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Sister Chicas

Sister Chicas tells the story of three young Latina friends in Chicago. They meet while working on the school paper, but during their weekly coffee dates they form a friendship that gives them the sisters they never had, and together they struggle with the normal stresses of growing up: parents, careers, boys, fashion, all while figuring out their identities and learning how to fit their rich cultural heritage into their lives as modern Norteamericanas.

Taina Moscoso:

Though she is the quintessential good girl in her Puerto Rican family, Taina is constantly made to feel that her dark skin and "kinky" hair are less desirable. Deep inside Taina is not yet sure who she is, but she is certain she is more than her looks. Her mother harangues her about her crippling shyness, forces her to straighten her hair, and, constantly badgers her with "Can't you just wear a pair of tacones once in awhile?" And her first romance with a young, handsome Jamaican artist results in a controversy that changes her and the dynamic with her mother forever. It is, however, the unconditional love and support she gets from Leni and Graciela which help her discover the lush landscape of her identity and allow her to appreciate the beauty on the surface, as well as within.

Graciela Villalobos:

A first generation Chicana who grew up in Chicago and defines her life by her roots, her culture. She is serious, older than her years, thoughtful, articulate, and focused on making a contribution to society and her community. Responsibility and what she feels is her obligation to her family are at the center of her life. She is very comfortable with the status quo until she unexpectedly falls in love with her friend Jack, an Anglo. Her attraction to him, her relationships with Leni and Taina push her to ask herself what she wants for the first time in her life. To make matters even more complicated, her writing has attracted the support of a famous writer, who is also her college professor. Graciela is offered a chance to attend a summer youth residency at a prestigious writer's colony. Forced to do some real soul searching, Graciela changes the course of her neatly planned out life. The results shake her faith in herself and test the bonds of family, friendship, and first love.

Leni Diaz:

Half-Puerto Rican, half-Irish, Leni is the rebel of the group. Her name is Elena, but she goes by Leni. She doesn't deny her Latina heritage, she just ignores it. She is a punk rocker who has worked hard to build her own identity, different from that of her family: her style contrasts drastically with the rest of her Puerto Rican family and that's just fine with her. But her friendship with Carlos, her childhood friend, becomes complicated when he grows up into a handsome rockero. Leni finds to her dismay that there are cracks growing in her carefully constructed emotional barriers, barriers that had been firmly in place since the death of her father. But through friendships with Grachi and Taina, Leni finds another meaning for the word 'familia.' To her surprise, she begins to see the value of her roots, her cultura, and in the most unexpected turn of all...her heart opening to Carlos. These three young chicas form a bond that sustains them through the trials and tribulations of becoming women while balancing on a bridge between two worlds.

Sister Chicas represents a collaboration between three Latina writers from as diverse backgrounds as their subjects. The novel has alternating chapters that feature the three different characters, written in their individual voices. When combined the result is a rich tapestry that weaves the story of teenage Latina friends, who refer to each other as "sister chica".

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