Young Adult

Living Beyond Borders: Stories About Growing Up Mexican in America

Living Beyond Borders: Stories About Growing Up Mexican in America

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-31 07:19:00
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Margarita Longoria
  • ISBN：0593204972
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Danielle Zimmerman ，

LIVING BEYOND BORDERS is a beautiful collection of short stories， poems， and works that describe a broad range of experiences of what it’s like to grow up Mexican or Mexican-American in a country that views that experience as a monolith。 Each story is unique， just like the voice that tells it， and highlights a wide array of lives and lifestyles and the way in which culture， racism， and class play a role in day-to-day lives。 I tended to love the short stories in this compilation most of all， espe LIVING BEYOND BORDERS is a beautiful collection of short stories， poems， and works that describe a broad range of experiences of what it’s like to grow up Mexican or Mexican-American in a country that views that experience as a monolith。 Each story is unique， just like the voice that tells it， and highlights a wide array of lives and lifestyles and the way in which culture， racism， and class play a role in day-to-day lives。 I tended to love the short stories in this compilation most of all， especially one toward the end called “La Princess Mileidy Dominguez” by Rubén Degollado。 It’s the perfect balance of heartfelt and heartache， with such a beautiful softness。 I really enjoyed this collection and can’t wait to dive in to each of these authors’ individual works。 。。。more

Skylar Rodriguez ，

“Yet we are forced to be on the fence， not because we do not want to belong to both worlds， but because society demands that we choose a side。 Where do we want to belong？” I really enjoyed reading the authors note at the beginning， because even though I am Mexican-American， I haven’t embraced the Mexican culture， and because I do live in America， I take pride in the fact that I was born and raised here。 My dad speaks Spanish along with his side of the family， but he never spoke at home to me and “Yet we are forced to be on the fence， not because we do not want to belong to both worlds， but because society demands that we choose a side。 Where do we want to belong？” I really enjoyed reading the authors note at the beginning， because even though I am Mexican-American， I haven’t embraced the Mexican culture， and because I do live in America， I take pride in the fact that I was born and raised here。 My dad speaks Spanish along with his side of the family， but he never spoke at home to me and my siblings， so of course we grew up only speaking English。After reading this anthology， it makes me really want to explore and learn more about my Mexican heritage and try to embrace it as much as I can， and not be embarrassed about who I am。 The short stories， essays， poetry， and comics were so beautiful done and written， and I have never read an anthology before and also don’t gravitate towards nonfiction， so it was really nice to explore different types of books。 Anyone who picks up this book is bound to find a story or essay that they enjoy。 *Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review* 。。。more

Lone Star Literary Life ，

Reviewed by Si Dunn for Lone Star Literary Life。 Reviewed by Si Dunn for Lone Star Literary Life。 。。。more

Tiffani ，

This is a well written book。 The stories and poems made me want more。 A must read。

♡Ellie ，

What a beautiful anthology of works that truly encompass and reflects the lives of many Mexican Americans， including my very own。 I felt seen and heard， and I feel this collection of stories can touch so many of us in different ways。 With topics important to society。It’s emotional， heartwarming， frustrating。。 you’ll find yourself feeling everything at once。 Even if the reader is not Mexican American， this book brings clarity， and understanding of obstacles we face。 I feel proud to be Mexican Ame What a beautiful anthology of works that truly encompass and reflects the lives of many Mexican Americans， including my very own。 I felt seen and heard， and I feel this collection of stories can touch so many of us in different ways。 With topics important to society。It’s emotional， heartwarming， frustrating。。 you’ll find yourself feeling everything at once。 Even if the reader is not Mexican American， this book brings clarity， and understanding of obstacles we face。 I feel proud to be Mexican American， and this title made feel so proud of all I’ve gone through and overcome。 。。。more

Bookphenomena （Micky） ，

Here’s a collection of short stories to push you right into your emotions and some of them are going to be discomforting ones。 From the first story of this anthology of stories/poems/letters from people who have straddled the Mexican/American borders， I was absorbed。 These stories made me angry and hopeful， sad and in awe。While I appreciated them all， here’s a flavour of some of the ones that either hit me in the gut， educated me or transported me to someone else’s experience （sometimes all of t Here’s a collection of short stories to push you right into your emotions and some of them are going to be discomforting ones。 From the first story of this anthology of stories/poems/letters from people who have straddled the Mexican/American borders， I was absorbed。 These stories made me angry and hopeful， sad and in awe。While I appreciated them all， here’s a flavour of some of the ones that either hit me in the gut， educated me or transported me to someone else’s experience （sometimes all of these things）。Ghetto Is Not An Adjective by Dominic Carrillo took a chance encounter and made an impact through poetry， ignorance felt like it was the theme for this story。“There Are Mexicans In Texas？” by Trinidad Gonzales really conveyed the importance of family history to how he’s navigated peoples’ ignorance and racism at various junctures。 These familial stories seemed to ground the author’s sense of self。 I could have read his experiences and anecdotes for much longer。 This quote really hit home and has relevance to other countries too:The struggle to belong is found not only in the politics of the street， but in official institutions that are supposed to be inclusive of all Americans。Ode to My Papi by Guadalupe García McCall squeezed my heart in a mere moment on the paper。 So much was conveyed in a short space。There were so many others to mention， but I wanted to give a dynamic snapshot of what’s on offer here。I live overseas but I read and watch these issues， wanting to know more， especially when tensions were heightened under the 45th POTUS’ control。 This book afforded me a deeper dive into individual experiences both fictionalised and non-fiction。 I recommend this to all and it is definitely suitable from teenage upwards。The editor/author provided me with a early copy through netgalley but this has not influenced by review。Find this review at A Take From Two Cities Blog。 。。。more

Lizzy // The Bookish Unicorn ，

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin/ Philomath Books for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review！This was a very solid collection of short stories about the Mexican American experience。 With a lot of anthologies it can be hit or miss but I really enjoyed all of them， except for one。 The mix of story， poetry， and graphic novel was a really great decision and allowed for such a wide range of story telling。 All of the topics covered were really great and you can tell the authors really put Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin/ Philomath Books for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review！This was a very solid collection of short stories about the Mexican American experience。 With a lot of anthologies it can be hit or miss but I really enjoyed all of them， except for one。 The mix of story， poetry， and graphic novel was a really great decision and allowed for such a wide range of story telling。 All of the topics covered were really great and you can tell the authors really put their heart into them。 。。。more

Alexis （hookedtobooks） ，

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for the copy of this book。-Read if you like: short stories， own voices stories。-This collection explores the Mexican American experience and how different people reconcile these two aspects of identity。 I usually just like reading short stories and don't usually love them， but I loved these stories！ I usually want more out of the stories but these authors did an amazing job of getting their theme across in the short story。 I appreciated reading different perspective Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for the copy of this book。-Read if you like: short stories， own voices stories。-This collection explores the Mexican American experience and how different people reconcile these two aspects of identity。 I usually just like reading short stories and don't usually love them， but I loved these stories！ I usually want more out of the stories but these authors did an amazing job of getting their theme across in the short story。 I appreciated reading different perspectives through these stories。-CW: sexism and racism。 。。。more

Bethany ，

I have mixed feelings on this one。 I love the concept- bringing together a wide range of authors for a mixed-media anthology for teens celebrating Mexican American life and identity。 And some of the essays and stories are touching， thought-provoking， and important。An essay about the too-slow changes in the Smithsonian representing Mexican Americans。 A touching story about a girl without a home getting a quinceanera through her new school。 An essay about the struggle of growing up mixed and feeli I have mixed feelings on this one。 I love the concept- bringing together a wide range of authors for a mixed-media anthology for teens celebrating Mexican American life and identity。 And some of the essays and stories are touching， thought-provoking， and important。An essay about the too-slow changes in the Smithsonian representing Mexican Americans。 A touching story about a girl without a home getting a quinceanera through her new school。 An essay about the struggle of growing up mixed and feeling in-between， unable to fluently speak Spanish。 These are some examples of contributions that I really loved。As with all anthologies， I liked some pieces better than others， but there was one in particular that flirts with incest that I was kind of uncomfortable with。 Not sure why that choice was made， or why it's going in an anthology for teenagers。 And maybe I'm missing something， but I also don't see why that element was necessary to the story in the first place。 Here's the basic plot: a teen girl and her mom go on vacation with extended family because her mom has been struggling after the girls father left them。 Going with them is the girls male cousin and we spend most of the story in her head thinking about how she's attracted to him even though she shouldn't be。 Then they almost kiss before being interrupted by their family who scream about incest。 There's other family drama too， but things eventually seem better for her mom。 It was really uncomfortable to read and even though technically nothing happened， it's unclear to me what the point of flirting with that was。 Also content warning， obviously。Aside from that my other issue has to do with the way the collection was formatted。 This is a mix of fiction and non-fiction， which is cool but there is no way to know for sure which pieces are fictional。 Sometimes you can tell by reading， but other times it's very unclear。 Typically with something like this you get a couple sentences at the end about the author and the piece， but in this case it's just all thrown together and while there are author bios at the end of the book， they don't include any reference to the pieces in this anthology。 That feels like a major oversight。 So mixed feelings。 There is definitely some good to be found here， but it also could have been handled better。 I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Madison ，

As soon as I saw that this project was in the works， I couldn’t wait to read it。 It definitely did not disappoint！ This anthology features an incredible group of writers and their works are deeply meaningful and insightful。 These stories， detailing the Mexican-American experience， need to be told。 As a mother of mixed race Mexican-American children， I hope that these stories will reach the masses， so that the next generation finds acceptance， and the freedom to exist within two cultures。

Melanie ，

4。5 StarsContent Warnings at end of reviewThank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an arc of this book。This anthology is an exploration about what it means to be Mexican American。 It contains stories， memoirs， poems， and comics that explore various parts of the authors' identities。I really loved this collection。 So many of the stories/pieces were absolutely incredible to read。 The writing was diverse because of the many authors， but there wasn't a single piece I didn't like。 I look forward to 4。5 StarsContent Warnings at end of reviewThank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an arc of this book。This anthology is an exploration about what it means to be Mexican American。 It contains stories， memoirs， poems， and comics that explore various parts of the authors' identities。I really loved this collection。 So many of the stories/pieces were absolutely incredible to read。 The writing was diverse because of the many authors， but there wasn't a single piece I didn't like。 I look forward to looking up some of these authors' other works！Content WarningsGraphic: RacismModerate: HomophobiaMinor: Self harm 。。。more

Christina ，

Smart。 Poignant。 Timely。 This collection will make you laugh out loud and， in the very next， bring you to tears。 If not， you have no soul。 ¡Enhorabuena！ ¡Una excelente lectura！Advanced reader copy via the editor and Net Galley。

Caylie Ratzlaff ，

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this eARC！ 4/5 stars。 I was really impressed with this anthology， especially since I hadn't heard of any of the authors。 I liked how it focused entirely on the Mexican-American diaspora and experiences。 While some of them were not as great as others， there are some that I am planning on incorporating into my curriculum this upcoming year from this anthology。 I also think many other people will get more of an impact from this than I， since I am a white ed Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this eARC！ 4/5 stars。 I was really impressed with this anthology， especially since I hadn't heard of any of the authors。 I liked how it focused entirely on the Mexican-American diaspora and experiences。 While some of them were not as great as others， there are some that I am planning on incorporating into my curriculum this upcoming year from this anthology。 I also think many other people will get more of an impact from this than I， since I am a white educator and this is an anthology meant as a window for me rather than a mirror。 I also cried during a few of the pieces。。。especially the quince one。 。。。more

Jessica Austin ，

I was giving the opportunity to read this early release by Penguin Teen Publishing and NetGalley for an a honest review。 This was a very important read。 Each one of the short story and poem told a difference story that was so incredibly important for the Mexican culture and make you think about。 Each writer poured their heart out in their stories。 If you have the opportunity please read it！

Maddie ，

Thank you so much to PenguinTeen for sending my this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I absolutely loved this book。 If you do not know， this book is a collection of short stories， poems， comics， etc。 about growing up Mexican in America。 Obviously， I am not Mexican American in any way， and so I really did not know much about this topic before reading these stories。 Every single one of them brought up something so completely unique and important to the table。 Each author's stories were writte Thank you so much to PenguinTeen for sending my this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I absolutely loved this book。 If you do not know， this book is a collection of short stories， poems， comics， etc。 about growing up Mexican in America。 Obviously， I am not Mexican American in any way， and so I really did not know much about this topic before reading these stories。 Every single one of them brought up something so completely unique and important to the table。 Each author's stories were written perfectly， and I found myself collapsing into tears multiple times while reading this book。 I learned so many things from reading these stories， and while all of them were absolutely incredible， I thought that I would share some of my personal favorites from the collection:-"Ghetto Is Not an Adjective" by Dominic Carrillo: this story was such a perfect opening to this collection。 The poem added into the short story at the end was so powerful and moving and is something everyone should truly read。 -"Yoli Calderon and Principal Hayes" by Angela Cervante: this was another truly powerful story。 I loved the interesting perspective that this was written in， and this entire story was just written so so well。 -"CoCo Chamoy y Chango" y e。E。 Chariton-Trujillo: This was just such a cute and fun story。 I absolutely loved seeing such a strong female relationship and friendship and just the connection made between these characters。 -"My Name is Dolores" by Guadalupe Ruiz-Flores: This was such a sad story with such a deep message that had me on the verge of tears。 It truly teaches where the problems in this society come from。 Overall， I would recommend this book to anyone， especially those who are not very educated or aware of the obstacles day-to-day that Mexican Americans face。 。。。more

Librarian143 ，

I laughed， I cried， I got angry and my heart melted。 Such a beautiful and diverse collection of stories all told differently。。。yet they were my stories， my life， my childhood。 For a few precious moments I was able to escape adulthood and relive being a kid growing up Mexican-American。 These stories will definitely resonate with anyone who is caught between two different cultures。 Living Beyond Borders offers a glimpse into Mexican traditions and superstitions and what it means to grow up Mexican I laughed， I cried， I got angry and my heart melted。 Such a beautiful and diverse collection of stories all told differently。。。yet they were my stories， my life， my childhood。 For a few precious moments I was able to escape adulthood and relive being a kid growing up Mexican-American。 These stories will definitely resonate with anyone who is caught between two different cultures。 Living Beyond Borders offers a glimpse into Mexican traditions and superstitions and what it means to grow up Mexican-American。 。。。more

Mona AlvaradoFrazier ，

"Growing Up Mexican in America" is part of the title of this book。 It's important to specify because this is what the anthology is all about。"Twenty stand-alone short stories， essays， poems， and more from celebrated and award-winning authors make up this YA anthology that explores the Mexican American experience。 With works by Francisco X。 Stork， Guadalupe Garcia McCall， David Bowles， Rubén Degollado， e。E。 Charlton-Trujillo， Diana López， Xavier Garza， Trinidad Gonzales， Alex Temblador， Aida Sala "Growing Up Mexican in America" is part of the title of this book。 It's important to specify because this is what the anthology is all about。"Twenty stand-alone short stories， essays， poems， and more from celebrated and award-winning authors make up this YA anthology that explores the Mexican American experience。 With works by Francisco X。 Stork， Guadalupe Garcia McCall， David Bowles， Rubén Degollado， e。E。 Charlton-Trujillo， Diana López， Xavier Garza， Trinidad Gonzales， Alex Temblador， Aida Salazar， Lupe Ruiz-Flores， Sylvia Sanchez Garza， Dominic Carrillo， Angela Cervantes， Carolyn Dee Flores， René Saldaña Jr。， Justine Narro， Daniel García Ordáz， and Anna Meriano。 These authors share the borders they have crossed， the struggles they have pushed through， and the two cultures they continue to navigate as Mexican American。 "Many of the stories are well-written and resonated with this reader。 The 'Mexican American' experience is as diverse as the regions， border towns， and generations of the writers who write the stories。 The differences can be because you are first-generation or fourth， bi-racial， or multi-ethnic， but many areas connect， such as family， language， foods， A few stories didn't hold my interest as much due to form or writing style but overall， that should not detract those readers who are trying to understand what it means to grow up Mexican in America。Some quotes that describe the themes in several stories:"As Mexican Americans， we have always needed to defend who we are， where we were born， and prove to others that we are， in fact， Americans。""Yet， we are forced to be on the fence， not because we do not want to belong to both worlds， but because society demands that we chose a side。 Where do we want to belong？" This book could be utilized as a book for upper middle schoolers to high school students as a basis of discussion about self-identity， culture， perceptions， and bias。 I would recommend it to educators， readers who want to expand their knowledge of other cultures， and librarians for their schools。 NetGalley provided an e-ARC of this book， and this is an honest review。 。。。more

Lonna Pierce ，

Outstanding！ Review to follow in School Library Connection。

h o l l i s ，

Who made the rules on what being Mexican was or wasn't？ I'd always been told to check a box -- to fit in one category or the other。 But it wasn't ever that easy。 And why did it matter？I wasn't sure I was going to rate this， as I don't tend to award stars to non-fiction （not that I read much of it， to be fair， despite my best intentions！）， but as I think most of what is comprised of this anthology is fiction （though I could of course be wrong。。）， I felt it deserved to be rated。 Particularly in th Who made the rules on what being Mexican was or wasn't？ I'd always been told to check a box -- to fit in one category or the other。 But it wasn't ever that easy。 And why did it matter？I wasn't sure I was going to rate this， as I don't tend to award stars to non-fiction （not that I read much of it， to be fair， despite my best intentions！）， but as I think most of what is comprised of this anthology is fiction （though I could of course be wrong。。）， I felt it deserved to be rated。 Particularly in the hopes that people see the stars and feel inspired to look a little closer at this and maybe， even， hopefully， pick it up。Mom and Dad used to love taking me to all the Mexican and Chicanx pride events， and I used to like it too until I got older and couldn't wrap my head around how it's possible to dance with such fierce colourful joy while shouldering a legacy of so much pain。Though there are twenty different offerings within this collection this is not a long read and， in the case of some of the specific ones I'll shoutout below， I wish it had been longer。 I can't possibly know the impact of what this collection will do for readers who see themselves， or their parents， or their loved ones， in these stories but I have a feeling this'll mean a lot for a lot of people。I understand that for many Americans -- including my own parents -- being seen as American is a struggle that can be tiring and long。As for those standouts？ These were mine。COCO CHAMOY Y CHANGO by E。E。 Charlton-Trujillo was the first one to make me wish there had been more to it。 I wanted to keep reading， I wanted to learn more about these characters， and where they were going。 It was such a casual little snapshot in time but it made an impression。Next was MY NAME IS DOLORES by Guadalupe Ruiz-Flores and， to quickly sum up， it broke my heart。 The image of that little girl。。 well， I won't spoil。 But it was one of those little big moments that leaves quiet devastation in its wake。AN ODE TO MY PAPI by Guadalupe García McCall might have been the shortest of the bunch but。。 I don't want to call it lovely， because it was also so sad， but it was a bittersweet， heartwarming， heartaching little tribute。 Though there's nothing little about the message。Finally， there was LA PRINCESA MILEIDY DOMINGUEZ by Rubén Degollado which snuck up on me。 It wasn't that I wasn't invested in the story as it unfolded but it wasn't until the final paragraph or two when I realized how much I had softened as the story went on until I found myself brushing away tears。 Partially it was the importance of the celebration described， the moment of transition from child to young adult， but it was more how this group of strangers， this community， came together without hesitation。 It was incredibly moving。There was one more quote I really wanted to share so I'll use it to sign off this review but suffice it to say yes， I had some favourites， but most of the quotes I've pulled didn't even come from those stories I've mentioned。 There was something different， something important， something moving， in everything offered in this collection。 And also something for everyone。I'm so tired of these trying political times， and I'm tired of trying to care about the newest protests and the hashtags and the kids who die or almost die and get fifteen minutes of fame from the adults who have all the money and the clout and the thoughts and prayers but don't actually do anything。** I received an ARC from the publisher （thank you！） in exchange for an honest review。 **---This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities。 。。。more

David ，

An amazing， vital anthology！