NEWYORICANGIRL: ...Surviving my Spanglish Life

by Julia Torres

A gritty tale of a Puerto Rican girl's traumas and triumphs. Surviving a violent childhood including rape, Newyoricangirl shares her story of living with severe family dysfunction, substance abusing parents, painful assimilation and her subsequent Ptsd diagnosis. Beginning with her childhood in the Bronx, she endures a turbulent life at the hands of her Puerto Rican mother and Jewish stepfather, while wishing her Boricua daddy would rescue her. Still, she becomes the first college grad in her Puerto Rican familia, while seeking to escape her family's increasing deterioration. When she becomes a mother herself, she realizes she must take dramatic steps to protect her children's future by moving far away. Just when she thought she'd overcome her traumatic past, she finds herself trapped and alone in Nyc on 9/11. As she escapes, she has no idea that her life's cumulative trauma is about to catch up with her. This is the story of how Newyoricangirl triumphs over tragedy.

126 pages, Paperback

First published August 29, 2013

Reviews

[amgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was deeply moved by Julia Torres's memoir. Her story is one of childhood abuse and trauma, abduction and rape, loss of identity, loss of family, and PTSD. But it's more than that. The Torres story (and her life) is evidence of her tenacity, intelligence, perseverance, belief in herself, and hope. It's inspirational with something for everyone.

[Zacarias Rivera, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julia Torres's work is a genuine, honestly raw, and at numerous times during my reading, a tear-producing account of her childhood abduction and rape, her dysfunctional, indifferent, and destructive adult family members, and her obstinate, dogged pursuit of her Puerto Rican identity that was taken from her. She pellucidly manifests her struggles with assimilation and self doubt, and her strength amid living with a family repleat with addictions. Her willingness to stand alone against these "giants" is a testament to her inner spirit and teachings inculcated by her abuela Juana, one of the very few encouraging adults in her life. Her refusal to allow her family's treatment and thoughts of her to permeate her spirit, makes this a triumphant tale, a survivor's story. Although she stll has to wrestle with PTSD, she has indubitably demonstrated that she, with the love of her three sons and her husband, the White Knight, is a tough boricua.