A review by leechspit
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-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

4.75

 
This book felt like a love letter to Ana Mendieta and all Cuban Americans and all artists of color trying to make it in a still very white space. Anita del Monte Laughs Last will start conversations. I didn’t see the parallels until they discussed her work and death and I had to stop. It intrigues me in such a way that I needed to stop and remember who this person really was. I remembered the stories, the struggles, and the reality that this is still a very big part of creative industries. This book has feminism, passion, love for self, hate for self, finding one self. The audiobook version was probably best, as I felt my heart ache and eyes water, and reading would have been an impossible task. I was reminded of the struggle, ni de aqui, ni de alla, and how Rachel must have felt during her key moments of the story. Fitting in is only part of the problem, making space is the larger part.
Of course, the narrator was incredible, and I could feel the passion in the characters and writing. Rachel’s story reminded me of a few other stories, where the main character loses her identity, but has an incomplete redemption arc, because that’s what real life is like. She was a work in progress, and it felt real to see that. Anita has a sort of redemption arc, but in the sense that she gets closure. The minor characters are well developed and I enjoyed their contributions but I could have done without the twist of the art history girls. I suppose it’s to make us feel better about how miserable they really are, but it felt a bit out of place, and I felt it did not contribute to the overall narrative. A fantastic book overall, I do wish I had read this and shared it with my friends when I was younger, so that we could still make a difference. This book breaks you down and empowers you with the same breath.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

 
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