Overall, what do you think of "My Broken Language."

Overall, what do you think of "My Broken Language"?

I thought it was excellent. What an education. I got to know her friends and family through her descriptions and could feel them all.

I found the early Philadelphia chapters very intense and a bit overwhelming. Later on, I became more immersed in her life. And I found her graphic use of language simple stunning!

I enjoyed the book. It was beautifully written. Wow she had an amazing family.

My Broken Language was a difficult read in many ways, it described a world so foreign to mine. I found the author's fluid timeline confusing at times. I am glad I read this book, it would not have been one I would have usually chosen. I would love to meet Quiana's mother, she seems like a force!

I loved My Broken Language and feel similarly about Bookbrowse introducing me to this book that I think I may not have come across otherwise. The language, the characters, the message - I found all so profound and moving. And what gifts Quiara has. I think of myself at the various ages she describes and certainly we were cultures apart but also divergent in sheer innate talent. Plus the discipline and fortitude she applied to her self-education in music and other areas is more than impressive. Brava!

I loved it! The premise was foreign to me, as I do not consider myself a creative person, but I loved the author's poetic ability to embrace her heritage, to grasp it and share it with the rest of us. Her musical talent was so great, and to think she wasn't content to rest on her musical laurels, but then had to attack playwriting and drama! And her success in all fields was so poignant! What a story! What a life!

I enjoyed this book very much. And I agree, it was beautifully written. I just love the author's command and use of the English language. What a treat! The book is so descriptive, I found myself visualizing the author's surroundings and various family members which added a different dimension to the various storylines.

It’s an okay book but I felt that I only got to know the superficial parts of the author’s life. It felt like there was more potential that wasn’t realized in the narrative. There seemed to be more details about her family and less about her life. It seemed like she was an observer.

I found it to be thought provoking and an interesting look into another person's life.

I loved it! I thought it was rich in culture and I enjoyed the loud and craziness of the big family.

I really enjoyed “My Broken Language,” many of Quiara’s struggles resonating with me as I have many friends who straddle cultural borders and myself having grown up in a Latin American country. It was interesting to read along as Quiara navigated her two worlds and ultimately, found a way to express herself in the music and the arts.

Thee book was beautifully written and I appreciated her insights about her culture and life. However, it seemed a bit long and I had to force myself to keep reading toward the end.

I loved her descriptions of her family and neighborhood. As she moves from "home" to her Dad's, to Yale, and to Providence, she takes you with her, and she doesn't make it easy. She expresses her fears, her awakenings, and the heart that she takes us back to - her mom and abuela.
This excellent memoir provides a ladder - a link - a hope - that, if you find a focus, and then work at it, your world becomes a place you love!

Agree with so many here - and so glad I wasn’t alone! I truly felt immersed in her world due to her genius writing that evoked the Feel of the moments and helped understand and feel what they were feeling and experiencing. Helped me feel and understand their perspective. I found myself underlining particular phrases - perfect wording to describe something. Wish could tell all of the Perez women that I See Them and Hear Them. Bit jealous of their beautiful loyal love-filled and messy family.

I was surprised how much I loved it! I get tired of memoirs and survival stories. This one wasn't. It was fresh and introduced me to the author in the bigger picture of her environment.

I really struggled with this book in the beginning. It took me a very long time to get going. I'm not sure if it was because I was not familiar with Quiara Alegría Hudes, because I had just finished reading another memoir, or because of the very serious tone I thought was conveyed initially. I know I was confused by the timeline- -but I guess that is how memories are. They appear when we are not expecting them, or even when we are in the middle of something else.

But by the time Quiara reached college, I could not read fast enough. All of the sudden, she was not sitting on the stairway watching. She was getting messy herself! And her drive, her passion- -Quiara finding her own voice was energizing.

Having just recently read Yale Needs Women, I appreciated Quiara's descriptions of her own experiences there. It sounds to me like Yale still needs a lot of things. But just like the pioneering class, Quiara made things happen for herself, refusing to wait for change or inclusion. She was able to do that because she had been watching strong women her whole life.

Her memoir is beautifully written with great humor and authenticity. For me, understanding Spanish would have added so much more to my reading enjoyment.

I found the book to be very enjoyable and thought provoking. A very interesting read.

I was surprised how much I liked it. I don't think I realized it was a memoir when I signed up for it, as memoirs are often a challenge for me. I had trouble getting into it at first but ended up loving the book. Her experiences were different than most of the memoirs I've read, and her descriptions were so lush that it ended up being a favorite for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Seemed to me that she was speaking from the heart. I loved many of the ways she described things. One could see how she was torn between two worlds. She totally believed in her mother which drew her to her roots.

I enjoyed the book. I thought it was well written and the characters came to life for me. It brought many things to the forefront, things that I will be thinking about for a while.

Love it. Want to read again.

“Broken Language” is a smart, witty, and thought provoking read. I enjoyed Hudes’ passionate and caring memoir that shares her unique North Philly upbringing with its trials and tribulations. I found it a pleasure to read the memoir by such a professional writer. There are many parts of this book that let me feel her skills as a Pulitzer Prize winning writer. She is an expert at setting scenes, with her perfectly crafted details she made me feel as if I was a part of her fabulous, feisty loveable family.

I had a terrible time in reading Hudes memoir, and the only reason I plodded through was because of its good reviews, especially the star awarded by Kirkus Reviews. I am usually a reader who shuns first-person point of view books; however, memoir is a genre that stands apart from this preference. The book was a difficult book for me to read because of all the religious and Spanish words that I had to google because Hudes did not give definitions. I grumbled and grumbled over this omission until I experienced an epiphany and it changed my entire understanding of her "broken language." Quiara Alegria Hudes brilliantly showed me how immigrants to America feel trying to assimilate to a different language and culture while holding on to their native language and culture. My Broken Language deserved that Kirkus star.