Book Post 1

 American Like Me by America Ferrera is the first book I chose to read. Its title reminded me of the GE class, Gender and Sexuality in America, that I took last semester. Like the class, the title of the book also focuses on American culture and the American way of things. I have learned in my Genders class that there is no such thing as “America” and everything in America, including the “the American way”, its language, the American culture is produced, regulated, and enforced. Therefore, in hopes of finding some support or contrary to what I have learned from my previous class, I decided to pick up the book.

 

I have read around fifty pages and one of the short excerpts that I remember the most is Al Madrigal’s narrative about his way of navigating through his American life with his own Mexican value. Al Madrigal’s grandpa is originated from Mexico and had immigrated to the US after a fight with the nephew of an infamous general. Al’s value is largely shaped by the “Madrigal guideline,” a skill of doing what you can with what you have, or more colloquially saying, bargaining for deals. In the short excerpt, Al prov\

ided a step to step guideline of how to get what he wants without paying the full price. This guideline is then backed up by his personal experience with his son on getting a set of rare Pokémon cards with just 10 dollars following this detailed instruction. The guideline represents the Madrigal family’s origin and their wisdom. Even though Al is born and raised as an American, this guideline that carries cultural values from his origin, as well as his family’s history, has become an integral part of his life. In a way, Al establishes a connection to his family’s origin even though he is not physically present in the country. I look forward to finishing the book and reading more stories about life between cultures. I am sure that there will be more stories that are not only insightful but also inspiring to read.