Latina Healers: Lives of Power and Tradition. By Oliva Espín.

Latina Healers: Lives of Power and Tradition. By Oliva Espín. ISBN: 0-915745-49-6. $22.95.

Latina Healers casts new light on the centrality of gender and migration status on the lives of Latina women. Encompassing the idiosyncrasies of individual decisions and the social context of the healers' lives, this book presents an original analysis of the relationship between gender, power, religious beliefs and social status of curanderas.

The book offers an in-depth analytical perspective on traditional healing techniques and herbal remedies in the Latino community. It also discusses common factors across conventional healing methods and contemporary psychotherapies, the importance of spirituality in counseling and everyday life, the application of indigenous healing practices within the Latino and indigenous communities, and profiles the power that the Latina healers wield in their community.