You Sound Like a White Girl: Latinas & Libros Book Club, April

Written by Julissa Arce

Published by Flatiron Books

March 22nd, 2022

0.9" H x 8.4" L x 5.7" W (0.65 lbs) 208 pages

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"Nationally bestselling author Julissa Arce interweaves her own story with cultural commentary in a powerful polemic against the myth that assimilation leads to happiness and belonging for immigrants in America. Instead, she calls for a celebration of our uniqueness, our origins, our heritage, and the beauty of the differences that make us Americans.

"You sound like a white girl." These were the words spoken to Julissa by a high school crush as she struggled to find her place in America. As a brown immigrant from Mexico, assimilation had been demanded of her since the moment she set foot in San Antonio, Texas, in 1994.

She'd spent so much time getting rid of her accent so no one could tell English was her second language that at that moment she felt those words-you sound like a white girl?-were a compliment.

As a child, she didn't yet understand that assimilating to "American" culture really meant imitating "white" America-that sounding like a white girl was a racist idea meant to tame her, change her, and make her small.

 In You Sound Like a White Girl, Julissa offers a bold new promise: Belonging only comes through celebrating yourself, your history, your culture, and everything that makes you uniquely you. Only in turning away from the white gaze can we truly make America beautiful. An America where difference is celebrated, heritage is shared and embraced, and belonging is for everyone. Through unearthing veiled history and reclaiming her own identity, Julissa shows us how to do this"--

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