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lizzie24601's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A really beautiful, reflective memoir written with a unpretentious and caring voice. I really only knew Hudes from her work on In the Heights, but now I'm so excited to read her other plays. Hudes tells the story of her family with grit, honesty, and immeasurable kindness. Also, it's an added treat if you're from the Philly area and can recognize the streets young Quiara walks down!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Racism
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Police brutality
tctimlin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I am partial to this coming of age story in part because the author grew up in Philadelphia, negotiating between her white Jewish father’s suburban life with his second family and her Puerto Rican mother’s extended family in the Latinx neighborhood of north Philadelphia. She is honest about the crises within her community (including crack epidemic and AIDS) and about her ability to navigate her way out (she went to a public academic magnet high school and then Ivy League universities). A successful lyricist for Broadway musicals, she also writes with a lyrical touch.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Drug use, Racism, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, and Classism
tilo's review against another edition
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
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