Yasmin Ramirez

Reading Yasmín Ramírez's ¡Ándale, Prieta! feels like giving yourself a gift—something you've been hungry for for a long time, but couldn't quite put your finger on. The book's subtitle, "A Love Letter to My Family" makes it clear what the nature of the gift will be: time spent with a loving, imperfect family facing one challenge after another, both economic and emotional, and remaining strong despite the obstacles. Ramírez's voice and her blend of border Spanish and English is an absolute delight: welcoming and with a bell-like clarity as she studies herself and those around her. I could read thousands of pages of Ramírez writing without wearying. I'm already waiting for Ramírez's next book.

This memoir recounts her experiences growing up in El Paso (and other parts of Texas) and find her way to her current life as a teacher and writer. But the real heart of this memoir is Ramírez's Ita, her maternal grandmother, who cares for Ramírez while her mother works long hours as a Border Parol agent. Ita is a remarkable woman, confounding the expectations one normally connects with a memoir about a beloved grandmother. There are some of the expected elements—home-cooked breakfasts, affectionate nicknames—but there are unexpected ones as well: being taught how to how to fist-fight, late nights spent out in bars, where everyone knows Ita and Ramírez contentedly sips her virgin bloody Marys while Ita sings, flirts, and roots passionately for her favorites during boxing matches.

As Ramírez hits her teen years, she finds herself spending less and less time with Ita, and when Ita dies while Ramírez is working a job in Houston, she hasn't seen her grandmother in years. This where Ramírez's honest reflection comes into play as she tries to understand who she became as she grew older and why becoming that person meant distancing herself from her Ita.

This book is permeated with love—a love that sees clearly and embraces much. Regardless of challenges and rough spots, it's a wonderful place to spend one's time.

I'd like to add a shout-out here to the imprint, Cinco Puntos Press. Founded as an independent press, Cinco Puntos focused on work exploring life along the U.S.-Mexico border. Their catalog included titles for children, young adults, and adults, and all of these were the kind of essential reading giving names and faces to a community not well represented in the publishing world. In 2021, Cinco Puntos Press was acquired by Lee & Low Books. Let's hope that ¡Ándale, Prieta! is typical of the kind of work Cinco Puntos, now a Lee & Low imprint, will continue to publish.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via EdelweissPlus; the opinions are my own.… (plus d'informations)