Mexican Enough: My Life between the Borderlines [Paperback]

Stephanie Elizondo Griest (Author)

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Product Details

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press; Original edition (Aug 5 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416540172
ISBN-13: 978-1416540175
Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 13.2 x 2 cm
Shipping Weight: 227 g
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,026,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Griest (Around the Bloc), whose mother is a third-generation Mexican-American, made a conscious choice to be white like my dad one day in elementary school and, initially, finds her Hispanic identity when a guidance counselor advises that given her SAT scores, otherwise closed doors would swing open (she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Texas in 1997). The realization that nearly every accolade I have received in life... has been at least partially due to [this] genetic link inspires her journey to Mexico to learn Spanish and to gain a deeper understanding of [her] cultural heritage. Roughly from January to June 2005, she lives in Querétaro (north of Mexico City), coincidentally with a bunch of gay men. Aside from learning about the gay scene, the art scene and Mexico's unique wrestlers, the timing of her trip places her there when the gay activist Octavio Acuña is murdered. In July, she goes to Chiapas (Mexico's southernmost state), Zapatista territory, and devotes the second half of her book largely to documenting a burgeoning social movement that shook parts of the nation to the core. Patches are interesting, but Griest is not compelling or profound about the harassment and violence suffered by homosexuals, for instance, nor seriously affecting about her personal dilemma, being biracial. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Stephanie Elizondo Griest dances where others fear to tread. There were several places in this book where I said, 'No, you can't say that.' I am glad she did." -- Luis Alberto Urrea, bestselling author of The Devil's Highway

"I can't think of anyone who does a better job of capturing the people and places that inhabit the soul of a country. She grants us access into the hidden corners of a Mexico we've only heard about, with her own brand of humor, spot-on wisdom, and heart." -- Michelle Herrera Mulligan, editor of Juicy Mangos and Border-Line Personalities

"A revealing exposé of one woman's struggle to live between two cultures and two worlds, and yet not fully belong to either." -- Teresa Rodriguez, author of The Daughters of Juárez

"This is a travel journal for the new millennium, a biracial woman searching for herself among the complexities of the borderlands." -- Sandra Cisneros, bestselling author of The House on Mango Street and Caramelo

"[O]ne thing is undeniable about Griest: This chica's got guts. The systematic self-incrimination she repeatedly displays and the frenzied compulsions fueling her quest to figure out just how Mexican she truly is -- if at all -- are what make Griest's work important. It speaks to the larger truths all biethnic individuals are fixated on but aren't always as willing to expose with such intense honesty and nerve. So we continue watching with an interest best described as uneasy. We know what is at stake for this writer, for all hyphenated Americans confronting their heritages, each curious to see what happens when Griest chooses to fling herself in front of the next moving vehicle, hoping the epiphany it heralds will be enough." -- Los Angeles Times

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 4.2 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Timely, eye opening, must read!, Aug 13 2008

By S. Shokouhi - Published on Amazon.com

I loved this author's other books, so I was really looking forward to "Mexican Enough." It does not disappoint. She routinely throws herself into the craziest situations (like sneaking into a prison in Oaxaca, or spending the night in a Zapatista camp in Chiapas) and finds the most amazing stories. I learned so much about Mexico, from the impact of NAFTA and immigration, to pop culture like lucha libre (think: Nacho Libre). Some of the stories are pretty heartbreaking, but there is a lot of humor as well. Even though I am not Latina, I can relate to her questioning her cultural identity, and whether or not she is "enough." It also reminds me of this ongoing debate about Obama being "black enough." That makes this an especially timely book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Gripping work!!!, Aug 13 2008

By CW - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Mexican Enough: My Life between the Borderlines (Paperback)

I found this amazing book to be very compelling. This author always gets to the very core of the people, visiting areas where tourists do not tend to tread. In Mexico, she not only does not hide the bad and ugly, but also takes us into the private lives of the good and the beautiful. Reading her book was like being her travel companion on her personal quest for the holy identity Grail. I highly recommend this book for anybody interested in Mexico. We all share in its history, its people and its culture. I also highly recommend this book to anybody wanting to take a journey of discovery into their own ancestral motherland. Stephanie inspires one to do so.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars great book, Aug 2 2009

By Mia "Mia" - Published on Amazon.com

Stephanie Elizondo Griest tells the story of her experience journeying through Mexico with such a down-to-earth tone, you feel as if you are right there with her. I think that anyone who is interested in discovering their roots would find it both interesting and entertaining. It is a very easy read, and most definitely a page-turner. You have to admire her guts.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 11 reviews 4.2 out of 5 stars