On Cultural Differences & Love
with Mónica Mancillas author of Mariana and Her Familia
#NuevasPaginasconLupita is a space that is both an archive and resource aimed to "spotlight" Hispanic/Latinx/e authors with newly published books. The goal is to connect readers to new and/or old favorite Hispanic/Latinx/e authors and their books! So give this & every post a share to help us reach more readers!
How does it work?!
Here’s the deal, I came up with a set of casual/random/funny questions to ask each Hispanic/Latinx/e author, I interview. For now, the questions will all be the same but maybe in the future I’ll launch this into more specific questions to the author or maybe I’ll turn this series into a mini-podcast, or maybe……well, you get it! The possibilities are endless.
If you are new here don’t forget to check out all the other amazing interviews! We also have a great line-up of guest authors coming up so make sure you don’t miss an issue by subscribing now!
A friendly reminder that I am an affiliate with Bookshop.org and I may earn a commission if you click through any book links and make a purchase.
Hey Heyyy Book Franz!
I know it has been almost a whole month since my last post. I am deeply sorry for that! It has been a busy but very fulfilling past few weeks. A quick round-up:
My wife and I celebrated our 8-year wedding anniversary!
I interviewed Angie Cruz about her amazing novel- How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water at Politics and Prose. I loved her novel so much (this much) but also I decided to sue Angie for emotional damage because it left me all weepy!!
I went to see Lizzo in concert with some of my favorite bookish friends.
I got to moderate my first-ever book panel in NYC with a recently shortlisted nominee for the National Book Award in Fiction - Alejandro Valera (author of The Town of Babylon!!!!!) and Christine Kandi Torres, author of The Girls In Queens (this one is very good, also ICYMI check out her interview for the newsletter here)! Huge thank you to Kew and Willow Books for thinking of me to host their Brooklyn Book Festival Event - Latinx Stories in Queens.
While in NYC - I got to hang out with one of my absolute favorite people in the world - THE Mira Jacob, author of one of my all-time favorite books Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations (YES- I was very very happy the entire time & if you haven’t her book yet- GO READ IT!!!).
Whew….and the fun isn’t done yet! TOMORROW at 7 PM via DCPL, I’ll be chatting virtually with National Book Award in Nonfiction shortlist nominee - Ingrid Rojas Contreras about her stunning memoir The Man Who Could Move Clouds. Register to join us here! This is my last planned book event for the year so please join us if you can.
After all that, I’m glad to share that I’ll be coming back to connect with you all regularly. So expect a lot of really exciting new issues.
For The Book Club Besties…..
The Book Club Section (LBC)
ICYMI - The TikTok community pulled me into starting the LBC (Lupita’s Book Club) and this month we are reading and discussing SOLITO: A Memoir by Javier Zamora, which is Zamora’s story about his 3,000-mile journey from his hometown in El Salvador across the U.S. border, to be reunited with his parents, at the age of nine. I’ll be posting discussion questions on October 11th, so it’s not too late to grab a copy of the book from wherever you like to purchase books or your local library. For those that enjoy audiobooks, Zamora is the narrator and you can listen along as well! In case you need a link for where to grab a copy - click here. Also, my Mamá listened to the audiobook within three days and she reviewed it here.
Wondering… “How will the book discussion portion of this work virtually?!” Well, if you haven’t noticed yet, the newsletter landing page now includes a tab for the book club. Anyone who has signed up for the newsletter will receive a discussion thread newsletter issue once a month. If you don’t read with the LBC and or can’t find the time - that is totally okay. Feel free to skip the posts or save them for whenever you do read the books we’ll read, so you can go back and join in on the discussion!
Additionally, if you’d rather keep up with the discussion thread via social media- this month’s book club is being hosted on TikTok and Instagram. The discussion posts will go live on October 11th as well so you can participate by engaging with the folks that comment there.
Without further ado, our special guest author for today’s issue is……Mónica Mancillas author of Mariana and Her Familia! Available in all bookstores as of today!
Tell me about your book without telling me about your book - share any literary inspirations behind your book! If there are none, the gap you wanted to fill in the literary canon with your book.
I think Meg Medina’s “Mango, Abuela, and Me” and Matt de la Peña’s “Last Stop on Market Street” were both big influences on me as I was writing and revising this book. I was deeply inspired not only by the delicate lyricism of both books, but by the messages of love, compassion, and representation laced throughout each. My book, like theirs, aims to reflect the everyday experiences of children across a diverse spectrum of cultural backgrounds and to let them know through words and pictures that there is a profound beauty and importance in both the unique and universal aspects of their cultural upbringing.
What are two central themes in your book that you connect with the most and why?
This book primarily centers around the experience of growing up between two cultures and the feelings of disconnect, shame, and fear that often surround it, as well as the unconditional love of family despite cultural and physical distance. Much like Mariana, I grew up with a deep feeling of wanting to belong and to prove myself worthy of acceptance by my family in México while struggling to connect because of language and cultural differences. However, as Mariana eventually discovers in the story, these feelings were primarily internal and had no bearing on the reality that my family loved and accepted me without condition.
If a book was home, where would your home be?
If a book was home, I think I would reside somewhere between the pages of Elena Ferrante’s “Neapolitan Quartet” and Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” (though I might occasionally summer in Sarah J. Maas’s “A Court of Thorns and Roses” for a little supernatural excitement).
If your book was a famous musician who would it be?
If my book was a famous musician, it would be Marta Gómez – soft, lyrical, and full of warmth and heart.
What comfort food could a reader pair with your book?
Quesadillas and pan dulce would be the perfect pairing to MARIANA!
In what ways has access (or little to no access) to Hispanic/Latinx/e literature defined you as a writer?
Growing up, I had little to no access to books written by and about children like me. As an author, I feel deeply motivated to write books featuring my own experiences in hopes that children who may share those experiences will find themselves in the pages. I am also motivated by a desire to push back against pervasive and limiting stereotypes and to normalize the idea that children of all backgrounds belong on the pages of books.
Where can readers keep up with your work?
www.twitter.com/MonicaMancillas
www.instagram.com/monicamancillas77
A huge thank you to Mónica Mancillas for taking the time to chat with me about her book! Please please make sure you purchase a copy (or request your local library carry a copy) of her book #SupportLatinxLit!
Bio for authors:
Mónica Mancillas authors books for children of all ages, as well as adult fiction. She received her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley before pursuing a decade-long career in the recording industry. Her picture book, The Worry Balloon, is inspired by the challenges she, and those she loves, sometimes face managing anxiety; and the tools, great and small, that have helped them to walk through each of those challenges.
Erika Meza migrated from Mexico in 2013, leaving behind her family, friends and her favorite food. She lived in a dungeon with a ghosts-and-ghouls-painting princess, learned how to tell stories, then found and lost a spotted dog in Paris, where she attended school. She finally crossed the France-UK border and settled down in London, where she lives in a small flat and works as an author and illustrator, aided by her cat who tries to leave inky paw prints on her work. She tries to go back home often, at the border of Tijuana and San Diego, where her book was born.
Synopsis for Mariana and Her Familia Bookshop website:
A heartwarming picture book about a young girl on her first trip to visit family in Mexico, who learns there is no language barrier when it comes to love--from debut author Mónica Mancillas and rising star illustrator Erika Meza. Perfect for fans of Where Are You From? and Mango, Abuela, and Me.
Mariana is visiting her abuelita and extended family in Mexico for the first time. Her tummy does a flip as she and Mami cross the frontera.
There are all new sights, smells, and sounds. And at Abuelita's house, Mariana is overwhelmed by new faces and Spanish phrases she doesn't understand.
But with a story, some kindness, and a few new words from Abuelita, Mariana discovers that the love of family knows no cultural divide.
Happy anniversary!
What an epic month you’ve had! 🙌🏻 It’s good to have you back