**Long Review** (for a condensed version, skip down)
I would have to part from the majority of the reviews here, especially the ones that suggest this book applies universally to women. While there are elements of the book that the majority of women can relate to, it is clear to me from the larger messages that Molinary's attempting to get across that 1) the point is not all women are essentially the same with basically similar experiences when you get down to it, and 2) while some of these issues share a level of commonality, Latinas are affected much more deeply not only by these common growing pains but by their intersection with identities and issues unique to Latinas. People mention the common topics discussed by Molinary but fail to point out the discussions about the unique ways in which Latino parents often inadvertently add pressures to finding one's Latinidad by either wanting their kids to fit into the mainstream more--thus stripping them of the right to speak Spanish at home and visit Spanish-speaking nations or become close to the homeland of their parents--or constantly reminding their kids that they aren't white...which I sense from several stories that reminding Latinas that they aren't white is almost the same as telling them they aren't really American. Most also fail to mention the struggles Latinas obviously face balancing their parents' views and pressures with social pressures experienced from white media and white peers. These issues are far from what the average white American female experiences or even has any clue about.
And as a black female reading this book, I often found I couldn't relate to the feelings, concerns and pressures of the Latinas interviewed, as well as Molinary. However, you don't have to be able to relate to enjoy this book. Quite the contrary, reading this book makes you aware of diverse experiences happening in the US, and that's valuable. Since other reviews attempt to essentialize women and tell you what they could relate to, I will elaborate on what I couldn't relate to:
There is an extreme emphasis on the Latinas' relationship to authentic American identity, as well as comparisons to whiteness and/or the longing to be white or actually feeling white in some ways. I have read several books about what Asian Americans experience growing up in the US, and it's amazing how similar the experiences and mindsets of these two groups are. The emphasis on and struggle with American identity (i.e. wanting to be perceived as American and/or just as American as white Americans, and being hurt/angry when they're not) and seeming idealization of whiteness are two of the things I never understood about Asian American (and Latino) stories. In other words, I don't understand why it's so horrible to not fit American ideals or why it's so personally important to almost every voice in these stories to do so, on one hand (on the other hand, this is basically what Asians and Latinos come to America to do, i.e. achieve the American Dream, which basically must be done through assimilation).
And I don't understand why American identity is always conflated with whiteness by Asians and Latinos in their stories, and yet they still believe that they should be included in such an identity--what about blacks...or, when an Asian is speaking, what about blacks and Latinos...or, when a Latino voice is speaking, what about blacks and Asians? My point is not to say the Latinas in this book are not truly American, just that I don't understand why they cared so deeply if other people didn't see them that way since, obviously, blacks are also often kept out of authentic American identity and we seem to care far less than Asians and Latinos do.
Like many other books about the cultural experiences of a particular group growing up, these issues are left unexplained and unexamined, but are simply mentioned or indirectly brought to the surface through individual stories. Thus, this book does more than tell the experience of Latinas growing up in the US or reveal how women are basically the same--it also speaks volumes about the racial thoughts and relationships between Latinas and people of other races/backgrounds in the US. The one notable difference between Latinas and Asians is that many of the Latinas expressed that, despite the sometimes seemingly lopsided focus on whites among the Latina participants and Molinary, they feel a great affinity towards other racial minorities in the US (Asian American stories stick almost exclusively to whites and Asians).
Another issue that comes up time and time again throughout this book that I don't relate to is the importance of beauty to Latinas, even with my being a female. The discussion in the chapter "How Latina Are You" regarding how different skin shades among Latinas can affect their interactions with each other and the rest of the US does match the black experience somewhat. But comparing oneself as a Latina to white standards of beauty--and in many cases while simultaneously comparing oneself as a Latina to the Latino standards of beauty--don't match the black experience, I don't feel, since I don't believe black women compare themselves to/feel the need to fit white standards anywhere near as much as other groups (or, at least, I haven't).
**Short Review**
My point is this: I would say that this is a good, educational read. I don't think this book is as tedious or bothersome to read as a couple others have indicated, even though her writing style is repetitive. Her writing style lends the book to a very easy-to-understand read, with nothing interfering with the stories and the voices of each Latina participant. However, you're not going to get anything out of this book if you're missing the bigger points of the stories, i.e. you're not going to come away fully understanding the Latina struggle in the US and how that differs from--and is even impacted by--the identities of other groups in the US. If you read this book, which I do suggest, pay attention to what is both experienced by you as someone from your particular background AND what is NOT experienced by you because you're from your particular background. That is where the richness of and the true learning from this book lie.
