<![CDATA[Once Upon a Quinceanera: Coming of Age in the USA]]>

false <![CDATA[Once Upon a Quinceanera: Coming of Age in the USA]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171048019m/83988.jpg 83988 8 The bestselling author of How the García Girls Lost Their Accents explores the phenomenon of the Latina sweet fifteen celebration The quinceañera, the fifteenth birthday celebration for a Latina girl, is quickly becoming an American event. This legendary party is a sight to behold: lavish ball gowns, extravagant catered meals, DJs, limousines, and multi-tiered cakes. The must haves for a quince are becoming as numerous and costly as a prom or wedding. And yet, this elaborate ritual also hearkens back to traditions from native countries and communities, offering young Latinas a chance to connect with their heritage. In Once Upon a Quinceañera, Julia Alvarez explores this celebration that brings a Latina girl into womanhood. She attends the quince of a young woman named Monica who lives in Queens, and witnesses the commotion, confusion, and potential for disaster that comes with planning this important event. Alvarez also weaves in interviews with other quince girls, her own memories of coming of age as an immigrant, and the history of the custom itselfhow it originated and what has changed as Latinas become accustomed to a supersize American culture. Once Upon a Quinceañera is an enlightening, accessible, and entertaining portrait of contemporary Latino culture as well as a critical look at the rituals of coming of age and the economic and social consequences of the quince parties. Julia Alvarez's dedicated fans will be eager to hear her thoughts on this topic. It is a great book for anyone interested in American youth todayparents, teachers, and teenagers themselves. 2307738 2 8 2007 Once Upon a Quinceanera: Coming of Age in the USA total:246|5:21|4:68|3:113|2:35|1:9| 246 795 485 77 4 1 false false Thu Feb 21 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Aug 08 13:06:11 -0700 2007 Thu Feb 21 15:55:16 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 12:46:43 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 13:06:06 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 06:00:57 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 06:13:52 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Nov 30 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 16 10:13:05 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 09:26:20 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 true false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Nov 20 20:22:26 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 20 20:37:20 -0800 2008 Once more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jul 31 09:30:34 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 11 07:03:17 -0700 2007
[http://www.timeout.com/newyork/article/9476/once-upon-a-quinceanera]]]> 3 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 05 19:15:09 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 13 18:13:47 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 14 07:31:51 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 14 07:31:51 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Feb 22 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 28 16:44:58 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 22 04:53:46 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Feb 23 14:31:39 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 14:40:04 -0800 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 10 14:00:46 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 10 14:05:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 03 13:19:48 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 23 07:47:08 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Feb 17 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 17:12:26 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 17 11:04:38 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 08 08:34:44 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 08:44:38 -0800 2009
I can't believe I just used "heartwarming" in a review. ]]> 4 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 17 19:01:49 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 17 20:17:49 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Oct 12 15:43:08 -0700 2007 Fri Oct 12 15:50:41 -0700 2007 Maybe I came into it with the wrong expectations, but it seems to me that Alvarez did a lot of research into the history of the quinceanera celebration and other coming-of-age celebrations that she then proceeds to only lightly touch u...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Dec 08 07:43:01 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 08 07:45:44 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Sat Apr 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 14:55:49 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 14:58:45 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 30 08:31:23 -0700 2008 Sat May 03 11:13:08 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue May 06 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun May 18 07:21:09 -0700 2008 Sun May 18 08:05:41 -0700 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=83988