"Hijas Americanas" By: Rosie Molinary

This is a non-fiction book that deals with different teens born in different latin countries, for example Mexico, Central America, & South America. It is a very unusual book that has to do with Latina teens who have come to the United States to live & grow up.

Coming of age is awkward, & challenging for any teen, but there are complicating factors when you grow up as a Latina. For Latinas there are cultural, social, economic, & biologicaal factors that impact their decisions.
Latin parents encourage their daughters to marry hispanic men. One teen said her Mother told her be proud of the two cultures. I grew up in the Mexican culture & the AngloSaxon culture. My parents said I was getting the best of two worlds.
First generation Latinas are less likely to be overweight than their second & third generation peers. Something interesting to notice is Latina girls are the second most overweight group of teens in the United States. Its interesting to know, obesity among PuertoRican, & Mexican American children between the ages of 6 & 7. Latinos eat less fruit, but more fast food.
Unfortunately, Latinas are portrayed for their looks. Interesting enough the most popular surgical procedure was nose reshaping, breast augmentation, & liposuction.
In the Latin Culture, there are two extreme viewpoints of women, the nurturer, housemaker Mother who keeps the family together, & the opposite which is the promiscuous, irresponsible woman that men may fool around with, but do not marry.
My advice to Latina women is do things because you want to do for yourselves. Latinas are the harshest critics of one another. One PuertoRican teen advises, accept who you are, be who you are, & accept your own identity. If you pretend to be someone that you are not, then you really are not a Latina, or an American.
LRD 7/3/07