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Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed: 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora by Saraciea J. Fennell

4.32 AVERAGE

yalque20's review

4.25
medium-paced
thenextgenlibrarian's profile picture

thenextgenlibrarian's review

4.0
challenging hopeful informative fast-paced
15 YA stories from the latinx diaspora.
đź‘…
In this #storycollection you will find so many original and unique voices from 15 up-and-coming Latinx authors. The stories range from poetry, memoirs, tales of grief, addiction, grief, anti-Blackness and even some ghost and superhero stories. Authors include: Elizabeth Acevedo, Mark Oshiro, Ibi Zoboi, Lilliam Rivera, Jasminne Mendez and others.
đź‘…
It’s hard to rate short stories because I’ll connect with some more than others, but this one was full of characters I couldn’t get enough of. I’d recommend this to any high school student, as well as teachers doing a unit on voice or story collections in general.

CW: racism, xenophobia, homophobia, religious bigotry, mental health, suicide attempt, addiction, ableism
lingfish7's profile picture

lingfish7's review

4.0
emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
📖🎧This Latinx anthology of essays was such a breath of fresh air. As a daughter of a Cuban Chinese immigrant I’ve always felt like I’m not Latinx enough, even though my grandmother (who I never got to meet) was born and raised in Havana. My dad’s first language was Spanish but he didn’t speak it to me so I had to learn it like everyone else in high school and college. What was so encouraging about these essays is that many of the authors experience the same Latinx imposter syndrome I do. What’s beautiful about the Latinx community is we are so diverse and represent many different cultures, races, and countries. 
 
I read this collection using a combination of the audiobook (excellently narrated) and hardcopy and found both equally engaging. There are 15 essays total and the one that stood out to me the most was a Latina woman married to a white man who detailed her experience enduring the blatant racism and micro-aggressions her white in-laws showed her. The story ended with the woman cutting them out of her life because it was so toxic. I loved this essay so much I had my husband read it. These essays are so authentic about what it’s like to be seen as “other” as part of this vastly diverse community. 
 
There were a couple essays written by Afrolatinx authors and I appreciated their rawness about their erasure from the community and about how confusing it can be to wrestle with being both black and Latinx. Every story in this collection was interesting and important. I wish I had access to this book a decade ago. 

hmj29's review against another edition

4.0
emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
yadira315's profile picture

yadira315's review

4.0
emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced
mood_reading_maya's profile picture

mood_reading_maya's review against another edition

4.5
challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
This was such a great collection of essays by writers from a variety of lived experiences across the Latin American diaspora. The variation in writing coupled with the varied themes and narration made this especially enjoyable. At first, I found my thoughts wandering into the territory of "these essays aren't really speaking to me," and on reflection that was the entire point. Once that realization happened, my reading/listening approach shifted from centering a connection to my own lived experience to one of learning how race / Latinidad was unique to each author., then pausing to reflect on the essay's message Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed is very thoughtful and intentional in its inclusion of essays that center the Afro-Latine experience, one that is all too often erased or subject to anti-Blackness. These essays are wonderfully written, heartfelt, occasionally angry, sad, and poignant. Highly recommend this anthology.

My favorite essays:
  • Eres Un Pocho
  • #Julian4Spiderman
  • Haitian Sensation
  • Cuban Imposter Syndrome
  • Invisible
  • A Mi Orden
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moodyromancereader's profile picture

moodyromancereader's review

4.5
This is a beautiful anthology featuring fifteen voices from the Latine diaspora. Each story reminds us that the Latine diaspora and its experiences vary, yet they are all valid and uniquely yours. 

Every story was solid and unique. But my favorite essays were the ones discussing dual identities and intersectionality and navigating those identities. The essays also discussed queerness, colorism, imposter syndrome, politics, and coming of age.

The stories that stood out to me were:
-The Price of Admission by Naima Coster
-ParaĂ­so Negro by Khalil Haywood
-A Mi Ordern - A Meditation on Dichos by Elizabeth Acevedo 

I switched between the book and the audiobook; both were enjoyable. I preferred the audiobook since every author reads their essays, and it felt like I was listening to a friend share their story.
vi0letskies's profile picture

vi0letskies's review against another edition

5.0
funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

clamon's review

5.0
emotional reflective medium-paced

caitieh's review against another edition

3.5
emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced