Becoming a Latina in 10 Easy Steps
Berkley Publishing
January 2006
ISBN 0-425-20755-2

One’s ethnicity should be a given, but for Marcela Alvarez who was born into a Mexican-American family and has been accused one too many times of not being Mexican enough, the challenge becomes, how do you become more Latina?

Well, there are many ways to approach this goal and Marcela, being a creative Hollywood animator, figures she will have no problem devising ten easy steps to make her into a model Latina.

However, when she reaches for the ten easiest clichés rather than ten real steps, all she gets is a domino effect of one disaster after another.

Author Lara Rios was kind enough to share some of her thoughts behind the creation of the book with me. Check it out!

BECOMING LATINA IN 10 EASY STEPS has been classified as chick-lit, but to me it’s just a story about learning to be who you really are. I wrote Becoming Latina in response to hearing quite often from reviewers and readers alike that books by Latino authors were not “Latino enough”. A funny comment, because Latinos are such a varied group of people. What is very Latino for one group, may not be at all for another. So I questioned, “what is it exactly that people think of when they picture a Latino?”

Personally, I don’t have many of the stereotypical traits that are considered “Latino”, however I am very much a Latina. Today I know this, but it wasn’t a conclusion that I came to easily, believe it or not. Growing up, it was difficult for me to figure out exactly who I wanted to be and where I fit in. Being Latina seemed to mean being Mexican which I wasn’t. But I also wasn’t Anglo, I was told by my “white” friends who were sure I wouldn’t burn as easily in the sun because of my Hispanic heritage. I was confused about who I was. My family didn’t help — they only seemed to make things worse. I found that many 2nd and 3rd generation ethnic-Americans face the same confusion of living in two words at the same time.

So I created a character, Marcela, who must face this issue. She is not Latina enough for her family and decides to become so. In showing the way Marcela attempts to become a bunch of cliches and fails miserably, I hope to show in a comical way that we (all women, not just Latinas) are all individuals. Each person has to follow her own dreams and not let society, family, or friends influence or dictate who she should be. The message is that it is impossible to become anything except what you truly are in your heart.

My goal also is to shake loose some of the stereotypes out there, and say that we haven’t all experience the same thing so we are not all alike. In writing my book, I intentionally populated the book with different “groups”. The rich Latinos, the middle class families, the gang member, the political activist, the Latino who is simply an American and could care less about her roots. My editor is Chinese and she told me that when she read the manuscript, she could totally relate to the heroine. So, rather than being a book about embracing one’s heritage, BECOMING LATINA IN 10 EASY STEPS is me saying, “hey, guys, stop with the stereotypes.” Take a real look, we Latinos are just like you. We don’t all speak Spanish, can’t all dance, don’t all cook wonderful meals, we come in every color and race, and some of us have never stepped foot anywhere outside the United States.

But this is all the behind the scenes stuff. Mostly, I hope people will just enjoy a good read with a few laughs, some tears, and of course, a satisfying love story.

Thanks for sharing, Lara!