Customer Reviews

Border-Line Personalities: A New Generation of Latinas Dish on Sex, Sass, and Cultural Shifting

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this book after seeing a review in my local newspaper, and it couldn't have been more right! This book was filled with wonderful essays. I felt that so many were quite similar to my own experiences and some even gave words to how I felt about my own (Mexican/American) culture. There were some that did not relate to me but gave me insight to other Latina's lives and experiences other than "Mexican-American" Latinas. The book is a great read; once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. I plan on giving this book as a gift to several of my friends.

There's literally something in this book for everyone of all ages, sexes, races and religions. With 20 essays to pick and choose from, it makes a great beach read! Never before have Hispanic women spoken with such lingua franca, and without the stereotypical loud-mouthed bitchiness (ala Rosie Perez) usually associated with Latina women. These authors write intelligently, introspectively, and some are plain funny as hell! I've shared some of these essays with friends--men, women, black, white, what-have-you--and they could all relate to one essay or another. The thematics are universal to a whole generation of Americans, no matter what creed. Bridge-building at its finest, Border-line Personalities marks a brave achievement by these writers in sharing their personal stories with such brazen honesty. Felicidades!

This book is a great read for anyone - whether you are Latina or not. Many of the stories are funny, some are sexy and others break your heart. It's great to finally see a book that treats Latinos as human beings, just like everybody else, and not as stereotypes.

I couldn't disagree with the previous reviewer more! These writers take an honest, funny approach to the Latina experience in the USA. Rather than being portrayed as martyrs or other stereotypes, these top-shelf writers take accountability for who they have become in this country, regardless of their mothers. Also, if any language suffers here, it's Spanish. :-) The writers make a lot of hilarious references to their attempts to learn Spanish, which often go astray. This is a universal book about coming of age in America, a must read.

I'm a "gringo." But since my wife is a Latina immigrant, she grew up in Ecuador and moved here 9 years ago, I am always interested in learning more about the challenges she faces adapting to life in the United States. Most of the women that wrote for this book were born in the U.S. and definitely have a different perspective on life than my wife does. For example, the issue of "cultural identity" is one of the major themes in this book. In contrast, my wife clearly identifies as an Ecuadorian who just happens to live in the United States. Obviously, some aspects of life here she likes, while others make her cringe - such as how spoiled and disrespectful to adults some of the kids are.

So I am not so sure this book taught me much about my wife or her experience as an immigrant. But still I enjoyed reading it. Many of the stories were hilarious and had interesting insights about life in the U.S. for young Latinas. Of course, as in any collection like this, some of the essays were better written than others. I especially appreciated "Just Us Girls" by Michelle Herrera Mulligan. This was a very heartfelt and intelligent reflection on Michelle's relationship with her mother and how they were both still dealing with the fact that Michelle's true self was different than her mother's notion of an "ideal daughter". Her story reminded me of my own, often difficult, relationship with my Dad. Of course, having a theme that others can relate to is one of the hallmarks of good writing and this essay really hit home for me and probably for many others who strayed outside of parental expectations. There were many other talented writers as well. But some of the less skilled would often drift into superficial and less interesting areas, such as "my boyfriend is so cute" or "I just love to drink Tab." But, overall, I found it to be a fun and compelling collection of essays by a talented group of young writers. Recommended.

The book itself looks worn but not mistreated. That's enough when all you really care about is it's content, and a great read it is!! I am halfway through the book and enjoying every story!

This book examines an important cultural phenomenon. As the Latin population of our country grows, it is important to understand the "Latin experience" in America; in this case, from the female perspective. Latins and non-Latins (women and men) will benefit from the insight.

I just loved this book. I believe every Latina American can relate to every story in this book. It just made me feel better. Also made me very proud.

I read this book, frankly because I got a free copy. The entire book has a very one-dimensional point of view. Is there a collective Latina Experience? Maybe, but I just couldn't relate to any of these writers. Most of the essays were written by women in the journalism field and maybe I just don't relate with some of their concerns. Maybe they just didn't ring true, regardless of whether I was trying to relate.

Though the title sells the book as the sexiest thing in Latin women writers and readers yet, the reality is that they fall very short of meeting expectations. Being Latina myself and in the United States, and even if I do get to identify with some of the themes and stories in some of the essays.. please, what a yawn. We are all depicted as martyrs, huge success stories in comparison to our parents and generations before us, and/or unable to speak English without saying one Spanish word every three sentences. I want to think that we have much more of an edge, much more of a sense of humor, (much better writing skills!) and much more of a story to tell others. "Latinas dish on sex, sass, and cultural shifting"? That must be in the second book, because this one is nothing but a flat collection of high school essays. Nice attempt though.