Book Review: Living Beyond the Borders: Growing up Mexican in America

 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Longoria, M. (2022). Living beyond borders: Growing up Mexican in America. Penguin.

ISBN: 0593204980

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Written by a variety of different authors, this book shares a collection of short stories, essays, comics, and poems about struggles they have faced as Mexican Americans and the borders they have crossed.

3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS

If I am honest, I am not sure how I feel about this book. On one side, reading each short story and I immediate began reminiscing about my childhood experiences where McDonald’s was rarely served at the dinner table. Instead, my parents would serve warm tortillas and enchiladas like what was mentioned in Yoli Calderon and Principal Hayes. These stories felt alittle stereotypical to me. I am a Mexican American living in Texas, more specifically in a border city where Mexico is only a short walk across a bridge. I couldn’t relate to the stories shared in this collection. This was the biggest let down for me. Yes, a lot of the things mentioned in the stories like eating crushed flaming hots, playing with canicas, and getting a dollar once a week from my father was something I experienced first-hand. Using the word ghetto as an adjective is also something that commonly happens in my hometown, but some of the feelings that were expressed in the short stories is not something I can relate to. I almost felt like the authors of the short stories felt discriminated against, and that is not something I have experience. This may be because I live in a city where the population is 99% Hispanic.

Now, my review of this book is not all negative, there were some positives. For example, I do feel like the Mexican culture was accurately described. Some of the details mentioned were spot on. As I read through each short story, I was immediately reminded of my childhood. Tell Me a Story/Dime un Cuento was one of my favorite poems from this book. Even before I read the words, the illustrations told the story and each picture reminded me of something. From watching my grandparents dancing during family gatherings, to the images of the “luchadors”. This particular poem brought a huge smile to my face. Another poem that really touched me was Ode to My Papi. Although my story is different from the author’s, the poem reminded me of all the things I did to make my father proud. It also reminded me that I am the person I am today, because of virtues my father instilled in me as a young child. Another positive from this book is the use of both English and Spanish in the authors writings. This I loved, because it is something authentic from the Mexican-American culture.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review in Booklist: "Superlative . . . A memorable collection."

Starred review in SLJ: "Voices reach out from the pages of this anthology . . . It will make a lasting impression on all readers."

5. CONNECTIONS

*Lead students to think about issues that surround crossing the borders that divide our society and their lives. Encourage them to write a poem about their ideas.  

*Group students into small groups and have them compare and contrast 2 poems or essays from the collection. How are these pieces of writing similar or different? Encourage them to reflect on personal experiences of living in a border city. Can they make any personal connections?

*Other books similar to “Living Beyond the Borders: Growing Up Mexican in America”

Fennell, S. J. (2021). Wild tongues can’t be tamed: 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora. Flatiron Books.

ISBN: 1250763428

Sánchez, E. L. (2019). I am not your perfect Mexican daughter. Ember.

ISBN: 109839108X

Book reviews completed for SHSU MLA course.

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