City he was eighteen months old and was raised in El Barrio, East Harlem. Quiñonez is also the author of Bodega Dreams and Chango's Fire. Quiñonez is an Associate Professor at Cornell University, where he teaches Creative Writing, Latino Fiction and Magical Realism, among others.