A pattern is beginning to emerge... I introduce a reader to Joan and Karen's book and joy explodes! The color illustrations, the theme of bachata, the musical setting in the República Dominicana, Joan's generosity in opening his life to language learners... it all comes together as MAGIC. I'm beyond grateful to Joan and Karen for this collaboration and hope that their model of joint storycrafting for language learners becomes widely replicated. This book is special beyond words!
A very interesting story about Joan Soriano, a Bachata musician, who through sheer determination and a passion for Bachata music rose from nothing to become world renowned.
I am an advanced beginner trying to learn Spanish. The compelling nature of this book with its humorous and heartwarming moments kept my attention and definitely increased my familiarity with the Spanish language. I would highly recommend this book.
I read this book in one sitting, all the while listening to Joan Soriano's music. I was just immersed. I am now a big fan and feel the great desire to get my bachata on! My students are always asking for more about music, so this is a great addition to my FVR library. I love all the culture notes - colmados, using lips to "point", kids being left out of the adult festivities of music and dance, even vocabulary like getting a pela lol. I felt like I was whisked back to the Dominican Republic in the small community of Bobita (near Río San Juan). My goddaughter Luisauny has also told me stories that made me feel like this community was much like hers. Thank you for bringing Joan's story to life! I love all the touches like the excerpts with his words and the interview at the end. What a gift this is!
Here is my first reaction after reading it! https://youtu.be/TgcGrhBfGb0
This book is a treasure. I tells a beautiful story about a man's journey to become what he always dreamed of doing. The language used is simple to understand, even for beginner speakers. And one gets to learn about Dominican culture and bachata history.
I read it and translated it to my little niece. She understood a lot of what I was reading to her, and now she's very eager to learn Spanish and she even wants to learn to play guitar.
I highly recommend this book to Spanish learners of any age. Joan Soriano has something to teach all of us.
As a teaching book, the writing in this novel is perfectly catered to Level 2 or 3 Spanish students looking to expand their vocabulary and understanding of the language itself. As a story, this novel is an excellent example of masterfully balancing historically informative content with a fun read. The collaboration between author and subject is clearly exhibited and the novel does a wonderful job in telling the story as accounted by Joan Soriano, adding much needed validity to the story itself. The mini-biography becomes more provoking with the realization that it is not actually a biography at all, but rather the product of careful and meticulous research working directly with Joan Soriano to do his story justice. Knowing that Joan Soriano himself told this story and verified the content throughout makes it far more interesting. It’s not just a story, it’s an account of actual events as reported by Joan, and it definitely shows. I highly recommend this book to Spanish learners and teachers. However, the content is also written in a way that makes it possible to engage fluent and even native Spanish speakers. It truly is a story that anyone can appreciate and learn from. You’ll inevitably fall in love with Joan’s story and growth, you’ll be inspired by his perseverance, and you’ll likely be motivated to pursue or improve at something important to you… just so you can say, “!Yo sé cómo hacerlo!”