Hello Friends! Welcome to another book review. This time, it is for the book If I Denounce My Accent, a novel by Sindy Feliz. This novel is a fiction book based on true events, and the author, Sindy, is a Dominican immigrant who will be a guest on my podcast. I am excited to interview her and listen to her journey of coming to the United States. Also, her writing process and how this book came about. Have I told you that I love interviewing authors? I truly do.
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Anyways, if you purchase this book on her website, you will receive a book care package. The package comes with a signed copy of the book, a customized tote bag, a bookmark, a small faceless doll made in the Dominican Republic (these dolls are a staple to our culture), and a sticker!
I absolutely loved the package and the personalized note Sindy put in my book. And I finished this book on our trip to the Dominican Republic this past holiday season. There was something different about reading a book about the Dominican culture and experience while being in the Dominican Republic.
If I Denounce My Accent
The book starts with Rafaela (the main character) describing herself as a typical island girl with big, beautiful curls. And the struggle she had with convincing her mother to let her relax her hair. When she finally relaxed her hair, I felt and looked grown.
Straighten hair has always been the preference in the Dominican culture. At least, it was for me growing up. I remember hearing adults, especially my grandma, say that having straight hair was when your hair was done, not curly. It was never done or cute if it was curly. If anything, you had a “pajon” – which is slang for “big hair” or “afro.” And that was looked down upon.
Rafaela describes the cramped living conditions that she, her sisters, and her mother experienced when they moved to the United States. It was eleven of them, all living in a two-bedroom apartment. Which is not uncommon for immigrants, believe it or not.
The book takes you on Rafaela’s immigration journey, adapting to living in a new country and trying to find her way in high school. At the same time, she’s too shy to speak because of the little English she knows and the memories she has of the Dominican Republic. The good memories and the bad memories and how they shaped who she is.
What Stood Out to Me
I loved how real If I Denounce My Accent is. And what I mean by that is there are topics of discussion that are far too common in the Dominican culture that get swept under the rug. Although I was born in the United States, there are still a few things I can relate to. Believe it or not, language was an issue for me growing up because my parents spoke to me in Spanish at home. So, I vividly remember starting school and not knowing the language. And sometimes, I would feel foolish for not knowing certain words in English. Or not knowing certain concepts that my peers knew.
This book reminded me a little of Julia Alvarez’s book, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent, and I loved some of the history of the Dominican Republic that was written in the book. That is something I’ve told myself I want to learn more about.
Overall, the book was good. You get a good grasp of Rafaela’s struggles, but as the story goes on, you also see her find her way and accomplish her goals!
With Love, Heidy
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Listen to Sindy’s episode on The American Dream in The Eyes Of Immigrants Podcast
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