How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
In the novel, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, by Julia Alvarez, the author walks readers through the identities and experiences of the four young women in the Garcia family: Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofía. The book follows the lives of the women as they emigrate from the Dominican Republic to the United States at a young age. The readers see a bit of each of the girls’ story, as the novel includes various vignettes, each from the girls’ perspective. Providing a glimpse of the struggles they each faced, such as adjusting to American culture while also reconciling with their Dominican roots after leaving them behind at a young age. Throughout the novel, readers see themes of cultural identity, family and tradition, and immigrant experience.
The theme of cultural identity is painted deeply in each aspect of this novel. This also coincides with the idea of family tradition. This novel offers a glimpse into what it feels like to connect to a culture you grew up with while also trying to connect with a new culture. This is seen primarily through each other girls’ experiences.
Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofía all grew up in the Dominican Republic as young children, enjoying high political status of their family and parents. This lifestyle however, comes crashing down when a political upheaval occurs and the family is forced to flee to the United States. Although each of the girls’ experience with this change is different, it is clearly evident that all of them face struggles with still connecting to their Dominican roots, adjusting to American cultures, and keeping up with family traditions.
Most of the girls’ family was in the Dominican Republic, and when they moved to the US for the first time, they didn’t have a lot of family ties to help them maintain traditional family customs from their old home. Thus, this change creating a significant impact on the family bonds in the Garcia girls’ life. Their father still misses the Dominican Republic and struggles with fitting into their new American life, whereas their mother is determined to have the girls embrace American life and fit in while remembering their roots. This shift changes the girls, each in a different and unique way.
Another theme evident in the novel is the immigrant experience each of the characters face throughout the novel. Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofía move to a Catholic school when the arrive in the US and all of them are faced with bullying and the lack of acceptance from their fellow peers. Their Dominican roots and background set them apart from most people and although they embrace their culture, many of their classmates have little to no remorse when teasing them and purposely making them feel different. Each of them quickly learn that they must be resilient in order to survive in their new country.
Fitting in and adjusting to their new lives remains a challenge, even as they grow older and become a bit more accustomed to American life. Each of the girls feels a responsibility to be successful in the US, especially since they have to be able to take care of the rest of their family, along with their parents as they grow older.
In conclusion, the novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents offers a brilliant perspective on the identity, family, and the experience of immigrating to the US at a young age. Told in a way like no other, Alvarez encourages readers to explore the different stories of each character, hear their struggles, and overall, leave with a lasting impression on their unique and powerful writing. I personally enjoyed this book a lot because I loved how the author delved into the identities of each character and it was cool to see each character’s story be displayed as a vignette. I would highly recommend this book to others looking to read something unique and moving!
–Review by Teen Volunteer, 8/13/2024.