Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America by Maria Hinojosa
Originally published at Latinobookreview.com Maria Hinojosa’s memoir tells the vulnerable story of becoming her truest, unapologetic self, deftly woven with decades of American history. From U.S.-funded conflicts throughout Central America, to 9/11, to Hurricane Katrina, to the ongoing humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, Hinojosa has been on the front lines bringing both humanity and… Continue reading Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America by Maria Hinojosa
Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon through North America’s Stolen Land by Noé Álvarez
[Originally published in Latino Book Review Magazine at Latinobookreview.com] Noé Álvarez was nineteen years old when he dropped out of college and bought a one-way ticket to Canada to embark on a 6,000-mile run across North America. As a young, first-generation Mexican-American man struggling through his first year of college, Álvarez is captivated during a… Continue reading Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon through North America’s Stolen Land by Noé Álvarez
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
In this fragmented memoir of her relationship with an abusive long-term partner, Machado imbues her own personal story with an exposition of the “archival silence” on the topic of abuse in the queer community. It starts with a fervent crush on a beautiful, charming acquaintance. Progressing through the stages of friendship, torrid love, and polyamorous… Continue reading In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
Native Country of the Heart by Cherríe Moraga
**Originally published on Latino Book Review From the beloved queer Chicana feminist writer Cherríe Moraga, Native Country of the Heart is a memoir told in parallel with the memoir of her Mexican mother, Elvira. Elvira is the foundational stone on which Moraga builds her own Chicana feminism and family, a woman whose beauty, rage, and… Continue reading Native Country of the Heart by Cherríe Moraga
The Terrible by Yrsa Daley-Ward
“Some days you can’t breathe; you know what that feel like: When you are bored at night and everything bad is loud and important take to the streets. It’s a one-time thing, this life. You’ve got to move. When in doubt, always move. Or you ain’t going to make it.” An autobiographical poem or a… Continue reading The Terrible by Yrsa Daley-Ward
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou’s memoir begins in Stamps, Arkansas during the 1930’s. In this rural community, raised by her grandmother and crippled uncle, she learns from a young age what it means to be a tough woman as she and her family endure the humiliations of racism and prejudice. When her estranged father unexpectedly returns for Maya and… Continue reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
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