“How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents” came to me when I was a young woman eager to get my hands on any book written by Latinas. At this time, I was reading the works of Sandra Cisneros, Isabel Allende, Esmeralda Santiago, Cristina García, and so much more! In “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents”, Julia Alvarez told a story of 4 sisters living in New York after migrating there from the Dominican Republic. This story talks about immigration, culture, coming of age, and the difference between America and Island living. This book resonated with me in such a big way. Being close to my sister and two of my cousins, allowed me to imagine the book was about us. We’re first generation Americans, but with our parents having similar stories of the characters, I was able to transport myself into a time when Dominican Republic was governed by a dictator and how that affected it’s people. Julia wrote with such descriptive detail which allowed me to fall in love with this book! Julia has written other novels that speak about assimilation and identity. Her work is influenced by her experiences in the Dominican Republic and in the United States. She writes about cultural stereotypes, she challenges what the ideal role for a woman is expected to be in DR, and she sparks the conversation about how we accept and embrace our cultural differences. Myself and many other people can identify with her books.

Julia Alvarez has written other great books such as “In The Time Of The Butterflies”, “Yo!” “In The Name Of Salomé” and also many poems and essays.

I chose Julia Alvarez as my “Women Crush Wednesday” because she is a Latina, a DOMINICANA, that achieved so many literary greats, making her one of the most successful Latina writers of her time. She is an amazing example of what Latinas are capable of! As a Dominicana myself, I’m proud to say she’s a living icon and I look forward to reading more of her work!

If you haven’t read any of her work, get to it! You will not be disappointed!