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The quinceañera, the fifteenth birthday celebration for a Latina girl, is quickly becoming an American event. This legendary party is a sight to behold: lavish ball gowns, extravagant catered meals, DJs, limousines, and multi-tiered cakes. The must-haves for a "quince" are becoming as numerous and costly as a prom or wedding. And yet, this elaborate ritual also hearkens back to traditions from native countries and communities, offering young Latinas a chance to connect with their heritage. Writer Alvarez explores this celebration that brings a Latina girl into womanhood, attending the quince of a young woman in Queens, and weaving in interviews with other quince girls, her own memories of coming of age as an immigrant, and the history of the custom itself. The result is an enlightening, accessible, and entertaining portrait of contemporary Latino culture.--From publisher description.… (more)
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And given all her feminist-liberal doubts about the quinceañera, why, why does Alvarez get weepy over them? Is it the concrete demonstration of the community's love and hope for each of these girls? Or is she, in the end, just another sucker for a sparkly pink princess dress?
Interwoven into her exploration of the role and history of the modern quinceañera, she tells the story of her own prolonged and halting efforts to learn how to be a Latina adult in the U.S., to invent a role herself that is neither Marianisma nor Malinche. Which, of course, leads back to the question: what does it mean, as a Latina girl, to come of age? And if you were going to have a ritual to mark that---or to guide girl on her way---what should that ritual be?
As you might imagine, there are far more questions here than answers---although in her exploration of the questions, there's a lot she shares about culture, community, family, and history. But even if there are more questions than answers, sometimes there's as much value in figuring out what the questions can and should be, than in figuring out their answers.
Illuminating commentary about a high stakes tradition in the Latina culture. Factual yet readable, information and history is interwoven with a personalized account of Monica's quince celebration. Important read for anyone who will work with today's youth considering the growing Latino
With frequent dips into her personal history, Alvarez looks at the contradictions that make up the quinceanera - a "sweet fifteen" party for Latinas - a ceremony
Alvarez is an excellent writer, and when she gets going, her descriptions of quinceanera disrupted by hurricanes or photo shoots that take the place of the party and are smooth and illuminating. However, a number of things keep this book from being a totally compelling read. One is Alvarez's determination to link the quinceanera experience to her own adolescence, even though Alvarez herself never had a quinceanera, and seems to experience her teenage self in a completely different way than the girls she's focusing on.
Another problem is Alvarez's decision to focus on a single quinceanera, and frequently interrupt the telling to flashback on her own life, visit other quinceanera, interview an expert, or some other diversion. I like a non-linear narrative as much as the next person, but the device doesn't work well here.
Finally, Alvaraez can't seem to make up her mind about the quinceanera -- she flip-flops on it's meaning and place modern society. Alvarez's indecision makes the book feel watered down and wishy washy.
There were passages when I felt something was beautifully expressed, but unfortunately, as I listened to this as an audio book, I couldn't mark them to record here. A definite disadvantage to mixed media, for sure.