Full Description
In the preface to her memoir, Ercenia "Alice" CedeÑo recalls the secrecy and turmoil that marked her youth: "I spent most of my growing years mad at my mother and wanting her to change to fit in with the rest of the world," she writes. "When my sisters and I wanted her to visit our friends' mothers, she would say, 'Why do people need to know other peoples' lives?' Looking back, I wonder if she was really saying, 'I don't want them to know our business.' There was so much to hide."
Now bringing those hidden memories to light, AmÁ, Your Story Is Mine traces the hardship, violence, deceit, and defiance that shaped the identity of two generations of women in Alice's family. Born in the mountains of northern Mexico, Alice's mother married at age 14 into a family rife with passion that often turned to anger. After losing several infant children to disease, the young couple crossed into the United States seeking a better life.
Unfolding in a series of powerful vignettes, AmÁ, Your Story Is Mine describes in captivating detail a daring matriarch who found herself having to protect her children from their own father while facing the challenges of cultural discrimination. By turns wry and tender, Alice's recollections offer a rare memoir that fully encompasses the Latina experience in the United States.
Contents
Part I
AmÁ
Escape to a New Life
La Migra
Joe Recalls
Mexicali
Queena
Joe and the Pool Hall
The Cellar
Vultures
ApÁ
Wailing Cry
Domingo
Mujeres
Part II
Bleach
Abuelita
Ragtag Band
Crossing the Threshold
A Neighbor's Scheme
School
Fresno
Grapes
Hombres
Summer Ends
Part III
The Clean Start
Monster Machines
Menstrual Wars
Graduations
The Curse
My Knight in Shining Armor
The Reunion
Marriage and Children
The Last Frontier
Beauty School
Fly Free
The Cycle