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Hijas Americanas Beauty Body Image and Growing Up Latina edition by Rosie Molinary Politics Social Sciences eBooks

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Hijas Americanas Beauty Body Image and Growing Up Latina edition by Rosie Molinary Politics Social Sciences eBooks

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Hijas Americanas Beauty Body Image and Growing Up Latina edition by Rosie Molinary Politics Social Sciences eBooks Reviews

I had the pleasure of interviewing Molinary for a book article and I was pleasantly surprised by her approachability. Being of Spanish/American descent myself, I grew up feeling I was not "Spanish enough" in Spain or "American enough" in the US. Now I feel blessed to have one foot in each culture and feel like I belong to both. Molinary's book tells of her own struggles growing up Latina in America, and about the conflicting messages received at home, by her peers and by the media. She now also admits to having reconciled with her heritage and who she is. She shares the stories of countless other Latinas of different backgrounds and weaves their experiences into a book about body image, self-image, and about loving oneself because of one's differences and not in spite of them.
A very inspiring and helpful read!
[...]
Hijas Americanas is a book that discusses the issues that Latinas raised in the United States face. It's an extensive analysis of cultural differences and the different ways in which they assimilate, while still incorporating the values and traditions ingrained by family. Rosie Molinary conducted an extensive survey (which she includes at the end of the book) and based her book both on her findings and on her experiences growing up. While the concept is extremely interesting, the style of writing is rather repetitive, and the actual reading can get tedious. Molinary recounts the experiences of the women surveyed and, while at first it's entertaining, it becomes predictable and redundant "Thalia a twenty-seven-year-old Chicana...", "Gloria, the forty-year-old Puerto Rican who grew up in ..." eventually it reads more like a study written for a college class than a comment on biculturalism.

While the book covers several topics, from sexuality and stereotypes to religion and how being Latin affects them, I couldn't help but feel that it wasn't necessarily a cultural issue. Dealing with how others perceive us, finding our independence from our parents and discovering our sexualities, these are issues that we all have to deal with. The stories relayed in Hijas Americanas are exclusive of the Latin culture, yet if you interchange cultures and anecdotes, you could very much be reading about any group of people. I did enjoy the few bits in which Molinary discusses her personal experiences; it is in these instances that the book displays a frankness that is captivating and playful. She shares with all sincerity the story of a woman finding her identity, and that is something women of all cultures can relate to.
**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.
Excellent, excellent book!! I highly recommend it to anyone who has an ounce of latin/hispanic blood in them. A very eye opening experience for me. It made me see myself in a totally new light....a very positive light!
This book is unreal; it caused me rethink the history of Latin American women , they need more respect
This is one of those books that you won't soon forget! Molinary gives moving, funny, and thoughtful anecdotes of her life blended with stories and experiences of other latinas in the US. I wish it had been available when I was a young girl, but I can still take away so much from it as a 33 year-old woman. I could not put it down and read it in two days! Thanks to the author for putting so much time and research into crafting a book that could help millions of woman see themselves for the beautiful "hijas" they are. This is a timely, empowering read!
Great book! Rosie Molinary it thought provoking, Great information for young Latinas and those who love them.
This is a great read