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hollyd19's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This memoir is a masterpiece.
Quiara Algería Hudes uses every inch of this book to embrace her wholeness in a world hostile to her nuances. When discussing this read with my book club, someone described Hudes as a stained glass window and I cannot imagine a more apt comparison.
Recounting her childhood, Hudes invites the readers alongside her journey to find language to encapsulate the many dimensions of her identity: Puerto Rican, daughter, Jewish, white-passing, English-Spanglish-Spanish speaking, cousin, North Philly resident, pianist, big sister, activist, Quaker, academic… Her deeply bonded maternal family grounds her and empowers her search for her truth. Her mother, a practitioner of Santería, fosters Quiara’s curiosity, self-confidence, and ambition. Her tias and cousins expand her world and provide ballast when seas are rocky. Her neighborhood offers community, connection, and courage.
Hudes is a gifted storyteller and I was struck by the richness of her language, especially in a book ostensibly dedicated to its “brokenness.” She seamlessly intertwines cultures, dialects, and slang across seemingly disparate groups — a skill honed as she grew into a Pulitzer-winning composer and playwright. I alternated the physical book with the audiobook which added verisimilitude to the reading experience (Hudes narrates herself). Additionally, Hudes commits to telling her story honestly but not tragically. She doesn’t dwell on the hardest parts of her life. Instead, she acknowledges them plainly but spends much more energy celebrating the Perez women in all their diverse, indefatigable glory.
I turned the last page with enlivened understanding and fresh hope. I so deeply recommend this read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Racism, and Colonisation
Minor: Child death, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
tilo's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
I was invited to a small group discussion about this book as part of the 20th anniversary of "One Book, One Philadelphia".
[I was gifted the book but also bought the audiobook read by the author. The last 200 pages I listened to the audio version while reading simulteanously (allowing a faster read due to double speed as I was behind on pages to finish on time for the discussion). That was a fun experience and the audiobook is great.]
Being one of the few memoirs that I have read, this one made me curious about the genre. However, I do feel that a downside of this genre seems to be all the loose ends that were left by creating so many backstories to so many characters.
Nonetheless, this memoir is a refreshing insight on what issues Latinas face but focusing more on problems often overseen by white feminism such as poverty and lack of education. Interestingly enough, this book does not focus on issues caused directly by men but rather other challenges of a Latinx upbringing such as language, spirituality, and above all the question of whether one is being - in this case - "enough" Puerto Rican.
The style is beautiful and the discussion on language is fascinating. Some of the challenges of becoming an artist/writer described in this memoir comforted me in a way I was not expecting.
Again, the only but slight downside was the hinting to so many interesting sidestories that the format did not allow to be explored and the - to quote one of the members of my discussion group - "what feels like the need to include an American dream success story" which the story did not thrive upon considering all the other positive reflections on language, body, education, spirituality, and identity.
[I was gifted the book but also bought the audiobook read by the author. The last 200 pages I listened to the audio version while reading simulteanously (allowing a faster read due to double speed as I was behind on pages to finish on time for the discussion). That was a fun experience and the audiobook is great.]
Being one of the few memoirs that I have read, this one made me curious about the genre. However, I do feel that a downside of this genre seems to be all the loose ends that were left by creating so many backstories to so many characters.
Nonetheless, this memoir is a refreshing insight on what issues Latinas face but focusing more on problems often overseen by white feminism such as poverty and lack of education. Interestingly enough, this book does not focus on issues caused directly by men but rather other challenges of a Latinx upbringing such as language, spirituality, and above all the question of whether one is being - in this case - "enough" Puerto Rican.
The style is beautiful and the discussion on language is fascinating. Some of the challenges of becoming an artist/writer described in this memoir comforted me in a way I was not expecting.
Again, the only but slight downside was the hinting to so many interesting sidestories that the format did not allow to be explored and the - to quote one of the members of my discussion group - "what feels like the need to include an American dream success story" which the story did not thrive upon considering all the other positive reflections on language, body, education, spirituality, and identity.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Racism, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Colonisation