On Rejecting Assimilation
con Julissa Arce, author of 'You Sound Like A White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation'
#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!
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Hey Heyyy Book Franz!
A new week another Nuevas Paginas interview and this week’s interview is with the author of a book I read (and really enjoyed) earlier this month. I am still sitting with so much of what I read in the pages of the book and it’s my utter hope that folks will read it and have necessary discussions about the Latino/e/x experience. There is so much we can learn from each other through conversations and this is definitely one book that I can open us up to discussing how we see ourselves and our identity.
I have so much more to say about this book but I don’t want to keep you from the interview and I wanted to quickly tell you about an Instagram live event I’ll be doing with the author of In The Shadow of the Mountain: A Memoir of Courage — Silvia Vasquez-Lavado TOMORROW at 7 PM EST. I hope you’ll join us if you can!
Without further ado, our special guest author today is…Julissa Arce!!!
Could you tell me a bit about where this photo was taken? Is it special to your book in some way?
This picture means so much to me! It was taken last week at an event hosted by Poderistas where 50 or so prominent Latinas came together to celebrate my book. The reason it’s so meaningful is because for a long time I craved that feeling of community. A place where I could fully be myself and it was in the company of Latinas where I was able to let go of my assimilated self and carry my Brown body with pride. So to be able to celebrate the release of my book with Latinas who own their Brownness was really special. Ultimately I wrote the book with Latinas in mind.
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.
The note section in the book is pretty lengthy because there is already a huge body of work that tells the history of Latinos in America. Sadly that history isn’t widely shared, and those books are often only accessible to college students. So a couple of the books are, “A Latinx and African American History of the United States” by Paul Ortiz. “Manifest Destinies” by Laura E. Gomez. What I hoped to do is to contextualize and synthesize that history and connect it to the issues that as a Latino community we face today.
What are two central themes in your book that you connect with the most and why?
The first part of “You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation“ is about dismantling the lies of assimilation and the second part of the book is about reclaiming the things that we lose when we assimilate. The themes of taking away and putting ourselves back together through learning our history, celebrating our culture, and owning our identity are central to the book.
If a book was home, where would your home be?
In the book, I write that the roots that connect me to Mexico are the same roots that connect me to the United States. So my home is across borders – it’s in Mexico, it’s in New York City, it’s in Texas, it’s in Los Angeles.
If your book was a famous musician who would it be?
Definitely Selena Quintanilla. She embodied so much of what I’m trying to get across in the book. She was beautifully Brown and proud, and she carried herself with such confidence. I remember watching a clip where she talked about the history of Tejano music and I learned so much about the Tejanos who I’ve always been a part of the United States and how they made this music their own.
What comfort food could a reader pair with your book?
There are parts that are definitely going to make readers mad so a good glass of wine might go really well with it. And also my favorite comfort food is pizza so have a slice for me.
In what ways has access (or little to no access) to Hispanic/Latinx/e literature defined you as a writer?
I think it’s more the lack of access to Latine literature that has defined me. I was so hungry to learn more about us that that has been a big driver in my work – contributing to the library of Latina writers.
Where can readers keep up with your work?
I love Instagram and Twitter. I find that social media is what you make of it and I’ve created a really beautiful community. I hope you’ll join me @julissaarce on IG and Twitter.
A huge thank you to Julissa Arce for taking the time to chat with me about her work! Please please make sure you purchase a copy (or request your local library carry a copy) of her book #SupportLatinxLit!
Bio for Julissa Arce from her website:
Julissa Arce is a best-selling author of My (Underground) American Dream (Entre Las Sombras del Sueño Americano) and Someone Like Me (Alguien Como Yo). She was named one of People en Español’s 25 Most Powerful Women of 2017 and 2019 Woman of the Year by the City of Los Angeles. She is a leading voice in the fights for social justice, immigrant rights and education equality.
Julissa is a contributor for TIME, Buzzfeed News, Crooked Media, CNBC, and one of the hosts of Crooked Conversations. Her book, "My Underground American Dream" is currently being developed as a television series with producer and actor America Ferrera.
Synopsis for You Sound Like A White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation from the Macmillan website:
Nationally bestselling author Julissa Arce interweaves her own experiences with cultural commentary in a powerful polemic against the myth that assimilation leads to happiness and belonging for immigrants in America. Instead, she calls for a celebration of our uniqueness, our origins, our heritage, and the beauty of the differences that actually make us Americans.
"You sound like a white girl." These were the words spoken to Julissa by a crush as she struggled to find her place in America. As a brown immigrant from Mexico, assimilation had been demanded of her since the moment she set foot in San Antonio, Texas, in 1994. She'd spent so much time getting rid of her accent so no one could tell English was her second language that in that moment she felt those words--you sound like a white girl--were a compliment. As a child, she didn't yet understand that assimilating to "American" culture really meant imitating "white" America—that 'sounding like a white girl' was a racist idea meant to tame her, change her, and make her small. She ran the race, completing each stage, but never quite fit in, until she stopped running altogether.
In this dual polemic and manifesto, Julissa dives into and tears apart the lie that assimilation leads to belonging. She combs through history and her own story to break down this myth, arguing that assimilation is a moving finish line designed to keep Black and brown Americans and immigrants chasing racist American ideals. She talks about the Lie of Success, the Lie of Legality, the Lie of Whiteness, and the Lie of English – each promising that if you obtain these things, you will reach acceptance--you won't be an outsider anymore. Instead, Julissa deftly argues, these demands leave her and those like her in a purgatory – neither able to secure the power and belonging of whiteness nor find it in the community and cultures whiteness demands we leave behind.
Here Julissa offers a bold new promise: Belonging only comes through celebrating yourself, your history, your culture, and everything that makes you uniquely you. Only in turning away from the white gaze can we truly make America beautiful. An America where difference is celebrated, heritage is shared and embraced, and belonging is for everyone. Through unearthing veiled history and reclaiming her own identity, Julissa shows us how to do this.
The best ways you can support Latinx/e authors and Latinx/e literature is by doing the following:
Leave a review for their books on any website that sells books
Request that your local library carry a copy
Purchase a copy of a friend, family member, your nemesis (hey! I’m sure they read too).
Shout about the book on any social media platform or to your friends and family!
Share this interview widely! Word of mouth does wonders for connecting readers to books.
The other day one of my cousins asked in our family group chat….” Hey! What kind of music does Lupita listen to?” and without even missing a beat my brother replied “AUDIOBOOKS”!
The moment audiobooks stepped into my life, they became my music. I listen to them on walks, while doing laundry and chores — basically any moment I have to myself. So if that is you too (or if you simply want to fit in more reading during your daily life) check out Libro.FM! If you use the code LupitaReads you’ll receive two audiobook credits for 14.99 USD with your first month of membership. These credits can be used on your choice of more than 250,00 audiobooks on Libro. FM.
And if you need some audiobook recommendations - I made a list just for you!
Great interview! You ask such fun questions ☺️ Also enjoyed a recent episode of NPRs “It’s Been a Minute” featuring Julissa. She’s popping up everywhere for me! ❤️