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331 reviews for:
Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed: 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora
Saraciea J. Fennell
4.32 AVERAGE
331 reviews for:
Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed: 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora
Saraciea J. Fennell
4.32 AVERAGE
I think somewhere just north of 4 stars. I loved this book so much. Each story is rich, descriptive, emotional, and informative in its own way. It centered Afro-Latiné identities and called out the endemic racism and colorism towards dark skin and African heritage in the community. Such intentional and important representation for young readers (I believe the anthology is marketed as YA). It didn't shy away from telling difficult stories and felt completely contextualized in the realities of the past decade. It's an important read for anybody, but I think especially for white and white-passing latinés who need to understand light skin privilege.
The only reason it doesn't hit 5 was the limited space for joy. Each other honored part of their identity and heritage, but the stories focused on the pains and struggles of being Latiné rather than celebrating it. Don't get me wrong, visibility is crucial for change. But there have been many achievements and moments for unity that I felt didn't get any light. Yes, it's difficult to be Latiné in America *especially* if you present non-white. But from the groups of young chicané voters who helped flip elections in 2016/2020 to the unity of boricuas rebuilding their island after Maria and the many invisible achievements Latiné people in making space for themselves, I thought we would get to show off a bit more joy as a community.
Lastly - the term Latinx felt really forced. It was clear that it was an editorial choice to present just one term, which felt counter intuitive to the mission of presenting diversity of experience and identification. One essay touched on the term and I took it that that particular writer wouldn't have used the term Latinx on their own. Latinx is controversial as a term that was popularized by white, academic spaces in an effort to be inclusive but really just ignores linguistic logic for Spanish speaking people. I wish there had been a note about the choice to use this term only.
I will recommend this book over and over again and hope to get a chance to teach it at the high school level.
The only reason it doesn't hit 5 was the limited space for joy. Each other honored part of their identity and heritage, but the stories focused on the pains and struggles of being Latiné rather than celebrating it. Don't get me wrong, visibility is crucial for change. But there have been many achievements and moments for unity that I felt didn't get any light. Yes, it's difficult to be Latiné in America *especially* if you present non-white. But from the groups of young chicané voters who helped flip elections in 2016/2020 to the unity of boricuas rebuilding their island after Maria and the many invisible achievements Latiné people in making space for themselves, I thought we would get to show off a bit more joy as a community.
Lastly - the term Latinx felt really forced. It was clear that it was an editorial choice to present just one term, which felt counter intuitive to the mission of presenting diversity of experience and identification. One essay touched on the term and I took it that that particular writer wouldn't have used the term Latinx on their own. Latinx is controversial as a term that was popularized by white, academic spaces in an effort to be inclusive but really just ignores linguistic logic for Spanish speaking people. I wish there had been a note about the choice to use this term only.
I will recommend this book over and over again and hope to get a chance to teach it at the high school level.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
A beautiful collection of stories from the Latinx diaspora. Full of hope and pain, sadness and joy, I loved the diversity in the stories and the attention given to the Afro-Latinx experience.
This book featured so many authors that I immediately had to look up after reading their essays. Each story shared unique and personal experiences as children of the African diaspora and the intersectionality between Latin American and Black cultures. I was glad to be introduced to Ibi Zoboi, who discussed how Haitian perspectives are often dismissed when it comes to Afro-Latine conversations. This book also single-handedly taught me Garifuna history, something school has never done. Overall, a vibrant and eye-opening read!
I liked this but struggled to really sink in. I am realizing that I prefer novels to short stories/essays which was part of my resistance to this book. Short stories/essays move too quickly for me to really think through every section.
That said, I thought the second half of this anthology was quite compelling. Stories of identity, acceptance, racial injustice, and what it means to be human.
That said, I thought the second half of this anthology was quite compelling. Stories of identity, acceptance, racial injustice, and what it means to be human.
The quality of the essays is uneven but there are some really good ones in there.
Various YA Latina/Latino/Latinex authors meditate on what it means to be Latina/o/x.
I am very appreciative of Libro.fm for providing this as an Educator ALC - who knows how long it would have otherwise taken me to discover this title?!?! This is an outstanding collection of essays, stories, and memoirs representing the Latinx Diaspora. Not only are the authors representative of many countries, histories, and identities, but the topics included in their pieces are very diverse. I love to learn people’s stories, and this collection was a rich experience.
Thank you Flatiron Books for sending me an ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.
This anthology is a gem, and I need everyone to read it. It collects stories from many perspectives of the Latinx diaspora, focusing mainly on Afro-Latines and Indigenous-Latines. They delve into gender identity, sexual orientation, race, culture, among other topics that are present in our day by day. I loved every single essay since it presented the experience of each author while navigating their identity. My favorite essays were Elizabeth Acevedo’s, Zakiya N. Jamal’s, Janel Martinez’s, Mark Oshiro’s, and Saraciea J. Fennell’s.
This anthology is a gem, and I need everyone to read it. It collects stories from many perspectives of the Latinx diaspora, focusing mainly on Afro-Latines and Indigenous-Latines. They delve into gender identity, sexual orientation, race, culture, among other topics that are present in our day by day. I loved every single essay since it presented the experience of each author while navigating their identity. My favorite essays were Elizabeth Acevedo’s, Zakiya N. Jamal’s, Janel Martinez’s, Mark Oshiro’s, and Saraciea J. Fennell’s.
Very interesting often poetic collection of essays. It’s not really my genre, but I did get a lot from the experience of reading these essays. Many of the experiences were removed from my own, so it was definitely a window into other experiences. The essay invisible was particulate difficult to read. The only one that actually made me cry.