Once Upon a Quinceanera

Coming of Age in the USA

By: Julia Alvarez

Narrated by: Daphne Rubin-Vega

The bestselling author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, Julia Alvarez, examines the parties and preparations of the quincea–era.

Critic reviews

Praise for Once Upon a Quinceanera

“Phenomenal...indispensable. Alvarez’s novelistic eye makes Once Upon a Quinceañera an intimate, intoxicating read.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“A journey into experiencing a vital, exuberant ritual of modern Latino life...As an author, Alvarez is a terrific tour guide.”—The Seattle Times

“[Alvarez] brings a critical eye to long-held myths...Each page is a love song to the cultural ties that bind generations of women from a diverse group of countries.”—Chicago Sun-Times

“Fascinating, exhaustively researched.”—The Washington Post

“Alvarez’s honest grappling with her caught-between-two-cultures experience is compelling.”—Entertainment Weekly

Every girl should read this book!

Alvarez did really a great job addressing cultural myths of gender role which we women are being forced to follow consciously and unconsciously, by families; I am Middle Eastern and I can relate to this wonderful book a lot, and I love that she wrote about her own coming- of- age and her struggles as she faced. I recommend this book to everyone and anyone who raising a girl.

Dont just exist - LIVE!

Loved it! It doesn't read like a fictional story but the journey that the author takes speaks to the not knowing and insecurities that come with a coming of age story and trying to fit into the American lifestyle and being true to your culture.

Quinceaera

Did not like this book at all. Very outdated . First book by y his Auth o r I dislike

not a story

This is more of an instructional essay on what a Quinceañera is and the history of it. I guess it would be helpful for someone who is married to a Hispanic and trying to learn about the culture. But it's not a story.