Once Upon a Quinceanera: Coming of Age in the USA

Questions About Once Upon a Quinceanera: Coming of Age in the USA

by Julia Alvarez (Goodreads Author)

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Answered Questions (1)

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Jackie The book Once Upon a Quinceanera by Julia Alvarez is a coming of age story that is celebrated by Latina girls. In this book the author explains what g…moreThe book Once Upon a Quinceanera by Julia Alvarez is a coming of age story that is celebrated by Latina girls. In this book the author explains what girls do to prepare and celebrate for their quinceaneras. A quinceanera is a celebration of a Latina girl coming into womanhood, and when she turns 15 there is a party. This book explains how much money and time families put into this for their daughters. Quinceaneras are important to Latina girls because it is the time in their life when they are coming into womanhood. Julia explains how expensive a quinceanera celebration can be because of the cost of the dress and the whole celebration itself. In the book Julia also states that if the rates for Hispanic girls have high rates in abusing substances, getting pregnant, attempting suicide and dropping out of highschool, then why should they be rewarded with a great celebration that is very expensive. Another thing she talks about is all the pros and cons of a quinceanera and what value it has to the young girls. Julia discovered that the girls that have quinceaneras are being treated like princesses. Julia does a great job explaining the whole celebration of a quinceanera and the meaning and traditions behind them. She also shows the perspective of a girl having a quinceanera and the experience she had.(less)

Unanswered Questions (5)

Once Upon a Quinceañera is a book that talks about girls that are having quinceañeras and the preparation before it. The book also talks about the importance and the meaning of what a quinceañera is and how much they cost. There are a few references in the book that refer to a few different girls that have quineañeras and their experience with them. They talk about how they think that a quinceañera is either worth?

The novel, Once Upon a Quinceañera is a bildungsroman story. The celebration of a quinceañera is a rite of passage for thousands of young woman in the united states today. Although, there are high statistics which conclude by saying latina teens are the most high-risked women in America. Why is this?

After reading Once Upon A Quinceañera, I though that it was a very interesting book. I was interested in learning about the history of the quinceañera and how it has evolved. I also found the prices interesting. I never realized how much a dress would cost. I liked the part where Alvarez tries to figure out whether a quinceañera is just a party or is still a right of passage into womanhood, like it was in the past?

Overall, I thought that Once Upon a Quinceanera was very interesting. I liked to learn more about what the celebration is all about and what it means to the people who celebrate it. I enjoyed reading the part when Alvarez was trying to decipher if the celebration was really a rite of passage, or just a party. I could see and understand how she would have been confused as to whether or not it was a rite of passage?

I thought this book was very interesting. I loved learning about the rituals and the meaning of them. I also thought it was neat how she tried determining if the celebration was just a party or a rite of passage. The difference can be hard to tell sometimes because sometimes you have a party because of your rite of passage. I was not expecting her to say that she had a quinceanera at age 56. So do you like this book?

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