{"product_id":"9780393080698","title":"Madre: Perilous Journeys with a Spanish Noun","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhy is the word \u003cem\u003emadre\u003c\/em\u003e, \"mother,\" so complicated in Spanish—especially in Mexico?\u003c\/p\u003e Leaping off the page with energy, insight, and attitude, Liza Bakewell's exploration of language is anything but \"just semantics.\" Why does \u003cem\u003eme vale madre\u003c\/em\u003e mean worthless, while \u003cem\u003e!qué padre!\u003c\/em\u003e means fabulous, she asks? And why do one hundred \u003cem\u003emadres\u003c\/em\u003e disappear when one \u003cem\u003epadre\u003c\/em\u003e enters the room, converting the group from \u003cem\u003emadres\u003c\/em\u003e to \u003cem\u003epadres\u003c\/em\u003e? Thus begins a journey through Mexican culture in all its color: weddings, dinner parties, an artist's studio, heart-stopping taxi rides, angry journalists, corrupt politicians, Blessed Virgins, and mothers both sacred and profane.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Along the way, a reader discovers not only an invaluable lexicon of Mexican slang (to be used with caution or not at all) but also thought-provoking reflections on the evolution of language; its winding path through culture, religion, and politics; and, not least, what it means—and what it threatens—to be a creative female, a \u003cem\u003emadre\u003c\/em\u003e.","brand":"Norton, W. W. \u0026 Company, Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47077722587376,"sku":"9780393080698","price":23.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780393080698_p0.jpg?v=1763696753","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780393080698","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}