American Chica

Rating:
Summary: a memoir of conflicted identity
Review: Arana's memoir is poetic, colorful and powerful. The book is a moving account of Arana's childhood, split between Peru and Wyoming. She weaves father's rich Peruvian family history into the evolution of Peru and counters it with her American mother's reticence to abide by the rules of the Peruvian society. The reader is split between which society is better: family-centered traditional Peru or independent adventurous America. Arana delicately examines the two cultures in conflict through various relationships: her mother and grandmother disagree on how to raise children and treat husbands; her parents have different goals for the family and expectations of each other; and Marie's little friends, depending on what country she's in, seduce her into one culture while she struggles not to abandon the other. A sense of conflicted identity, pride in one's heritage, and confused loyalties is the result--all told while coming of age suspended between North and South America. Highly recommended.