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Reviews
| Sister Chicas wins 2nd place in the Mariposa Award at Latino Books Awards! (see Latest News and Appearances) Sister Chicas mentioned in best-selling author Julia Alvarez’s new book! (see Latest News and Appearances) Sister Chicas is a candidate to win as book of the year Mayor Daley’s Book Club – 2006-2007 Boston
Globe sings the praises of Sister Chicas La Bloga taps Sister Chicas as a must-read Sister Chicas featured in USAToday! Chicago
Public Radio/848 interviews Lisa, Ann and Jane Latina
Magazine picks Sister Chicas as an April 2006 Shout Out! Sister Chicas picked as a "Book to Read in 2006" by El Diario From
Booklist, February 2006 From
Kirkus Reviews, February 2006 issue
Surviving the teen years is rough for anyone, especially if you're an only child dealing with a parent's death or abandonment or issues of familial responsibility. Leni, Grachi and Taina have found a way to cope: They have formed the Sister Chicas, and together they take on the world. Well, if not the world, at least their mothers. Taina currently has two problems: Her mother is forcing her to have a quinceañera, and she is secretly dating Yusef, the son of Jamaican immigrants. She is terrified to tell her domineering mother about Yusef because her father, who abandoned her, was black. Grachi, a freshman in college, has been offered an exclusive spot at a summer writer's retreat, but she is afraid to share the news with her parents for fear they will be angry with her-they depend on her to always do the right thing for la familia. And Leni, a budding photographer whose absentee mother has not even noticed her daughter's rapidly changing clothes and hairstyles, has been trying to stifle her growing sexual interest in a childhood buddy. Every week, the girls meet at a restaurant to hash out their problems. Their alliance deepens, and the trio begins to venture out of the cafe-and out of their shells as each gains confidence. Funny how liberating companionship can be! Peppered with Spanish phrases, this is a sweet...debut about friendship and loyalty.
----Anne Connor, a child/adult educator and writer January
24, 2006, December
15, 2005, From
Education Update, December 2005
"Think Ya Ya Sisters crossed with How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent and you'll have some idea of just what a treat this delightful novel is. Narrated by the three main characters in each young woman's strong, clear voice, the novel offers a compelling and perceptive look at what it means to grow up as a Latina woman in contemporary America. There's Taina, the Puerto Rican daughter of a single mother whose upcoming quinceanera is the plot point that drives this propulsive narrative; Graciela, an ambitious and driven Mexican-American who feels a responsibility to achieve the dreams her immigrant parents couldn't, and Leni, a rebellious Puerto-Rican/Irish-American teenager who struggles to reconcile the disparate elements of her upbringing. Their friendship, as unlikely as it may have seemed at first, is the constant in their lives, even as so many other assumptions and expectations are challenged. As a novel of growing up, it's pitch perfect, dealing equally well with Taina's ambivalent emotions towards her mother's demands and her own need to separate and carve her own path , or Graciela's attempt to reconcile her dreams with her daughterly duties. Throw in some attractive, if potentially unsuitable boyfriends, and it's no wonder that this novel zips along. Perhaps most engaging are the detailed descriptions of the Chica Sisters outings to a Cuban café, El Rinconcito, where the flavors and textures of life in a warm, comforting ethnic neighborhood are palpable. Or even Leni's experiences with her extended family in Puerto Rico, where she lets down her urban guard enough to allow herself to be embraced by the relaxed rhythms of simply sitting on porches with her older relatives. There's plenty of wit and humor here, too, especially in the all-too-familiar battles between Taina and her mother about what kind of dress would be suitable for the all-important quinceanera - not to mention the shopping excursions in search of the right dresses for Graciela and Leni. The authors thoughtfully provide a useful glossary of Spanish words and phrases, as well as cultural touchstones for Caribbean cultures. There's also a tempting section of recipes, for everything from tortillas and flan to chili con carne and a torta imperial. These extras in the novel make it ideal for an extended book club discussion and experience. It's an engaging introduction to Latina culture for non-Latinos and I would imagine an appealing, even comforting text for young Hispanic women who seek authentic images of themselves in a well written novel." --
Merri Rosenberg "I wish I could invite Taina, Leni and Graciela, those funny and lively Sister Chicas, to my kitchen table. They'd start confiding and laughing about their familias, clothes and, of course, boys. Like all real sisters, they'd share what matters to them, honoring their Latino culture, writing from the heart; each one becoming a beautiful, unique mujer. ¡Maravilloso!" -- Pat Mora, author of Aunt Carmen's Practical Book of Saints, and Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart "Sister
Chicas is an 'exquisite' project, set in the steaming streets of
multi-cultural Chicago, with multi-voiced Latina characters - Latinos
are a diverse and complicated people - that ring true as well as smart.
These three gifted writers have produced a unique and unforgettable
single novel. Bravo." |
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