¡Ándale, Prieta! A Love Letter to My Family is a 2022 memoir by Yasmín Ramírez, a Mexican–American writer and associate professor of English and creative writing at El Paso Community College.[1] She was motivated to write the memoir after the death of her maternal grandmother, Ita.[2]
 | |
| Author | Yasmín Ramírez |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Hispanic and Latin American Culture |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Publisher | Cinco Puntos Press |
Publication date | 2 August 2022 |
| Pages | 272 |
| ISBN | 978-1-94762-755-0 |
| Website | www |
Synopsis
editIn the book, Ramírez tells about growing up in El Paso, Texas.[3] The stars of the book are the women in her life: her great grandmother Lupe, her mother Leticia, and most importantly, her grandmother Ita.[4]
In the second half of the book she also explores her strained relationship with her absent father.[4]
The title reclaims the sometimes derogatory term prieta, which her grandmother used as a nickname for the author, but which is often used in Spanish as a slur to describe people with dark skin.[2]
Reception
editKirkus Reviews praised the book's "vivid imagery" and declared it to be a "promising debut".[4] Book Riot selected ¡Ándale, Prieta! as a "Most Anticipated Book of 2022" and praised the writing for being both "rich" and "casual".[5]
Author
edit
Ramírez completed an MFA in the Bilingual Creative Writing program at the University of Texas at El Paso.[3] She is an associate professor of English and creative writing at El Paso Community College.[1] She has published a number of short stories and was a 2021 Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing Writing Author Fellow.[3]
¡Ándale, Prieta! started as her thesis and took four or five years to complete.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b EPHP Promotions (6 May 2022). "EPCC English Professor Yasmín Ramírez Releases Book". El Paso Herald-Post. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ a b Aguilar, Sofía (29 April 2022). "Yasmín Ramírez's '¡Andalé, Prieta!' Explores Grief, Latinidad and Matriarchy". HipLatina. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Nahmad, Erica (1 June 2022). "Meet Yasmín Ramírez, Author of '¡Ándale, Prieta!', Who Transformed Her Personal Struggles Into a Unique Narrative". BeLatina. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "¡Ándale, Prieta!". Kirkus Reviews. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ Laveaga Luna, Minerva. "¡Ándale Prieta!". Book Riot. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ Perry, Jasmine (11 May 2022). "El Paso teacher writes a memoir called Ándale Prieta!". KTSM. Retrieved 30 October 2022.