Divided into named chapters, the memoir is given shape and texture from the chapters’ names.
When you speak more than one language, you are enriched. Her journey wanders through English to Spanish, through literature, from Quakerism and Santeria to music, from her mother’s
…more family history in Puerto Rico to Philly and its suburbs to Yale. How do you build bridges? Are they even possible? Of course, they are. ¡Por supuesto!
Ever heard “when it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” (cuando no está roto, no lo arregle)? But, Quiara tries… a fierce search for identity to make sense of herself and her divided world, embracing her Boriuca roots that have their own magic to sooth her soul and find magic as a writer of plays in Grad School. And, spoiler alert, she finds it! Mi heroína!
Trying to string beads that don’t seem to fit on the string. Maybe she didn’t know that there was even a string to connect the dots of her fractured existence. Good for you Qui Qui!
A real page turner, although, you don’t want to go too fast. I re-read passages over and over to see and feel what I was missing. Hudes has such richness and honesty in her words. And for those of you who are not bilingüe, you will need a Spanish American dictionary, or at least an app on your phone to gather the meaning and texture of what Hudes writes, hears and feels throughout her life.
Enjoy and gain a little Boriuca soul! (less)
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