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 Selena: less school, more fame Houston Chronicle Read excerpts from Selena: Como la Flor Look inside this book. |
- A Selena Fan Writes…. Here’s an e mail from a Selena fan and my response.
- Blog! Selena’s Murder Ten Years Later
Books: Selena
Still the Best Biography on Selena in Print!
July 31, 2003 Reviewer: Westoakland from Oakland, CA United States
"Although it’s an unauthorized biography, Selena: Como La Flor remains the definitive book about the life and death of Selena. Patoski does a good job of explaining the history and development of Tejano, or Tex-Mex, music prior to Selena y los Dinos’ arrival on the scene. Patoski also covers in detail, much of what the 1997 film bio skipped over: primarily the decade between Selena’s beginnings as a regional performer, and her signing with EMI Latin/Capitol Records…" read more
Selena’s Crossover Dream
Amor Prohibido by Sarah Wimer, Austin Chronicle
Selena had “it,” whatever you call that indefinable but tangible star power — charisma is the best word we have. Her innocent seductress image combined with an amazing voice, sexy dancing, and an obvious and exuberant joy tantalize. This book is a beautiful tribute that goes a long way towards explaining the phenomenon that was Selena and the South Texas Mexicano world from which she came… read more
In Search of Selena
by Abel Salas, Austin Chronicle Vol 15 No 43
You never knew her. Saw her a couple of times. Once at the corner of Riverside and Congress, in a club that changes names every season. She played to a packed house. Yet there was the wholesome girl-next-door as well. You caught a second glimpse when you were a fly, invisible, a less-than-minor presence at the Tejano Music awards in San Antonio. Starry-eyed, you roamed the floor at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center… read more
La Onda Network
A regular visitor and contributor to the Tejano Home Page said:
"Mr. Patoski has written a brilliant book, the first one worthy of Selena. All the background material about Tejano music and prejudices that Mexican-Americans have endured really sets the stage for Selena’s life very well. The author has done a meticulous job of collecting and arranging the mountains of detail, and has done so with a minimum of errors. This book is a keeper. I’ll probably read it through a second time with greater care." read more
In the Spirit of Selena
by the Houston Chronicle Staff
Selena: Como la Flor, an unauthorized biography by Texas journalist Joe Nick Patoski, hits bookstores today. A year after her death, the spirit of Selena Quintanilla Perez still pervades Tejano music, and her admirers still mourn her loss. On March 31, 1995, Selena Quintanilla Perez, Tejano music’s la reina del pueblo, was shot and killed in Corpus Christi. Fans first reacted with disbelief, then with a massive display of adoration… read more | read Selena’s Legacy
Southwestern Writers Collection
Texas State University-San Marcos
ALBERT B. ALKEK LIBRARY – SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
The Selena materials are part of what is quickly becoming an important collection of Mexican American music at the Southwestern Writers Collection. This collection was created and maintained by Joe Nick in the process of writing the biography of Selena Quintanilla Perez. It is compiled of news clippings, manuscripts, interviews, photographs, court documents, notes, publicity materials, computer disks and ephemera. Dates range from 1961 to 1997. Joe Nick’s research and writing processes, which began the day after Selena’s death on March 31, 1995 and continued until January 1996, are reflected in this collection. read more
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From tracking down the building permit for Selena’s father’s restaurant (where she debuted as a nine year old) to visiting the shooting range where Yolanda Saldivar purchased her gun. Patoski’s detailed research built the foundation on which his biography stands. |
An Exhibit of the Southwestern Writers Collection
Selena: Como La Flor
Dates: May 15, 1997 – July 31, 1997
Slain Tejano superstar Selena was the focus of an exhibit mounted by the Southwestern Writers Collection at Texas State University-San Marcos. The exhibit showcased items donated to the Writers Collection by Texas Monthly Senior Editor Joe Nick Patoski. Patoski’s biography of Selena, titled Selena: Como La Flor is widely regarded as the most insightful portrayal of the beloved pop star. The Patoski archive includes early drafts of the book, extensive research into Selena’s life, interviews with dozens of musicians and others who knew Selena, correspondence, hundreds of Selena-related clippings and other publications, documents from the Yolanda Saldivar trial, and an extensive record of Patoski’s relationship with his publisher. read more
Articles about Selena:
- The Queen Is Dead Selena Quintanilla Perez, tejano’s first superstar, was about to become an international pop sensation. Instead, she’s another victim of gun violence in Texas. [Texas Monthly, May 1995]
- A Selena Fan Writes…. Here’s an e mail from a Selena fan and my response.
- Blog! Selena’s Murder Ten Years Later