Review of An Unconscious Mestiza
Selys Rivera started writing An Unconscious Mestiz: A Collection of Memoir Stories in college and has since gathered a beautiful collection of stories. This is a book of short memoirs describing growing up Latinx in the United States.
Born in Puerto Rico, Rivera moved to the US as a toddler. She shares her experience of not understanding English upon arriving in the States and then losing her fluency in Spanish as she grew older. In the introduction of this book, Rivera challenges readers to listen to her stories in Spanish, there are a few at the beginning with full translations in the appendix. She encourages the reader to experience a hint of the alienation non-English speakers feel. “And then when you do understand via context clues. I want you to feel pride in overcoming the language barrier, as we do.”
Before discussing any of these stories, I’d like to mention that I listened to this as an audiobook. Rivera narrates this book in its entirety. I enjoyed hearing these stories in the author’s voice. I especially appreciated how she brought the characters to life. Her male voice in Spanish both impressed me and made me smile. She does a wonderful job.
There are a total of thirty-two short stories. With topics ranging from code-switching to intersectionality. She explores gender norms and how these norms differ from culture to culture. She discusses fathers and prom, summer camps abroad, and coming of age. She does all these things while paying close attention to the impact they had on her life. She teases out the lessons she learns and how these common issues could translate for the reader. She paints these stories so vividly that I felt like I was standing next to her as her father and step-father became a team during her quinceañera, and her mother rushed her to the doctor after tonsillectomy incisions did not heal.
Personally, as a Latinx woman myself, many of her stories reflected my own background. Her descriptions of the othering she experienced both from those in the US and those in Puerto Rico hit home for me, and I think next time someone asks me what it feels like to be biracial, I will have them read this book. Thank you, Rivera, for sharing these insightful stories. I look forward to reading more of your work and watching you grow as an author!
Click the picture above to see Rivera’s Author Page
Click on the book cover to purchase this book!