***2001 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD NOMINEE - NON-FICTION***

***LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOKS OF 2001 - NON-FICTION***

Now in Paperback.

Written in the tradition of Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez, this is an informative and resonant portrait of a child coming to terms with her bicultural identity. American Chica explores the issues and difficulties that confronted a child trying to find her way in the United States as a hybrid Hispanic American. Throughout, Marie Arana provides an unforgettable look at her two worlds: the diverse terrain of Peru, redolent with ghosts of Incan history and mythology; and the vast prairie lands of Wyoming, flat as can be and lined with mountains. In turn, she introduces readers to the colorful people who filled her life: her paternal grandfather who one day simply stopped coming down the stairs; her maternal grandfather who taught her about the constancy of love; and, most importantly, her parents who struggled to overcome bicultural tensions for more than half a century and finally prevailed.

“Arana’s intimate and intelligent memoir captures exactly the pulse of a changing America.”–Library Journal

“A winning portrait of a bicultural childhood...a rich and compelling personal narrative.”–Kirkus Reviews, starred review

 
WINNER - YALSA Best Books for Young Adults

 
Marie Arana is the editor of The Washington Post Book World and has done feature writing for The Post. She has served on the board of directors of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Book Critics Circle. She lives in Washington, D.C.