Cuban Women and Salsa

" Taking a cultural studies approach, Poey examines a variety of materials: movies, recordings and accounts of live performances, song lyrics, and videos. Throughout she is interested in how performers challenge and inflect racial and gender norms. I especially liked the discussion of the way Mendoza substituted the audience for the male partner in a guaguancó, the critique of Estefan' s carefully crafted career and persona, and the insightful reading in the last chapter of Albita' s album covers and music videos. A great deal has been written about salsa music in the last several decades, but I don' t know of a monograph like this one, which addresses exclusively the contribution of women performers. " - Gustavo Pérez Firmat, Columbia University, USA