Book Review

In the novel by Julia Alvarez, “How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents”, the book explores many themes about growing up in different societies and the growth of all the girls in general.

In “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents” one of the characters, Yolanda, goes through a exceptional college experience. Coming from the Dominican republic, the American culture is very different then her home. She is foreign and not used to American culture. In the 60s, this age-group was very sexually active, being that sex is something Yolanda isn't used to either. The way she feels relates back to how her family brought her up; woman being modest and sexually inactive until she is married. This may also stem from her religion. I can relate to Yolanda going to college. The atmosphere she describes in similar to college of Alameda. She describes it as being very academic. Showing how other students personalities come out in relation to their studies, her description emphasizes the academic atmosphere. While walking about in College in Alameda and have taken some classes there, I felt a connection to how Yolanda felt while going to college in America. The message Julia Alvarez is trying to send is that everybody goes though phases through their lives where they must accustom to change. Change is a common idea in ife, especially in adolescent and the beginning of adulthood However, Yolanda comes into contact with another thing about growing up: Sex. She feels conflicted as their as sex has always been unimportant in her life. As she comes into this sex-oriented culture, she doesn't know what to do. As with Rudy, she doesn't pick up on his hints inside the poem at first. She is too naive to see his flirtatious approaches. Eventually, her prudence drives him away, and this is what causes emotional conflict within Yolanda. Yolanda's innocence from her chidhopod show through at different times, such as this when she comes face-to-face with something that has been marked as a taboo throughout her life. Another thing I have seen while reading this book is how what content I have read relates to the title of the book. What has been described so far is how the girls learn from there mistakes. The events that have happened have all taught a lesson to the four sisters. Starting with Yolanda, she learns that some people are different than what they seem. Sofia learns that when you disrespect somebody, especially someone as important as your father, it takes time to heal. Hey all went through some sort of process that they have learned form they're mistakes. I expect to see similar themes like this happen throughout the book. They all learn something from each other.

In the second part of “How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents” we learn more about their life from their young adult to teenage years. Differing from the first part, which explored a later part of their life, the book explores their young adult and teen years. The theme in this part of the book is also different. In this section, the four girls learn how to acclimate to the teenager lifestyle in America after moving from the Dominican republic, instead of acclimating to college life. The girls also come into their first contacts with close relationships and other adult themes. As the girls are teenagers, they are pressured by the American way to become more American rather than retaining their traditional standards in America. They experience social pressures that other teens in America go through, but have the added stress from their parents that want them to be like. The parents keep them away from boys at every opportunity. whether it be on the way to school or when they want to go hang out. The parents think that if they can keep they're social life from expanding in America, they can keep their heritage intact. They go an extra measure too, as in the summer, the parents make the girls visit the Dominican republic for the whole time. They do this to keep the girls in touch with their family, but to also maintain their cultural image. The father is very resilient to have the girls even be in America, as they think they will blend with the culture and become a “Spanish American princess”. He is also afraid of them “whoring around”, and becoming versions of women he sees in the Dominican republic become unsuccessful. The girls also experience their first serious relationships. Sofia falls in love with a man at the young age of sixteen, and the relationship becomes controlling. Her boyfriend, Manuel, becomes very controlling, keeping her in the house, regulating her contact with other people, and even telling her what she can or can't read. However, she becomes docile and unresistant, letting Manuel control her.

The third and final part of “How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents”, we explore the young teen and childhood of the four sisters. The family lives in the Dominican republic in this time and are aught up in the history. During this time, the dictator that held total control of the Dominican Republic is power. The Garcia family comes into problems with the government, and immigration to America in the third part of “How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents”.In the first vignette, the family comes into conflict with the dictator. Being part of a supposed plot against the government, Carlos, the girls' dad, flees into hiding into the crevasses of the house as the dictator's agents come to him with questions. The arrival of the agent's sends the whole family into a panic, fearing charges of treason from the government. Trembling against the odds, the family holds up until they receive help from a friend, using code words to communicate to him and their father as the agents question them. The theme of danger is a new theme in the book, as never before has the writer incorporated suspense or thrill. New ideas, different then before which have revolved around growing up and losing innocence emerges. Ideas such as protecting ones family, or fighting for one's freedom occurs as we enter the realm of dictatorship and tyranny. As the family escapes the Dominican republic however, we learn of their struggles of immigrating to America. This is very new to all the children, and is a familiar theme. Growing accustomed to a different culture is a very strong theme throughout the story, . The girls are forced to adapt to the American way from the Dominican culture.