Product Description
A “phenomenal, indispensable” (USA Today) exploration of the Latina “sweet fifteen” celebration, by the bestselling author of How the García Girls Lost Their Accents The quinceañera, a celebration of a Latina girl’s fifteenth birthday, has become a uniquely American trend. This lavish party with ball gowns, multi-tiered cakes, limousines, and extravagant meals is often as costly as a prom or a wedding. But many Latina girls feel entitled to this rite of passage, marking a girl’s entrance into womanhood, and expect no expense to be spared, even in working-class families. Acclaimed author Julia Alvarez explores the history and cultural significance of the “quince” in the United States, and the consequences of treating teens like princesses. Through her observations of a quince in Queens, interviews with other quince girls, and the memories of her own experience as a young immigrant, Alvarez presents a thoughtful and entertaining portrait of a rapidly growing multicultural phenomenon, and passionately emphasizes the importance of celebrating Latina womanhood.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 8 reviews)

What are we teaching our girls? by Aunt Jo (GA USA)

5 Stars
April 15, 2009
I graduated from a women's college, where I was surrounded by young women who were told, and who believed, that we could be anything we wanted. "There are stories in our heads about who we must be and what we can do, and these stories drive our lives," Alvarez states in "Once Upon a Quinceanera." Unfortunately, according to this book, the message that young women are receiving has narrowed. Conspicuous consumption, the celebration of "native customs" while simultaneously trying to assimilate into the mainstream culture, the celebration of a girl's physical appearance with little regard to developing her intellectual capabilities--all of these are disturbing threads in this book. Alvarez weaves her own experiences as a transplant from the Dominican Republic to the U.S. into the fabric of the book, providing not only a glimpse at a contemporary quince but a look through time from the 1960s to the present. Read this book whether you are Latina/o or not, and consider what our society is teaching young girls. Where do they find their value? What contributions can they make to society? What doors are open for them? For what are they praised and rewarded? Alvarez ends the book with a desire to gain wisdom from other women; may we hope the same for our young women before it's too late.

Interesting and Entertaining by Y. Morales (College Park, MD)

4 Stars
April 06, 2009
I am a student at the University of Maryland in College Park and read this book for an American Studies class. We had to choose a book to write a review about, but the book had to be a testimonio of sorts. I chose this book because I thought it would be interesting to learn a little more about the Quinceanera tradition. I am a Latina myself and I cannot say that I knew a lot about the history of the tradition before reading this book. The book was an eye-opener when it comes to the life of young Latinas growing up in the United States today. I am one of them and even I did not realize some of these things. I did not know that Latina women are at the top of the statistic charts when it comes to high risk behavior like drugs, alcohol, and teenage pregnancy. Alvarez does an amazing job of using the Quinceanera tradition and showing various themes throughout the book. For example, what does a Quinceanera instill in a young Latina? When one thinks about it, it really does encourage the young to girl marry, have children, and be a devoted wife and mother. It does not really encourage the girl to be truly independent and value things like education. Even the father of the young girl who Alvarez follows in the novel mentions this when he says that, "Years ago, you hoped to be able to give your daughter a wedding. Today, though, you don't know if they are ever going to get married or just live with the guy like they do here. Why not give them something like that while we can?" And that something for them is the Quinceanera. I really recommend this book, especially to young Latinas growing up in the U.S., it is great in terms of learning a lot more about the history of the Quinceanera. However, the book is truly great is showing how difficult is truly is to be a young Latina coming of age in the United States.

As a Latina... by Vampara (Tampa, FL)

3 Stars
March 31, 2009
As a Latina reading this book is kind of weird because the shared experiences are common sense to me. however, I can see how someone of outside the culture would probably find this book interesting.

Not what I was expecting by Sofia Galvez (Houston, tx United States)

3 Stars
March 10, 2009
First off I want to say I am a fan of Julia Alvarez after reading previous books from her. This is what drew me to this book. I just felt that Ms.Alvarez tried to hard to identify with these young ladies and their coming of age celebration. I felt she had to put her own story in every detail in the celebration of a quince. I've read books about her and how she shared her life story so this was just a rehash of previous written material. I do want to give her credit in the fact that I did learn new things about the quinceanera celebration but I do fell a lot was missing(or a lot of her personal story could have been left out). For those who have not read this book you will learn about the quince party and how it spread over the united states but just take in mind that the author puts her own narrative every chance she got.

A wonderful look at a tradition that is holding steadfast but changing at the same time by Bookreporter.com (New York, New York)

4 Stars
January 16, 2008
Award-winning novelist Julia Alvarez has turned her gift for human analysis toward some very real young people in ONCE UPON A QUINCEANERA, a probing and utterly readable look into the tradition of the "quinceanera," the coming-of-age party celebrated by Latina women around the globe. In the wake of MTV's success with sweet 16 shows (in which young girls and their families spend wedding-sized amounts of money on a party where the bling outweighs any cultural significance the occasion might have) and the growing cost of a decent Bat/Bar Mitzvah in these concerned-with-wealth times in America, Alvarez looks at families, native and immigrant, who are still living below the well-to-do line and yet spend upwards of a year's mortgage payments or college tuition to make sure that their young daughter enters the "adult" world in style. It's not just the money that disturbs Alvarez. Having come to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic around the time that she would have celebrated her own coming-of-age, she watches anxiously and sometimes enviously upon girls who don't seem to understand why this tradition is so important to young Latinas. Viewing it only as that --- a giant bling-filled party to impress their friends --- takes away from the rich traditions built into the ceremonies of the quinceanera: the changing of her shoes from flats to heels during the party, signifying her march into adulthood; the doll she carries, the last vestige of childish pursuits she's allowed to enjoy; and the church ceremony, where her grown-up responsibilities are acknowledged before God and the community. Alvarez, who never had her own quince, delves with planners and family members into what, if anything, they remember from their own quinces and how they might incorporate the more stealthy values associated with the rituals into these girls' lives. When she speaks with the young women themselves, it's clear that most of them look upon this as their moment to become a "princess" --- indeed, one has her friends dress like Disney princess characters --- and that the money and energy that their parents, some of whom are struggling in this harsh economic system, are putting into this event is their right. They are, for good or bad, like the average American teen who thinks Beyonce is queen of the world and Jay-Z, her prince, is exactly what everyone should be looking for. At times, it's devastating to read the accounts of how these children are so expectant but don't really understand the changes that this bash is supposed to represent --- and it's clear that Alvarez finds it sad as well. Traditions maintained are supposed to mean something --- but in present-day America, they can be just another excuse to act like overgrown kids or irresponsible adults. She keeps her cool and withholds serious judgment on these children of American entitlement, recognizing with poignancy the struggles of their parents to hold on to dear cultural strengths while trying to assimilate into the broader Bush-driven selfishness and extravagance. The book's most appealing moments come from Alvarez's descriptive look at the craziness surrounding the day of the event and from her own recollections of growing up in the same area in Queens where she follows one family through this intense experience. ONCE UPON A QUINCEANERA is a wonderful look at a tradition that is holding steadfast but changing at the same time. And, most of all, it's about the difficult job mothers and fathers have raising beautiful young daughters in these superficial times. --- Reviewed by Jana Siciliano

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