Tías and primas On knowing and loving the women who raise us

Amplifying the message of acceptance in For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts (2021), Mojica Rodríguez uses a friendly and earnest voice to explore and address a myriad of female archetypes within the broader Latine community. Built on the solid foundation of her experience as an immigrant from Nicaragua who grew up and lives in Nashville, this book is fun, relatable, and profound. The 20 chapters cover 20 distinct archetypes, from "La Matriarch" to "Your 'Pretty' Prima" and "The Tia Who Sees Fantasmas," with Spanish flowing naturally throughout. Each chapter opens with a drawing of each figure. Mojica Rodríguez liberally shares quotes by wise elders from Gloria Anzaldúa to Alice Walker, throughout, supported by comprehensive notes and a bibliography. From her personal knowledge of each archetypal example, she reaches beyond to include other women and ends each chapter by directly addressing families and expressing her best wishes to the humans who embody each type. A fresh, effective, and welcome addition to works on introspection and healing.

Activist Mojica Rodríguez (For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts) pays homage to the wonderful women in her life, including matriarchs, tías (aunts), and primas (cousins). She argues that portrayals of Latinas in Western media are misleading, unhelpful, and stereotypical, such as the grateful and obedient maid; the curvy, hotheaded prima donna; and the crime-adjacent member of Chicano subculture. Each chapter focuses on a different real embodiment of Latina womanhood that, thanks to Mojica Rodríguez's love of these women, doesn't come across as reducing them to labels. Instead, she portrays Latinas as multidimensional, with traits to emulate. For example, she describes matriarchs as ones who keep the family unified; they're resourceful, skilled at compromise, and often exemplary with high standards and a forgiving heart, while tías are confidantes who make adulthood look more adventurous than laborious. Some sections also address the systemic issue of aspirational whiteness, when society shows that "proximity to whiteness is the key to power" and success. VERDICT This welcome book (with illustrations) aptly deconstructs the labels often applied to Latinas.--Barrie Olmstead