This book was read by Meredith Lewis, the [mostly] Orange County Campus Librarian.

Title: Dominicana 

Author: Angie Cruz

Genre: Historical Fiction, Coming-of-age stories [a Bildungsroman]

#ReadGreatThings2019 Category: A book about an immigrant or immigration

Dominicana has been selected as Good Morning America’s Cover to Cover book club‘s inaugural pick. 

Why did you choose to read this book?

Well, I read a review of it and realized it would fit one of my remaining #ReadGreatThings2019 categories, but also that it covered a topic that I didn’t know anything about– the political turmoil in the Dominican Republic during the mid-1960s. I’d also heard an interview with the author where she talked about how she based the main character Ana’s experience loosely on her mother’s own immigration story, which made me curious.

What did you like about it?

Ana is so motivated by love for her family that she marries a man who she doesn’t love in order to help improve their life and opportunities. Watching her work through all the transitions and learn how to best advocate for herself in this situation was the best part of the book for me.

Who would you recommend the book to?

Anyone who enjoys coming-of-age or historical fiction. It really was a great example of both. And an easy read, too, if that matters to you. 

Book friends [related reading recommendations]:

I’d recommend Erika L. Sanchez’s I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter for a modern look at the conflicts between family, culture, and figuring out your own identity and There, There by Tommy Orange for a similar reason.