Dude, where's my accent?

I didn't want to jump on the bandwagon of people who think this is the most enjoyable read in the class so far, but it is in fact the most enjoyable read in the class so far, with the exception of the easy going Marti excerpts.

With Alvarez being my wikipedia project, I can certainly detect the autobiographical nature of this novel, especially within the character of Yolanda. Yolanda's poetic musings and genius can easily be attributed to those of Alvarez's, which I believe is how the character's thoughts are so incredibly believable to the point that I feel like I'm reading someone's memoirs.

A wonderful break from the relentless feminism of Cisneros, I find that How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents can be read with or without a social context. It is a pleasurable read whether you choose to read it as cultural/political commentary or just character studies and commentary on certain personalities. It is so enjoyable in fact one might forget the contexts altogether and just read it as if it were a storybook.

You could call it magic realism, not in the sense of the literary term, but in Alvarez's ability to capture reality in such a way it would appear to be unrealistic to attempt such a feat. I've never had sisters or even multiple siblings but Alvarez makes the idea of having this large family quite appealing; they're best friends who have everything and nothing in common all once. From the strange Freudian scene where the daughters are kissing the around and blindfolded father to the super horny college b/f Rudy, Alvarez seems to effortlessly capture the psychology and thoughts of men even though as far as we know she is not a man at all. Again, a lovely break from the evil faceless male characters I had to endure throughout Woman Hollering Creek.

Love, in this book, has a face as well, perhaps not completely defined, but is investigated not just in the Latin sense but between two distinct personalities, for e.g. the relationship between Yolanda and John. Yolanda by page 100 has already shown she asserts herself not just as a woman but as an individual by not having sex with Rudy nor with John during that sweaty humid night. She has such an ability to listen to the better side of her conscience and ability to resist temptation she has nothing in common with traditional female figures like Eve of Eden, a character in a book she still latches onto with a strange guilt or religious confusion.

Blah blah blah, I could go all night about how great this book is.