How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents - Softcover

Alvarez, Julia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 156512975X ISBN 13: 9781565129757

Publisher: Algonquin Books, 2010

Synopsis

"A joy to read."—The Cleveland Plain Dealer
 
Acclaimed writer Julia Alvarez’s beloved first novel gives voice to four sisters as they grow up in two cultures. The García sisters—Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofía—and their family must flee their home in the Dominican Republic after their father’s role in an attempt to overthrow brutal dictator Rafael Trujillo is discovered. They arrive in New York City in 1960 to a life far removed from their existence in the Caribbean. In the wondrous but not always welcoming U.S.A., their parents try to hold on to their old ways as the girls try find new lives: by straightening their hair and wearing American fashions, and by forgetting their Spanish. For them, it is at once liberating and excruciating to be caught between the old world and the new. Here they tell their stories about being at home—and not at home—in America.

About this title

About the Author

Julia Alvarez left the Dominican Republic for the United States in 1960 at the age of ten. She is the author of six novels, three books of nonfiction, three collections of poetry, and eleven books for children and young adults. She has taught and mentored writers in schools and communities across America and, until her retirement in 2016, was a writer-in-residence at Middlebury College. Her work has garnered wide recognition, including a Latina Leader Award in Literature from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature, the Woman of the Year by Latina magazine, and inclusion in the New York Public Library’s program “The Hand of the Poet: Original Manuscripts by 100 Masters, from John Donne to Julia Alvarez.” In the Time of the Butterflies, with over one million copies in print, was selected by the National Endowment for the Arts for its national Big Read program, and in 2013 President Obama awarded Alvarez the National Medal of Arts in recognition of her extraordinary storytelling.

From AudioFile

Alvarez's poetic prose, with its rich, sensual detail, is brought perfectly to life by five readers. With expressive voices and accents that move adeptly between English and Spanish, they narrate the interwoven stories of four daughters of a wealthy family forced to leave the Dominican Republic and settle in the United States. Adjustment to immigrant life and its long-term consequences is explored with psychological astuteness from the point of view of each sister. Oddly, the narrators' voices are similar, making it difficult to distinguish among them, although this doesn't detract from the pleasures of listening. The rich detail, emotional depth, and fine narration make this a book that invites multiple listenings. E.S. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Algonquin Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 156512975X
• ISBN 13: 9781565129757
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 336