Shakira (English)

The Colombian-born singer Shakira's career has gone from a childhood appearing in local talent contests in her home city of Barranquilla to a jaw-dropping show at the first annual Latin Grammys in 2000 in Los Angeles. The precocious child of a Lebanese father and a Colombian mother, Shakira was a born performer, startling her family with an exhibition of belly-dancing at the age of four. In SHAKIRA: WOMAN FULL OF GRACE, journalist Ximena Diego's colorful biography of the Latina phenomenon, Shakira (her name means "full of grace" in Arabic, hence the subtitle) is portrayed as an assured young woman with enough business savvy to hire Emilio Estefan, Jr., the husband of Gloria Estefan and a prime mover in Latin crossover music, as a manager. She also has enough ambition to learn English to aid her attempts to conquer the US market. But Diego particularly emphasizes Shakira's strongest asset, which is the genuine musical talent and songwriting skill that has propelled her to international success throughout Latin America and, increasingly, in the US. Versatile, gifted, and beautiful, Shakira, and her engaging persona, are expertly depicted in this concise, entertaining biography. minimize