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Summary
Summary
Color presents poignant conversations with people who have come from a variety of Central and South American cultures and backgrounds. The author based her writing on exchanges she witnessed through her work as an interpreter and advocate for Spanish-speaking immigrants. Her narratives give voice to their hopes, dreams, and life experiences--from the ordinary to the overwhelmingly difficult.
In Color , a mother tells how as a little girl, she swept a dirt floor, cooked over a wood fire, and washed clothes in a muddy river. "Can you imagine being here, in a nice apartment, how fun it is for me to keep house?" A man is unable to comprehend the poor work ethic of his fellow employees. "Minimum wage is more per hour than I would make at home by a long shot. So I work as hard as I can...but my citizen coworkers are always complaining. They even tell me not to work so hard because I make them look bad!" A father speaks of the intense hunger he experienced as a child, and then recalls, "The first time my son said, 'I don't like this food, ' I burst out crying. My wife thought I was upset at his bad manners, but I was just so glad my son had the luxury of not liking food...that my children have never known hunger."
Whether about love, work, play, finances, or family, these accounts illuminate cultural differences in attitudes, rights, and values, and also pose intriguing questions about the effects of prosperity. Lorane A. West paints a very real picture of life for immigrants in the United States, and through her portraits, gives Americans a glimpse of themselves that may both surprise and challenge.
Table of Contents
1. Adoption--Infertile woman offers to let her husband impregnate someone else |
2. Alone--War survivor has to get used to being alone when husband deported |
3. Alzheimer's--Man won't abandon wife into assisted living center; he keeps her at home |
4. Anesthesia--Man was awakened from his anesthesia overdose by sound of beloved voice |
5. Animal--Man with severe injury remembers his wilder days; now he is jealous of his wife |
6. Argentina--Children and parents choose between their two cultures and family is split |
7. Arthritis--Elderly Peruvian lady with arthritis is told she "walks like a Mexican bandit" |
8. Artificial Life--Man admires his aged mother's recovery on hospital burn unit |
9. Auto Tech--Mexican man feels ripped off; returns to Guadalajara for auto tech training |
10. Back--Injured man has trouble understanding Labor and Industries program |
11. Beatings--Battered Mexican woman gets cancer; still hopes for change |
12. Bible--Man explains how he struggles with the devil to read the Bible better |
13. Big--Large Salvadoran lady gets plenty of attention from Latinos on the street |
14. Book--Woman wants to write a book about U.S. experience, warning others not to come |
15. Braces--Mother and son are stuck in braces when husband is laid off and loses insurance |
16. Breast--Indian woman argues with doctor to get her newborn to breast and bless him |
17. Bro--Brother explains why he's so eager to cheer his sister-in-law on during childbirth |
18. Brother--Honduran brother-in-law moves in to care for wife while husband out of town |
19. Bullet--Mexican man remembers how he was shot in the head by his pregnant girlfriend |
20. Calendar Boy--Disappointed/bragging father whose son quit school to be calendar boy |
21. Chains--Lonely professional woman feels invisible; only known as a nanny now |
22. Charity Care--Man whose wife has cancer finds out about Charity Care program |
23. Cholo--Grandma tells about baggy-pants boy who married her disabled granddaughter |
24. Choose--Married Mexican man with girlfriend has to choose between women |
25. Church--Women invite interpreter to attend church with them |
26. Class--South American man regrets having married his lower class countrywoman |
27. Classes--Mother takes parenting classes to learn how to control her temper |
28. Crossing--Woman with cancer tells about crossing the border with her grandchildren |
29. Daughter--Dad comes to terms with having daughter--instead of son--during labor |
30. Dear Mami--Letter from dead baby to grieving mother, thanking her for his short life |
31. Death--Pregnant woman has near-death experience as she gets infection and loses her baby |
32. Deer--Salvadoran grandson wouldn't mind Grandma back home; reunited with her in U.S. |
33. Diabetes--Pregnant mom with diabetes talks about how she lost her first child to disease |
34. Doctor--Man with bad surgery outcome regrets he ever went to the doctor originally |
35. Dog--Mother-in-law explains how men need space to be comfortable in a marriage |
36. Donors--Grandma has many potential donors, but would prefer her husband's kidney |
37. Down's--Father of newborn with Down's syndrome upset that doctor didn't explain better |
38. Economist--University student is saved from being gang-raped when she is recognized |
39. Eighteen--Young married woman wonders why everyone mad at her for being pregnant |
40. Embroidery--Mexican woman working in U.S. factory misses warmth of family home |
41. English--Woman has to help her Puerto Rican boyfriend propose to her in Spanish |
42. Epilepsy--Uninsured man with uncontrolled seizures wonders if there might be a cure |
43. Example--Christian father explains how his family is an example to others in community |
44. Expense--Grandpa leaves hospital against medical advice when janitor tells him the cost |
45. Eye Doctor--Mother tells how painful it is to watch rough doctor handling her son |
46. Fallopian Tubes--Housekeeper pays cash to straighten Fallopian tubes |
47. Family--Large family from eastern Washington in Seattle hospital waiting room |
48. Family Bed--Mom talks about Latino families sleeping together in big, cozy group |
49. Farm--Man fishes in Alaska to save up to buy his own farm in Mexico and get a wife |
50. Father and Mother--New dad spoonfeeds new mother, since her family is far away |
51. Fifteen--Man laments that his fifteen-year-old wife seems too young to become a mother |
52. Finally--Seventy-three-year-old man explains how he is the father of a twenty-year-old son |
53. Five Years--Birthing mother remembers interpreter who was more than family |
54. Follow-Up--Man calls Public Health to get catheter removed when no one will treat him |
55. Froggie--Woman remembers how neighbor arranged for her kidnapping for ransom |
56. Frown--Unhappy hypochondriac wants to buy a happy face to gain credibility |
57. Frustration--Mentally ill boy chokes another student to get his backpack back |
58. God--Mexican woman can't forgive abusive dad who "found God" in old age |
59. Good Try--Mexican soccer coach cannot understand why white parents yell "good try" |
60. Goodbye--Dying baby's heart keeps beating until dad holds baby in his arms |
61. Grandson--Child left behind wondered if his parents didn't want him |
62. Gratitude--Immigrant feels sad that so many citizens are ungrateful |
63. Greenery--Grandma talks about going into the forest to pick bouquet greenery |
64. Grief--Grieving sister thinks she must have had heart attack, cannot believe it was just grief |
65. Grumpy--Grumpy old man suffers at graveside service for his wife of sixty years |
66. Hard Work--Father bewildered by son's choice to forego hard work and attend college |
67. Healer--Healer disappointed that she cannot cure granddaughter's diabetes |
68. Heart--Eastern Washington heart patient amused at idiopathic cardiomyopathy diagnosis |
69. Heart Transplant--Man refuses heart transplant, prefers to keep his own heart and die |
70. High Protein--Couple informed that the mother's high protein may mean birth defects |
71. Home--Mother explains why they left their children in home country |
72. Hunger--Disabled man recalls childhood starvation, grateful his children have enough food |
73. Hurting Myself--Post-traumatic war victim tries to explain why suicide a relief |
74. Hysterectomy--Woman finds out after cancer treatment that she is permanently infertile |
75. Ice--Woman complains that drug and alcohol counselor is as cold as ice to her drinking husband |
76. Identity--IRS tries to get woman to pay double taxes when someone uses her ID |
77. Jalisco--Mexican woman compares poverty there and here--no money vs. no time |
78. Jealousy--Pregnant woman may miscarry after jealous fight with boyfriend leads to a fall |
79. Joking Around--Mexican father gets closer to son when they live alone together in U.S. |
80. Joy--Older mother enjoys childbirth so much she has symptoms of extreme joy during labor |
81. Junior--Father had a lot of dreams for his terminally ill son; it is wrenching to let him go |
82. Keeping House--Housewife talks about the joys of keeping a nice, clean house |
83. Knitting--Volunteer knitter for the Red Cross loves helping babies have hand-knit items |
84. Las Malvinas--Argentinean vows to never speak English after Falkland Islands attack |
85. Last Time--Mother frustrated when emergency room won't treat her son's cold symptoms |
86. Laughter--Joking woman with heart defect laughs her way through heart procedure |
87. Leukemia--Uncle is very angry that his young nephew has leukemia and no chance at this life |
88. Lie--Man gets up courage to confront past partner who infected him with the AIDS virus |
89. Living Will--Man due for surgery becomes anxious when asked to make a living will |
90. Low Class--Woman laments over embarrassing lover she has found in the United States |
91. Luck--Cancer patient feels she was lucky to be hit by a bus because it taught her patience |
92. Maid--Maid talks about how sad and lonely it is to be a hotel maid cleaning rooms in silence |
93. Memory--Man explains why social worker's advice to remember dead brother is inadequate |
94. Men Doctors--Woman did not like two young men poking around her private parts |
95. Miniskirt--Woman doesn't understand why her boyfriend wants her to dress sexy |
96. Miracle--Grandma prays for eye doctor to be able to keep helping others regain sight |
97. Mitten--Five family members want to share hotel room to support Grandma with cancer |
98. Mom--Woman misses mom while her husband pressures her to grow up and get over it |
99. Money--Wife regrets husband's prosperity, since he has become self-important |
100. Monopoly--Mexican complains about nationalized industries in Mexico |
101. Morphine--Grandpa on morphine flirts with hospital personnel |
102. Mother Mary--Mother prays to Virgin to convince Jesus to hear her prayers for baby |
103. Mother's Day--Furious Dad threatens son who only sends flowers on Mother's Day |
104. Nun--Would-be nun with bad knees married poor charity student and lives to regret it |
105. Nurses--Mexican woman is pleased at how the U.S. nurses treat her during childbirth |
106. Old Age--Grandma continues to have fun and dance in spite of grumpy Grandpa |
107. Once--Woman gets pregnant after having sex once, and chooses never to marry |
108. One Man--Son stays with Mom who never remarried when his father died |
109. Onion Stalk--Eastern Washington farmworker loses eyeball from onion stalk scratch |
110. Opening--Laboring mom recalls abuse, delays labor, then focuses back in on baby |
111. Patron Saint--Mom names ill baby after Saint, does rituals she promised to God |
112. Picture--Son buys his mom a color television, and she tapes his picture to it for all to see |
113. Plugged--School and hospital both push mother to get her son's ear "plugged" |
114. Pork--Mexican Mom has paralyzed baby who is now losing insurance |
115. Praying--Mexican minister getting fertility treatment, praying with wife for a baby |
116. Professional--Woman misses follow-up Pap smear because of pushy male interpreter |
117. Public Charge--Woman refuses assistance to avoid becoming public charge |
118. Pulling Teeth--Medical query seems repetitive to man who's never been to a doctor |
119. Quiet--Young mother tries anything to get her child to be quiet at the doctor's office |
120. Ranch--Ranch man wants city wife to move to countryside to his family farm |
121. Rancor--Man who mistreated stepdaughters won't let them see their dying mother |
122. Rape--Woman admires young rape victim's difficult choice to bear and raise the child |
123. Remission--Husband takes issue with doctors when wife's cancer comes back |
124. Ride--Woman claims she stole a husband only because his wife accused her of doing it |
125. Royal Jelly--Diabetic woman with cancer wishes she could still take royal jelly |
126. Running--Thirteen-year-old boy with alcoholic father runs away to ease his pain |
127. Rush--Pregnant woman frustrated with doctor who rushes her during appointment |
128. Sacred Heart--Woman remembers Virgin of the Sacred Heart coming and healing her |
129. School Bus--Child-loving bus driver for the disabled gets laid off |
130. Scolding--Newborn baby boy gets his first scolding from grandma at mom's bedside |
131. Separation--Woman tells of husband leaving her for having daughter instead of son |
132. Share--Mexican woman has baby with married man, then his family arrives |
133. Shooting Blanks--Man tries everything to relax his wife for pregnancy |
134. Soap Opera--Housewife explains why she likes to watch Mexican soap operas |
135. Son--Proud new father brags about his manly newborn son peeing high into the air |
136. Sorry--Doctor from eastern Washington says she's sorry she misdiagnosed leukemia |
137. Spooked--Mexican grandma spooked by family member with the evil eye |
138. Stain--Wife catches husband with stain in his pants after he's watched porn with friends |
139. Staying--New father who had no dad talks about plans to always be there for his family |
140. Stingy--Woman tells about how she fled farm because mother-in-law was so stingy |
141. Strain--Mother believes baby's herniated umbilicus caused by lack of attention |
142. Stroke--Woman made mute by stroke can no longer speak on her own behalf |
143. Taking Care--Husband is convinced that early withdrawal works better than condoms |
144. Taxi--Woman has such a bad experience with government taxi system, she takes the bus |
145. Thin--Starving woman goes into labor early, explains how she understands WIC program |
146. Thirteen--Woman was forced to marry in California at age thirteen by angry father |
147. Threat--Salvadoran coach not intimidated by soccer player's dad's threats |
148. Toe--Mexican man has industrial accident, grieves lost toe during emergency room visit |
149. Tooth--Farmworker gets brain damage when no dentist will treat him for tooth infection |
150. Trade--Cuban man sorry he lost all he had and never valued when he moved here for work |
151. Transportation--Parents trying to get dead twins to California for burial |
152. Undissipated Rage--Woman explains her father's cause of death as undissipated rage |
153. Unforgiven--Mexican Mom won't forgive her young daughter for taking boyfriend |
154. Virgin--Woman finds out that her baby's father is seeking a young virgin to marry |
155. Warm--Woman loves having a warm, affectionate Latino husband |
156. Water--Preemie baby with multiple health problems; mom tries to feel grateful not worse |
157. Weapon--Salvadoran lady uses the only weapon she has during a robbery: the Bible |
158. Wheelchair--Eastern Washington family hope to get wheelchair before Medicaid cuts |
159. White Girl--Mexican man fired by jealous boss for kissing white girl at Christmas party |
160. Widow--Dying lady talks about how she misses her husband's strong arm to lean on |
161. Work--Woman in fish plant used to sew; now her bones ache, but no more nosebleeds |
162. Workfirst--DSHS cuts off benefits and exacerbates disease in farmworker |
163. Young--Old man explains how he and his wife keep looking and feeling young |