hijas americanas update
Hijas Americanas gives voice to the many influences that go into making strong, talented, beautiful Latina women. Its broad-based approach includes Latinas of all stripes, races, ethnicities, who have made different choices about what balance to strike between their two cultures. Rosie Molinary contributes to a much-needed conversation about what defines us as a community as well as what challenges us as individuals. The book sends an affirmative message that is bound to resonate with Latinas and with women of all backgrounds and ages.
—Julia Alvarez, author of In The Time of the Butterflies
This is an important and authentic contribution to the quest for identity and meaning of us Latinas. Rosie Molinary has written a powerful and meaningful book that candidly explores the many stereotypes associated with growing up Latina and the quest to accept this vital identity.
—Marjorie Agosin, Professor of Latin American studies, Wellesley College
Hijas Americanas canvases the diversity of the American Latina experience –from children of immigrants to those of us who can’t speak a lick of Spanish—frankly and compassionately. Molinary's subjects were candid and generous, sharing the most intimate details of their experiences. As I moved through the quick-paced chapters, I was stunned by how many times I thought, “that happened to me, too!"
—Michelle Herrera Mulligan, co-editor of Border-Line Personalities.
[Molinary’s] lively, honest narrative captures the immigrant conflicts of trying to fit in at home and feeling a stranger outside. She combines her personal experience with commentary drawn from more than [500 Latinas]. They talk frankly about prejudice, family tensions, body image, skin color, sexuality, faith, media, language, social norms, and much more. Throughout, the young women are candid about ignorance from all sides, and they are fiercely critical both of the stereotype that Latinas are all “Mexican and illegal” and of the exotic, sexy roles Latinas play on television. Rooted in clear details, the strong, upbeat message celebrates the traditional and the contemporary sides of today’s Latinas. Teen girls, and not just Latinas, will grab this for the honest talk of coming of age. - Hazel Rochman, Booklist
