Customer Reviews

Sister Chicas

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a librarian, I'm familiar with the landscape of Young Adult fiction. "Sister Chicas" is just the kind of book that young women today enjoy -- a real story about real girls, girls like them, girls they know. The Amero-Latina perspective is fascinating, but it's honestly just a good, accessible story -- one that all young women could relate to. Family duty, identity, goals and dreams -- I truly hope this book receives widespread publicity, because I think any young person (or not so young person) who reads it will enjoy it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this coming-of-age tale about three young Latin women. Taina, Graciela, and Leni are well-drawn, diverse characters with unique and fascinating voices that tell the story of Taina's upcoming Sweet Fifteen party. Through their eyes, the reader learns about their individual backgrounds, their dreams, and their love for each other. We experience their fears as they encounter attractive young men and the disapproval of their parents, and we cheer with them as they achieve independence and a sense of self enviable to all. At the end of the story, I had tears in my eyes, wanting to continue on in the journey with these three special ladies. Kudos to the three authors for writing such an engrossing and heartwarming story.

The glossary in the back of the book was most helpful for learning Spanish phrases used in the text, and I also enjoyed reading the recipes included. I feel that I learned a great deal about Latin culture by reading this book, but I also feel that "Sister Chicas" transcends any genre of literature in the way it portrays love, family, and friendship. Go read it for yourself -- you will feel uplifted.

A friend told me to read this book and I'm glad she did. I learned so much about the search for identity... the identity of girls becoming women and of Latinas trying to find their place in a culture that isn't too sure it wants to include them. I'll admit that this book also made me feel a sense of relief that I am the father of two boys and not girls... I got a clear sense of the power a father has over the self-image of a daughter whereas my sons have already learned to tune me out. The characters in this book are wonderfully distinct, a feature no doubt of the different writers behind each one. While I'm sure there are people who will identify with a particular character, I was intrigued by the facets in each which begin to feel universal by the time you get to the end. By the way, love the glossary in the back!

This book takes me to a place and time I would love to be and certainly would have loved to have been when I was child. Although I could relate to all of the characters and have met my share of the three girls in my lifetime, Taina was really the one I felt a bond with. I think that all readers will find one character that they most meld with throughout the read. That is what is so wonderful about Sister Chicas, the flow and the feel of actually being or wanting to be a part of the characters' lives. It is hard to believe that there are actually three separate authors. Jane E. Alberdeston Coralin, Lisa Alvarado and Ann Hagman Cardinal - whom ALL deserve credit for this work. Brilliant, talented writers. They left me wanting more.

The literary world could certainly use more refreshing stories like this one!

Out of 5 stars - I give it a 6.

In a literary marketplace dominated by the Gossip Girls and the A-list series, where are the stories for young women for whom buying shoes and chasing boys ranks low on their list of priorities? Are there any novels in which the female leads care as much about their community, grapple with their identity, and plan for their future as they might -- if not even more so -- fitting in with the "in" crowd or finding the perfect shade of lipstick? What do such girls read when they are between the works of Nicholasa Mohr and Esmeralda Santiago?

The answers to these question lie in this wonderful novel "Sister Chicas."

As diverse as they are, the Sister Chicas Taina, Grachi and Leni are bonded not only by their friendship but by their intelligence and character. Like any girl their ages, they struggle with their parents' expectations, fall in love, enjoy a good time, and attempt to find their place in the world. What makes this trio unique and refreshing is that they are also smart girls. Good girls. Deep girls. And they do not apologize for it.

Not all girls yield to the lure of casual sex, drug experimentation and mindless consumerism, and they can finally see themselves represented in the three heroines of "Sister Chicas."

Taina Moscoso, Graciela Villalobos, and Elena O'Malley-Diaz are young teens who meet once a week at El Rinconcito del Sabor restaurant to share their confidences with one another. They consider themselves the SISTER CHICAS.

Taina hides much of her life from her family especially her overprotective mother who would have a heart attack if she knew about the weekly bus trip to meet with her "sisters" or her Jamaican artist boyfriend Yusef. Now she must choose to either let him escort her to her Sweet Fifteen gala and cause a family civil war or anger him by letting someone more acceptable do so.

Grachi also has men problems as her best friend outside of the Sister Chicas Jack suddenly looks so fine. However, she fears if she acts like she wants him she could lose a close pal, but if she does not she could lose more.

Leni has male issues too starting with her roots. However, it is Carlos the musician, whom she knows since she was six years old, who she suddenly sees in a different light that causes her the most consternation.

The three SISTER CHICAS need each other to make sense of a world suddenly filled with testosterone that seems wonderful yet off kilter.

Rotating perspective enables the reader to see the same incident from three different viewpoints. This technique works and adds to the teenage buddy tale so much so the audience wants to join the SISTER CHICAS exclusive club. The threesome is unique in their own ways though they share a strong friendship bond and have male woes. The addition of an ethnicity glossary augments the fun of a delightful teen sisterhood chick lit tale.

Harriet Klausner

This was the first fiction book I Kindled!

I didn't know this book existed until I read a review of it online, and when I found out what it was about, I had to read it. All-American Girls of Latino descent growing up in the city and dealing with familial and cultural issues? I had to! Why weren't there books like this when I was growing up? It was hard finding a book with a heroine with dark hair and dark eyes in those days! Still is, actually.

The three main characters are all types, but not stereotypes. They are all relatable. I find it interesting that each girl was authored by a different woman, which added to the feeling that these were three distinct characters. Still, I totally expected to relate more to one girl than the others, and was surprised to find myself relating most to whichever girl I was reading about at the time.

I actually felt something like affection for SISTER CHICAS when I finished it. The family relationships were very authentic, and I could totally identify with them. (Especially the overprotective-but-loving parents. ) :-) When I was done reading I believe I felt a little more appreciation of my own heritage (and much more awareness of all the Spanglish spoken in my family!)

I also think this would make a great TV movie. We need more Latinos (and Chicas!)on TV and in the movies. And it would appeal to all audiences since the stories, which distinctly and authentically Latin-FLAVORED, are universal in scope. Selena Gomez? Looking for a project? Hmmmm?

To break down this book in the shortest way possible, it's essentially The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares) meets The Dirty Girls Social Club (Alicia Valdes-Rodriguez) as it follows three Puerto Rican best friends from seemingly different lifestyles in Chicago that bond over their sisterlike attachment to one another. Each 'girl' is written by a different author but their stories overlap a fair bit, mostly surrounding the onset of the youngest girl's (Taina) upcoming Quinceanara - basically a Sweet 16 type of 'coming out' party that happens at 15 for hispanic girls.

Taina's story surrounds the fact she has been raised as prim and proper, and as a result is afraid of standing up to her mother - including on the quinceanera party she's forcing her to have. Trouble ensues when Taina not only gets fed up with the party, but starts dating a Jamaican boy that she knows her mother won't approve of - having been left by her own Jamaican husband when Taina was much younger.

Graciella is the eldest, a freshman in college, who is trying to balance the old and the new when University opens new romantic and professional opportunities to her that she is afraid her parents won't understand.

Finally Leni is the predictable punk chick turned music photographer - her dad died when she was young and she's never found a way to attach herself to anyone since, including her longtime family friend and potential love interest Carlos. Her story is sort of all over the map in terms of its focus, but it mostly covers Leni opening herself up to others - her parents, her friends, and Carlos.

In general the book was not exceptionally well written - it lagged to the point of being boring at times, and spent far too much time in the past to explain the present. There are more subtle ways to explain a person's current state of mind than by constantly reverting to chapter-long flashbacks.

On the plus side I did think it was a good book in the sense that it was written by, somewhat for, and about a major cultural group in the United States, and it encouraged sisterhood over the cattiness found in most young adult novels these days. The girls conflicts are mostly internal or with their families - and almost never with one another. I felt like if I had a daughter I'd certainly give them this book to read - it encouraged positive role models for growing up, I just think it could have been done better.

The friendship shared between Taina, Graciela and Leni is absolutely spectacular. Every teenage girl deserves to have at least one friendship like this. I (almost) wanted to be a teenager again! Reminds me of what I have to look forward to when my daughter gets a little older. I've already passed the book along to my mom (I made her promise she'd return it when she's done). Thanks for this great book.

The story was great but some of the words in Spanish were just not well written. On the top of my head I remember a quote from the book, "clara que no" (as in of course not) It's translated to "claro que no". I know this book was written for teens but I'm a teacher and I teach high school, I suggest the book before reading it. We would found flaws in the book almost every other day and that was the talk about in class. I honestly think my fifteen year old students can do a better job writing a book.