A review by cathsgraphs
Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina by Raquel Cepeda
5.0
I couldn't put this book down. What a life! What a journey and what words to accompany. The amount of racial violence this author faced through most of her childhood is shocking. In my mind, I think of NYC as a VERY culturally diverse city- one where I thought there would be more tolerance and acceptance- WRONG. While I have always been a minority as Latina, I haven't experienced the racial violence this author describes and MUCH of it from her own family.
I could relate to so much of what she wrote about not being X enough and not being Y enough. If I'm neither of those (which is my dna and my geographical home) then what/who am I?? I bookmarked loads of pages in here. Ms. Cepeda has further intensified my curiosity about my own background. She's an exquisite writer and I can't wait to rent her film "Some Girls" that is linked to this book.
I could relate to so much of what she wrote about not being X enough and not being Y enough. If I'm neither of those (which is my dna and my geographical home) then what/who am I?? I bookmarked loads of pages in here. Ms. Cepeda has further intensified my curiosity about my own background. She's an exquisite writer and I can't wait to rent her film "Some Girls" that is linked to this book.