“Every time my parents turn on the TV, there are women dressed like strippers, even the news anchors, yet I’m supposed to be embarrassed of my boobs? I don’t get it. Even the time she found out I had shaved my legs, she was hysterical. Am I expected to cover myself with cloaks and let my body be covered in dark fur?” (107).
“My moods shift like that all the time, even before Olga died. One minute I feel okay, and then all of a sudden my energy plummets for no reason at all. It’s hard to explain” (7).
“I’d rather live in the streets than be a submissive Mexican wife who spends all day cooking and cleaning” (13).
“Once I ruined Thanksgiving by going on a rant about the women having to cook all day while the men just sat around, scratching their butts” (21).
“She is always apologizing to white people, which makes me feel embarrassed. And then I feel ashamed of my shame” (7).
“After the funeral, Ama doesn’t get out of bed for almost two weeks” (11).
“By the time we get on the bus, my back aches, my hands are cracked, and my eyes burn from all the cleaning products. I smell like bleach and sweat. I’ve never been this tired in my whole life… Now I understand why everyone calls work la chinga and why Ama is always in a bad mood. I wonder what else she sees in people’s houses, and if other men look at her the way Dr. Scheinberg does” (104).
Societal Gender Norms
Individual Grief
Cultural Norms Societal Gender Norms
Mental Health
Cultural Norms Societal Gender Norms
Intergenerational Trauma
Intergenerational Trauma
