The pioneering queer theorist and co-editor of This Bridge Called My Back—the 1981 anthology of writing by feminist women of color—offers a personal history through the lens of her complicated relationship with her Mexican mother.
Moraga remembers her difficult mother in a memoir that transcends chronology and the personal ... Moraga’s determination to honor her mother while encouraging Mexican Americans to uncover and rescue their own forgotten legacies is a tour de force recommended for every collection.
... expertly told in Moraga’s lucid prose ... Immigration is always fraught with danger and uncertainty, but Native Country offers some solace for those settling anew ... Moraga’s mix of unitalicized English and Spanish adeptly celebrates and reinforces the culturally specific nature of the work ... Through sections in San Gabriel, grounded in developed settings and revisited in the text, Moraga best addresses the questions she sets out to answer. At other times, she fails to follow her inquiries.
This thoughtful chronicle of the love and acceptance between mother and daughter, the generational effects of the complicated cultural relations between Mexico and America, and caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's will appeal to readers interested in any or all of those subjects.
