The Hungry Woman: The Hungry Woman: A Mexican Medea and Heart of the Earth: A Popul Vuh Story
In the 1990s, nationally known Chicano feminist lesbian writer  Moraga authored the two complex dramatic scripts assembled here,  "The Hungry Woman: A Mexican Medea" and "Heart of the Earth: A  Popul Vuh Story." The first is drawn from the Greek Medea and  the pre-Hispanic La Llorona myths. Combining cultural history  and mythology, realism and compassion, Moraga portrays Medea as  a single mother poisoning her son to prevent custody by her  ex-husband. Her salvation comes only in death when she is  poisoned by her ghost son and lesbian lover. The play is poetic  but blunt, with sexually explicit passages. "Heart of the Earth"  is a feminist dramatization of the Quichi Mayan Popul Vuh legend  of the prehuman world. With humor, Moraga vividly describes the  defeat of Lords of Death and the underworld in a playful ball  game and the making of humans with maize. Irma Mayorga's  critical afterword is essential, as the multilingual passages  and multicultural allusions make these plays a challenge to  read. Recommended for selected academic and public  libraries. Ming-ming Shen Kuo, Ball State Univ. Lib., Muncie, INCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.