Tales of an Inland Empire Girl

by Juanita E. Mantz

"Tales of an Inland Empire Girl is a searing, beautiful memoir that illuminates the struggles of parents who are beaten down by life and their arduous working-class jobs and of children who are trapped in the middle of their parents' battles. A compelling read-raw, honest, and hopeful. I wish this book existed when I was growing up. It would have been my life preserver."

-liz gonz�lez, author of Dancing in the Santa Ana Winds




"In her first novel, Juanita E. Mantz goes back to the old house to unshackle the ghosts that still inhabit the charred curtains and broken windows of her youth. We meet The Wonder Twins, a Wolfman Jack stand in, The Flintstones, a young Wonder Woman with tinfoil wristbands & Nancy Drew incognito via unexpected introductions into Mantz's life growing up in The Inland Empire. This is as creative as autobiography gets without veering from the hard truths herein. Maybe you saw the cartoon once, and thought it fantasy, but read this book and then firmly believe that underdogs can fly." -Dennis Callaci, author of 100 Cassettes




"Tales of an Inland Empire Girl is deep and funny and true. A remarkable story of resilience and love told in bright prose, and written from a place of rigorous vulnerability that draws us in from the start."

-Brett Paesel, author of Los Angeles Times bestseller, Mommies Who Drink




"Mantz takes readers into a deeper journey of a childhood and coming of age filled with turbulence and tight-knit family love, and she writes with blazing grit, flashing joy-de-vivre, and an occasional comic overtone that feels natural coming from this self-professed punk-rock girl. This collection of stories spares no stone unturned, no watershed truth - both hard and celebratory - unexamined. And through it all, shines an anthem call of what matters most in life: the unbreakable bonds of family, and this family's enduring love for one another."

-Ruth Nolan, born in the IE and editor of No Place for a Puritan: the Literature of California's Deserts
"Tales of an Inland Empire Girl, set in the fast-growing Eastern region of Southern California and told in Mantz's smack-in-your-face honesty, lures one into the places of childhood--of first home and lasting memories. One learns to live, however awkward life might be, in a house 'the color of dirt', finding a place to call one's own in a Plastic Cheese chair, and love, even through girl fights. Through dexterous use of language, Mantz tosses her readers into a reality where a little girl finds herself in tears of frustration and shame with two left shoes, a drunken dad and screaming mom, but loves deeply anyway, and deals with her situations with twin-powered bravado and punk rock: 'I feel as if I could dance forever, ' says Mantz."

-Hồng-Mỹ Basrai, author of Behind the Red Curtain

219 pages, Paperback

Published March 22, 2023

About the author

Juanita E. Mantz (“JEM”) is a writer, lawyer, podcaster and performer. She believes stories can change the world.

Her specialty is creative nonfiction and her hybrid chapbook titled "Portrait of a Deputy Public Defender, or how I became a punk rock lawyer" was released by Bamboo Dart Press in August 2021. It was named on the CLMP list for Hispanic Heritage Month and just won a GOLD medal for best first nonfiction book in English at the 2022 International Latino Book Awards!

Her YA memoir about her chaotic childhood and how she went from punk rock HS dropout to USC educated lawyer titled "Tales of an Inland Empire Girl" was released in January 2022 by Los Nietos Press. With echoes of SE Hinton and Judy Blume, the book will take you on a ride.

Her stories have been published in literary journals, newspapers & anthologies including in The Acentos Review, Aljazeera, As/Us, Entropy, Mutha, Muse, San Bernardino-Singing (anthology), The Dirty Spoon Radio Hour, The James Franco Review, The Riverside Press Enterprise, The Riverside Lawyer and Inlandia, amongst others.

She performed her story "Stalling" in the 2016 cast of Listen to Your Mother, Burbank. She is an alumni of VONA and the Macondo workshop for writers striving to change the world. She also serves as VP on the board of directors of the Inlandia Institute. She is also getting her MFA in the part time program at the University of New Orleans and is working on adapting her memoir into a stage play.

Juanita is a performer who has presented her stories at Pasadena LitFest, UCR Writers Week, the UCR Punk Conference, AWP and Beyond Baroque. She produced and taught in the ASA 2020 Freedom Course on Combatting Mass Incarceration. She is in the low residency MFA creative writing program at UNO with a nonfiction focus. She is the writer in residence this October at Pasadena City College.

Check out her video podcast, "Life of JEM" where she does live interviews with artists and writers. It's available on her Life of JEM FB page, on her author site and on You Tube!

Find her on twitter @lifeofjem, on IG @lifeofjem1 and read her blog at http://wwwlifeofjemcom-jemmantz.blogs....

Find everything on her author website: https://juanitaemantz.com

Reviews

[Michael Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Tales of an Inland Empire Girl” is a beautifully written, edgy memoir by Juanita E. Mantz Pelaez. It’s the story of good girl’s downward spiral, from a studious bookworm into an angry, drinking, trouble-making punk rock teen, and her redemption that follows. It’s the story of a working-class family, struggling to make ends meet. Of a Mexican-American mother, stressed-out and emotionally volatile, working two jobs to support her family. And an alcoholic father (el gringo boracho, as her mother’s family refers to him), disabled from years of demanding physical labor, with a head full of unfulfilled and broken dreams. It’s the story of Juanita’s life, unraveling as she and her two sisters navigate growing up amidst the trauma of their parents’ constant fighting, and their mother’s frightening outbursts.

The book opens with a scene of their father dying on the crapper, after almost choking to death on fried fish that Juanita buys him on her way home from the airport. It sounds horrifying and sad, and it is. But it is written with so much humor, tenderness, and love, that I can’t stop reading. In fact, the only thing that keeps me from finishing the entire book in one sitting is my need to get some sleep before I have to proctor final exams to my high school students the next day. Yes, this scene is an ending of sorts, but it is also a masterful opening to Mantz’s story, written from her perspective as an adult who has become a successful lawyer in spite of her troubled childhood. It lets us know there’s a happy ending for the author, and it sets up perfectly the rest of the story, portrayed through her eyes as a child.

One of the things I love about this book is how, in spite of her parents constant fighting, she still sees their beauty, like her mom's bee hive hairdo, or her dad pulling out his false teeth to make the kids smile. And how, in spite of her mother’s explosive rage, she knows there is a “nice mom” in there who comes out from time to time. I remember having feelings just like this from my own childhood, my fear of my father’s explosive rage and how, like with Mantz’s mom, it was like walking on eggshells trying to avoid the numerous triggers that could set him off, but also knowing that underneath it all there was a loving, sweet, and even nurturing parent who cared deeply for me. This comes out brilliantly when her mother rips the principal a new orifice for allowing one of her teachers to use corporal punishment on her. And it leads to my favorite line from the book: “I may not be the good girl anymore, but at least I'm the bad girl with a bad ass mom."

The scene from the book that resonated most with me was when Juanita arrives at her Honors English class after a sleepless night listening to her parents fight with each other. She arrives too late to get a front row seat, like she prefers, and is forced to sit in the back, with her poor vision and ratty back pack, and an illicit copy of Judy Blume to distract her. So many times, as a high school teacher, I’ve had the quiet kid who hid in the back and tried to become invisible because the horrors at home were too overwhelming and they were too tired, stressed, and traumatized to be able to interact with me or their classmates. How many times I wondered what those horrors were. If there was something I could do to help. Or, if the most helpful and merciful thing I could do was to let that student continue to be invisible and at least have an hour of peace. Sadly, Mantz does not even get to enjoy peace in this scene, but you'll have to read the book to find out why.

“Tales of an Inland Empire Girl” is about much more than growing up with an abusive parent. It’s also about sibling rivalries and jealousies. It’s about class, and race, from the point of view of kids, who feel it, even if they don't have the precise words to describe it. Her youngest sister, Annie, for example, is light-skinned, with straight hair, like their dad. Strangers think she's a white girl. And her parents treat her as if she is the “good” daughter. Juanita is dark-skinned and curly-haired, clearly Chicana, and she regularly feels the disdain and racism of neighbors, strangers, and even teachers.

The book is also about Mantz’s close relationships with her twin sister, Jacky. I really enjoy how they always fist-bump and say “Wonder Twin powers, activate!” like Zan and Jayna, from the Hanna-Barbera television show, “The All-New Super Friends.” I had completely forgotten about this show until I read this book, which was filled with so much other nostalgia from my own 1970s-80s Southern California childhood, like Shasta cola, the notorious D.J. Wolfman Jack, and the oh-so-trendy dittos pants the girls liked to wear in those days. Her close friendship with Jacky, and with her girlfriends, help her make it through the difficult times. So does reading. There are always piles of books on her floor, and constant references to her favorite childhood stories.

As she gets older, and finds herself spiraling into ever more rebellious and risky behavior, music becomes another savior. Her favorite bands are The Smiths and The Cure and she writes beautifully of what they mean to her growing up. I was fortunate enough to be able to share the stage with Mantz at the Punks With Books book-reading event at Avantpop Books in Las Vegas on Memorial Day Weekend this year (along with Michelle Cruz-Gonzales, James Tracy, Jason Lamb, Paul Prescott, and Billy Bragg), and hang out with her at the Punk Rock Bowling music festival. I asked her why The Smiths were so popular among Mexican teens of our generation. She thought it was because Morrissey’s brooding ballads seem so familiar to them, like Mexican corridos, a connection that makes perfect sense to me, but that I doubt I would have been able to identify on my own.

I highly recommend “Tales of an Inland Empire Girl.” It is funny, clever, sad, and full of insight. And the poems at the end are really good, too. “Father O' Mine” (parts I and II) and “Dad's Eulogy” really struck a chord with me, in part because I lost my own father recently. But mostly because Mantz does such a great job portraying her father in this book that I really felt like I knew him, missed him, and needed the closure these poems provided.

[SJeanay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This startling honest memoir was written by my daughter's law school roommate. I met Juanita one weekend while visiting Tiffani while they were at USC Law School. I’ll never forget, Juanita wanted to try soul food, so I took her to a restaurant on Crenshaw near Baldwin Hills in Los Angeles, where she enjoyed smothered pork chops. She was delightful, fun and unforgettable.

What Juanita reveals in her book is explosive. Her upbringing was volatile, exciting, and the definition of dysfunctional, creating the recipe that made her a successful deputy public defender, corporate lawyer, nonfiction writer and podcaster, and I have a feeling she is not finished yet. JEM’s life story is the stuff that memoirs are made of. To look at her now, one would never have known her humble origins. It just goes to show that greatness evolves from all types of beginnings. And she is not ashamed of any of it; quite the contrary, she owns it!

She grew up with her twin, Jackie, younger sibling, Annie, and parents John and Judy. Through all the trials and tribulations, at the core was a family that loved untraditionally, with reckless abandon. What’s that saying, ‘what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.’

I learned so much about Juanita, her upbringing, and family, but also the lessons in between the lines for readers to embrace and learn from. Strive and survive with whatever life throws at you. I am anxious to read her first book, Portrait of a Deputy Public Defender (or how I became a punk rock lawyer).

This book deserves all five of my stars. Don't take my word for it ... READ IT!

[Estela González · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kind of book: it tells hard truths with compassion; the style is economical and full of memorable images. I am smitten by Juanita's storytelling and full of empathy for the child she and her sisters were; for her mom and dad and all.

[Oliver Fuentes]

Doesn’t constantly being around your parents problems, eventually get to a point where you start question yourself about your family’s unity? Tales of an Inland Empire Girl, written by Juanita E. Mantz is a memoir about the author’s personal life and how her parents constantly struggled financially and continually fought. No matter how many adversities this family has gone through or how big their struggles were they were always united. For this reason and more I highly recommend this book. In the chapter titled Trading Places, Juanita and Jackie end up switching classes in school which eventually leads them to getting caught. Juanita ends up getting hit by teacher Ms. G which enrages her mom leading her to confront the principal and cuss out the teacher. This shows how Juanita's mom cares about her and Jackie because if she didn’t care she would‘ve done nothing at all. Also, the chapter titled King Chair, demonstrated how Juanita and her two sisters put out the fire working with each other side by side.The bond between the sisters and how united they are no matter what the obstacles look like is clear. If they didn’t care about each other or weren’t united they all would’ve just abandoned one another leaving each other for dead. Juanita’s family has been through many struggles together and yet they remained a family unit. After being hit by the teacher and her mom sticking up for Juanita, and in another instance trying to put out the fire with her sister, Juanita has shown the bond she has with her family. This book shows that Juanita’s family will always be there when it matters. She proves that no matter what, family must always stick together.

[Ivan Parra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend reading the book called "Tales of an Inland Empire Girl" by Juanita E. Mantz. You can find in this book a lot of references about popular and chicano culture of the 80's and 90's like movies, T.V. shows, music, actors, actresses and others. It also has a lot of punk rock and country music references. The memoir is about Juanita who lived in the Inland Empire and was growing up in the worst areas with financial difficulties. Also her family has many issues with domestic violence and the environment. By the end the main character finds redemption in herself.
My experience reading " Tales of an Inland Empire Girl" was such a great experience because I read the book in a group with my teacher and we've had a deep reading about each event that happens in the book. Also we identified with some events based on our experience in life and shared them. I met the author in a meeting and she is lovely, kind and funny. Reading can be great when you go more deep in understanding. If you are a beginning reader, the book "Tales of an Inland Empire Girl" by Juanita E. Mantz. Is your book!

[Leticia Del Toro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A soulful coming-of-age journey where one young woman’s spirit triumphs through a raucous childhood. This memoir brought to life a childhood in the 70s and 80s that felt very close to home, from Flintsones Land to reveling in parental soundtracks of Freddy Fender and Johnny Cash. The stories told move deftly between the childhood love we hold for heroic parents and the necessary desire to define ourselves in contrast to them. It recounts with tenderness and accuracy how we move past that survival to honor our family. As a California Latina growing up in the 80s and 90s, there is so much that is resonant in the time period, the family dynamics and how we create new identities through music, through friends and through what feels like hitting rock bottom. I loved witnessing the moments Juanita gains force and fire to forge newness and change in her life.

[Nancy Tiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Tales of an Empire Girl by Juanita E Mantz”

It is a common story of a working family that fights every day to be able to survive financially at the end of the month. Juanita’s mother is Mexican-American, and she is emotionally stressed having to deal with her family and her two jobs jobs. She has an alcoholic father, “ gringo borracho “ as Juanita’s mother family calls him. It is the story of Juanita who grows up in the midst of her trauma with her two sisters. Despite all the constant fighting,i love that sees good in the difficult family situation. The narrator knows that,no matter how grumpy her mother is Judith is a good mother. This book is about much more than growing up in an abusive environment, it’s about rivalries and jealousies between sisters. I would recommend this book because it is funny at some points, but sad and full emotions in others.