THE FAMOUS THING ABOUT DEATH by...

THE FAMOUS THING ABOUT DEATH by Lisa Sandlin (Cinco Puntos Press: $9.95). In her first collection of short stories, Sandlin captures the voices of the various ethnic groups who inhabit her native East Texas. A teen-age girl, steeped in the moribund customs of the Old South, learns she has the power to deal with two would-be suitors in “The Old Folks Wish Them Well.” A young man sacrifices his life to the Texas tradition of good citizenship as he grimly shoulders the burden of caring for his senile father in “Dear General.” In the impressive “Crease,” an Anglo woman becomes a successful flamenco dancer as she assumes the culture of her Latino husband--and discovers that her commitment to that culture outlasts their love. The discouraged single mother in “Invisible Powers” tries to forestall coping with yet another day as she realizes, “The alarm rang weeks ago, possibly months ago.”