(9/19/2019)
This memoir by Jaquira Diaz gives us an intimate look into life in Puerto Rico and Miami Beach for Latinas. Not an easy life by any means, with a dysfunctional mother and a disinterested father, Jaqui grows up fending for herself in every way imaginable, and to a middle class American like myself, in many ways unimaginable. The fact that suicide is regarded as a solution to her situation, one which she thinks about a lot and almost succeeds in accomplishing, but never quite making it the end of life, is commonplace. The best part of this story, for me, is the fact in spite of all the odds against her success, Jaqui ends up getting her GED, eventually going to college and getting her Masters Degree, and becomes a successful freelance writer. Another highlight is the childhood relationships that Jaqui manages to keep going throughout her life - the love she and her friends have for each other, even through all their trials and tribulations. This book should be an inspiration for us all, whether or not we have suffered the deprivations and humiliations of the "ordinary girls" in the story. It shows that, no matter what your struggles in life are, you can overcome them with a strong will and determination, or as my mother would tell me: Mind over matter will always win in the end!