Bitita's Diary: The Childhood Memoirs of Carolina Maria De Jesus (Latin American Realities)

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Summary: Bitita's Diary Review
Review: "Bitita's Diary" by Carolina Maria de Jesus was a very interesting testimonial about a young black girl growing up in Brazil. Bitita had to face many obstacles throughtout her life, beginning in her childhood years. Many people in her onw family would (did) not accept her because of her dark skin and kinky hair. She was not allowed to enter the homes of her mulatto relatives. Bitita was treated different from her brother because he was of a lighter complextion. She was very curious as a child which irritated her mother and older relatives (she would constantly question different theories/aspects of life. As Bitita grew up she found that life was difficult, and she had to work very hard to maintain in society. For example, Bitita was very sick and was had an infection in her leg; yet she still worked on that leg as much as she could until she could not work anymore. In all, this book was a great exapmle of a testimonial. You were able to view the world as Bitita saw it and see the hardships that she had to face throughout her life.

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Summary: An eye-opening and profound testimonial
Review: Bitita's Diary by Carolina Maria de Jesus is a wonderful testimonial depicting the life of a poor, black, Brazilian woman. Bitita takes the reader first hand through her life from a young girl to a mature woman. Most importantly, this book opened my eyes to class, gender, and race relations in Latin America. Not only is Bitita discriminated against because she is black, but she also feels discrimination because she is poor and a woman. Despite her misfortunes and sicknesses, Bitita becomes quite educated (mainly self-taught). Through Carolina Maria de Jesus' style of writing, the reader can see just how spunky and inquisitive of a child Bitita was. The innocence of a child can see truths and wrongs quite easily, unlike us adults. Not only does Bitita question these wrongs - she argues them loudly and openly. For this, I admire Bitita. This book was an easy read because of the author's frankness and honesty. The background settings were well explained which lead to the complete understanding of why Bitita acted the way she did. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Latin American culture, or the plight of gender, class, and race issues.

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Summary: Bitita's Diary
Review: Bitita's Diary by Carolina Maria de Jesus is an excellent testimonial about Bitita's life and obstacles she went through. She had to deal with gender, race, and class in her lifetime. Her own relatives did not accept her when they found out she was of lower class then them. Bitita tried to make the best of what she had or would move on to see what else the world could offer her. One time she left her mother and joined a convent. When she realized that she made the choice of no social life she had to leave the convent that provided her with food, a bed, and medicine and go back to living on the streets but had her freedom back to herself. I though this story was an inspirational testimony that shows a young girl who had to struggle in her life that tried to remain true to herself. I would recommend this story to anyone, especially women.

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Summary: Bitita's Diary
Review: Bitita's Diary is the testimonial of a poor Brazilian woman named Carolina Maria de Jesus. Carolina grew up in the 1920s and 1930s. She lived in both the city as well as the countryside, and clearly recalls the rough living conditions she had to endure. This book dose not only describe what it was like to live in poverty, but also gives you the unique perspective of a poor woman in a patriarchial society. I found this book to be very informative. Carolina understandably writes about the terrible living conditions she had to endure, but also gave some thought to political policies, and their impact on society. While there was a lot of valuable information found throughout the book I feel that if the information was better organized into seperate arguments the book might be a more valid resource. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about women in latin America.

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Summary: Bitita's Diary
Review: Bitita's Diary tells the story of a Brazilian mulatta, Carolina Maria de Jesus, also know as Bitita, and the struggles that she had faced throughout her life. This testimony reveals the hardships that Bitita had to endure regarding poverty and inequality. Not only does this novel give the reader a sense of what she had to go through, but also shows how strong Bitita was by never giving up. While reading, we are able to understand the conditions that she grew up in and also learn how she was rejected by her family and made fun of by others. After reading Bitita's Diary, I have a better understanding of the hardships that people go through in other countries, but I have learned that these people do not give up instead, strive for a better live.

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Summary: Bitita's Diary
Review: I enjoyed this novel. It was very educational and related very well to class material. This novel helped to explain ideas such as discrimination by race and class, Latin American Culture, and feminism. My favorite chapter, The Godmothers, is very important to the rest of the novel because gives background into the rest of family. I would recommend this books if you wish to further explore Latin American culture and values.

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Summary: Bitita's Diary
Review: I felt that the book Bitita's Diary by Carolina Maria de Jesus was an excellent testimonial about a young girl growing up in Brazil during the early 1900s. As a young girl living in the favelas near Sacramento, she faced many hardships because of her race, gender, and class. She was discriminated in every which way because she was a women of darker skin who belonged to the lower class. Throughout all the obstacles that she faced in life, she still seemed to conquer the impossible. She recieved an education which helped to succeed in life. I really did enjoy this book because Bitita took you on a journey through her thoughts and feelings. She forced you to endure the suffering that she felt during her hard times, yet she also let you enjoy her happiness during good times. What I also enjoyed about the book is that by it being testimonial it challenges "offical history." Many time there is only one side to the story, but through Bitita's writing, one can see how a young girl of the lower class viewed the Brazilian Revolution of 1930 differently than others.

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Summary: Bitita's Diary
Review: I felt that the book Bitita's Diary by Carolina Maria de Jesus was an excellent testimonial about a young girl growing up in Brazil during the early 1900s. As a young girl living in the favelas near Sacramento, she faced many hardships because of her race, gender, and class. She was discriminated in every which way because she was a women of darker skin who belonged to the lower class. Throughout all the obstacles that she faced in life, she still seemed to conquer the impossible. She recieved an education which helped to succeed in life. I really did enjoy this book because Bitita took you on a journey through her thoughts and feelings. She forced you to endure the suffering that she felt during her hard times, yet she also let you enjoy her happiness during good times. What I also enjoyed about the book is that by it being testimonial it challenges "offical history." Many time there is only one side to the story, but through Bitita's writing, one can see how a young girl of the lower class viewed the Brazilian Revolution of 1930 differently than others.

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Summary: Book Review
Review: I had to read "Bitita's Diary" for my Women of Latin America class in college. I don't think I would have read it otherwise, but I'm glad it was assigned. It is a testimonial that offers insight into the life and hardships of a young, literate, black girl growing up in Brazil in the 1920's. It deals primarily with the inter-relation of class, race, and gender. She challenges "official history" by telling us, the reader, what we have not, or possibly do not want to, hear about the past. This book would be great for teachers to give to thier students to read. It is literaly written fairly simplistic, but the words have so much meaning behind them that touch on issues of injustice- injustices that are still occurring today.

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Summary: Not as Bad as I Thought
Review: I was required to read this book for one of my classes. I would have to say I was not very thrilled at first because it did not seem like something I would pick out on my own. I was proved wrong though. I really enjoyed the lessons this book taught. It covered issues of racism, family structure, and social class. I mostly enjoyed that the book was written through the eyes of Carolina Maria de Jesus when she was a child. Children realize a lot more than people give them credit for. I think this book should be read by anyone who wants a lesson in racism, discrimination, or just wants to be touched by a little girl's struggle to make it.