How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. I thought everything about this book was intentional and so smart. The book is told in reverse chronological order, which made me pay extra attention when reading. I didn’t want to miss anything or have something go over my head. The story begins with the sisters as adults and then goes on to them in their childhood and then when they fled the Dominican Republic.

I think this is a really important read for men and women of all ages and nationalities. It offers insight to young Hispanic women and their experience in America. This is a perspective that is so often told inaccurately or stereotyped.

The book allows readers to relate to or look into what it’s like being an immigrant in America. For example, the teasing Carla faced as a child or the sexualization Rudy put on Yolanda just for the color of her skin.

The story of the Garcia Girls is awkward, uncomfortable, heartbreaking, funny and real. From what I’ve seen, stories about Hispanic women, or really any women of color, are a single story. They are one dimensional and usually feed into. Representation in the 90s usually consisted of harmful stereotypes, so this book coming out in the early 90s was groundbreaking in my opinion.