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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked a lot of the things this book is doing: the intergenerational conflict between an Americanized teenager and her immigrant parents; the diversity of the Mexican community and characters; the portrayal of depression and treatment. I had a hard time connecting with the main character, though--I found her frustrating and unkind. I know that's part of the point (she's not your perfect Mexican daughter), and others have made a good point about the truth of her attitude given her age and circumstances. That's fair, and probably relatable for some of the teenagers in the target audience. In the end, though, I appreciated this book more in theory than I enjoyed it in reality.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 because i do think this is an important book, but i still can't say i wholly enjoyed it. a good percentage of the time i was bored, and julia was difficult to like. i know that she's fifteen and is going through a lot, but she was so judgemental about literally everyone around her that it was hard to take her seriously at parts. also you don't need to have a likeable main character to have a good story, but in this case i think seeing more character development would've helped a lot. sure, she's a little different at the end, but she still goes into college barely putting in any effort to understanding her mother's perspective and still is so brash about everything? i think if we saw her learn to be more empathetic it would've improved the story a lot.
that said, there were parts i really liked about this book. the mystery of olga's life is what initially drew me in and kept me reading, and i did like that julia does soften up a bit after her trip to mexico and learning her mother's story. however, it just wasn't enough to totally sell me on this.
that said, there were parts i really liked about this book. the mystery of olga's life is what initially drew me in and kept me reading, and i did like that julia does soften up a bit after her trip to mexico and learning her mother's story. however, it just wasn't enough to totally sell me on this.
There was a good opportunity in this book to tackle the stigma around multiple issues in our culture (including mental health, sexism, family issues, etc) and instead, in a very mexican way, it was all swept under the table. I kept reading hoping that they would work towards a better relationship as a family, but just like it happens in real life the daughter moves on, has her own life and will probably continue to lie about her life to make her parents happy (I would know about that).
Even though I understand where the mom (both parents really) is coming from with the way she acts with Julia, that doesn’t mean it’s correct for her to treat her like she did to the point where she almost commited suicide? Why was that never spoken of? They sent her to Mexico as if that was going to fix it, which of course it didn’t, it just acted as a distraction for a small period of time before she went back home, they didn’t even tell the family… depression and anxiety are nothing to be afraid of and maybe as mexicans we need to talk about it, we need to see that it’s nothing to be ashamed of and we should tell our family because there’s nothing wrong with it. Things don’t change because as a community we allow them to remain a secret.
Don’t even get me started with the typical American fear of Mexico and how the mom says she would’ve never sent her if she knew it was “dangerous” again… people live in Mexico you know? it is just as dangerous if not more to live in the US. It always makes me sad how Mexican Americans (specially children of immigrants) move to the US and are taught that Mexico is this forbidden dangerous place they should try to avoid visiting… IT’S NOT.
This book could’ve started a conversation and instead you end up feeling hopeless, it makes you feel that as a mexican daughter that is just how things are and adults will never understand you when they should try, the should make an effort too and they should be told they’re wrong too, they need to hear it.
Even though I understand where the mom (both parents really) is coming from with the way she acts with Julia, that doesn’t mean it’s correct for her to treat her like she did to the point where she almost commited suicide? Why was that never spoken of? They sent her to Mexico as if that was going to fix it, which of course it didn’t, it just acted as a distraction for a small period of time before she went back home, they didn’t even tell the family… depression and anxiety are nothing to be afraid of and maybe as mexicans we need to talk about it, we need to see that it’s nothing to be ashamed of and we should tell our family because there’s nothing wrong with it. Things don’t change because as a community we allow them to remain a secret.
Don’t even get me started with the typical American fear of Mexico and how the mom says she would’ve never sent her if she knew it was “dangerous” again… people live in Mexico you know? it is just as dangerous if not more to live in the US. It always makes me sad how Mexican Americans (specially children of immigrants) move to the US and are taught that Mexico is this forbidden dangerous place they should try to avoid visiting… IT’S NOT.
This book could’ve started a conversation and instead you end up feeling hopeless, it makes you feel that as a mexican daughter that is just how things are and adults will never understand you when they should try, the should make an effort too and they should be told they’re wrong too, they need to hear it.
Plot is a little up and down at times, but it is so emotional and beautiful and real.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great read. If you want to learn about Mexican culture, this is the book for you. It will help you understand the ties with our families, the clash of cultures that an American-born, first-generation person faces, and much of the family dynamic. It will also help you understand what it's like to be a poor and poorly-educated minority in the United States. Read this book!
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated