Industry Reviews
"Chilean New Song, a product of several years of research conducted by J. Patrice McSherry in Chile, will have a significant impact on many of its readers.... The reader quickly moves from a rich, concise introduction to the rise of la nueva cancion, and its connection to social change, to the book's conclusion.... McSherry's discussion of la nueva cancion in Chapter 3 is exceptional. Here one can observe the process of blending folklore with an original composition.... Chilean New Song is a beautifully written treatise on the creative grassroots soul of Chile. The book also contributes to the literature on music and song as resistance, and to cultural and political memory studies." -Journal of Third World Studies
"McSherry focuses on the development and significance of Chile's nueva cancion, or 'new music,' movement, which was linked inextricably to social, political, and cultural conditions in Chile.... [T]he research is impressive...she includes interviews with many musicians and other key figures in nueva cancion.... A valuable resource for those interested in the intersection of the arts, politics, and culture.... Summing Up: Recommended." -CHOICE
"McSherry very clearly understands the power of la Nueva Cancion in Chilean society, culture, and politics during the 1960s and 1970s, bringing to bear a solid grasp of the secondary literature and an impressive collection of oral-history interviews that give great vibrancy and life to the story of the movement. Her interviews with figures ranging from the famous-Angel Parra and Quilapayun-to the 'behind-the-scenes' folks who were crucial to the movement's emergence, development, and success are impressive. What emerges is a treatment of la Nueva Cancion that weds the cultural and the political with the real-life experiences of Chileans who were agents in the creation of the cultural-political milieu in which they circulated."-Patrick Barr-Melej, author of Reforming Chile: Cultural Politics, Nationalism, and the Rise of the Middle Class