The House on Spruce Street
Reading Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street reminded me of when my family and I moved into our first house because the book follows Esperanza Cordero as she and her family move into their first house on Mango Street. I didn’t love The House on Mango Street only because it’s a book of vignettes and I’m more into traditional novels, but I fell in love with the author’s introduction where she talks about becoming an author.
The Broken Earth: A story for the oppressed
N.K. Jemisin’s fantasy novel, The Fifth Season, which is the first installment in her trilogy, The Broken Earth, was published in 2015. It’s the first fantasy I’d read for adults and I was a little intimidated to start it thinking it would be difficult to understand and follow. I’d heard so much about this series though, which won a Hugo Award for each volume, the first Black writer to do so, that I had to get it.
My First Tarot Reading
For as long as I can remember I was fascinated by tarot cards, how they could foretell your future, warning you of something that would happen, but growing up Catholic I was taught in religion class and at home that tarot cards were forbidden. It was considered sinful to know what God had in store for you. I remember my dad took me once to the bookstore where I scoured the shelves, not looking for anything in particular until I found a book with tarot cards that promised to teach you how to use it.
When I Was Puerto Rican: A New Identity
In a previous blog post, “Kill Jane Austen,” I wrote about wanting to read more Latino authors and through my research had found a memoir by Esmeralda Santiago, When I Was Puerto Rican, published in 1993, which immediately intrigued me because my mom is Puerto Rican, born and raised, so I hoped to learn more about what it was like to grow up on the island.
Cobra Kai: Like a Bonsai
I hadn’t grown up watching The Karate Kid, mostly because I was just a girly girl who wasn’t remotely interested in anything I deemed too boyish, but when I started hearing buzz about a YouTube show based on The Karate Kid franchise moving to Netflix—Cobra Kai—I went back to watch the movie and fell in love with the story, the deep lessons and wisdom Mr. Miyagi shared with Daniel LaRusso. The story was deeper than I could’ve imagined.
Keep That Same Energy
Like anyone in love with Harry Potter, I was so excited to learn HBO was releasing a reunion special with, at least, most of the main cast returning. I quickly lost faith in the reunion, however, when I learned J.K. Rowling wouldn’t be a part of it and noticed that almost every post I saw about it excluded her name. She’s been the victim of cancel culture for saying things like women have periods, so I was worried how the reunion would be handled. Would they mention her?
Barbie World
My twenties were encumbered with painstaking efforts to treat my blotchy and scarred cheeks after struggling with cystic acne from 17 to 21-years-old (during my college years), a crucial period for evolving and socializing but that I, filled with insecurity and shame, refrained from. I paid for any affordable procedure that could correct my inflammation and scarring post-acne: chemical peels, facials, cryotherapy, microneedling; I invested in serums, exfoliators, and retinols to brighten my dull complexion.
30 Something
I looked up shyly at my second-grade teacher, Mrs. Vauple. She had milky skin with two bright red spots on her cheeks, shoulder-length brown curls, and bangs that strangely didn’t spiral the way the rest of her hair did. She handed me a hardcover book titled Maria Molina and the Days of the Dead. I was surprised to see my name staring at me and blushed.
Kill Jane Austen
Nobody can deny that Austen is an amazing writer whose stories should be read by everyone, especially aspiring writers, and her name and works should never be erased from the literary canon. But that’s the thing: She will never be forgotten, so must Hollywood continue to adapt her books?
Rabbit out the Trap
I first saw stand-up comedian Ms. Pat in 2017 on one of my favorite podcasts, Your Mom’s House, hosted by comedians and married couple, Tom Segura and Christina P., where they discussed her memoir, Rabbit, a book she completed with writer Jeannine Amber, who did a fantastic job transcribing her life.
Lowkey best TV couple: Issa and Lawrence
When I first heard of the HBO comedy, Insecure, back when it premiered in 2016, I was flabbergasted by the courage creator, Issa Rae, had in using that word: Insecure; I just didn’t know you could say you felt insecure out loud. My boyfriend and I watched it together every Sunday night, and I was surprised that he could be into a TV show with two female protagonists, Issa Dee played by Issa Rae, and Molly Carter portrayed by Yvonne Orji.
We are all clowns
The 2019 film Parasite received the top awards at this year’s Oscars ceremony: Best Motion Picture, Best Director, and Original Screenplay. But should it have?
Born Tired
One day, during my junior year of high school, I was transitioning from one class to another, resting my pile of textbooks on my desk when I felt something strange, a compression in my chest that felt like someone was squeezing my insides as I squeezed the sides of my desk.
Photo by Militza Molina
La Negra Tiene Tumbao
“I’m not Black! I’m brown!” These were the words angrily yelled by my Afro-Latina cousin as a child when someone called her negra, repeated to me years later by my aunt as she held onto the kitchen counter for support, her belly shaking with unbridled laughter.
Workin' Moms
Workin’ Moms, a sitcom created by Catherine Reitman based on her own experiences, and now streaming on Netflix, encapsulates exactly what to expect after you have a baby, (your life turns upside down overnight), realistically depicting all the comical, raw experiences of sharing your life and time with a new person, which people don’t warn you about before you become a first-time parent.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: The Cursed Father
I grew up devouring the Harry Potter books like a soul-sucking dementor, placing my name on the pre-order list whenever a blessed release date approached, bursting with excitement when I held a fresh copy in my hands, flipping to the first page to pick up where I had left off in Harry’s magical adventures at Hogwarts; therefore, when my partner surprised me with tickets to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in New York for my 30th birthday I was as happy as a house-elf.
Quantum Leap
While watching an interview with the creator of the television show Workin’ Moms’ Catherin Reitman on BUILD Series, I connected right away with her words when she mentioned the rapid turn-around we often expect when it comes to establishing the life we envision for ourselves. We imagine taking a quantum leap when it comes to achieving our dreams, as if there can only be one fixed outcome and one arbitrary date of when everything must be accomplished.
Dolemite Is My Name: Perseverance Is My Game
After watching Dolemite is My Name twice—technically three times but the first time I watched it I was in and out like double-dutch, exhausted from a long day’s work—this movie, which is streaming on Netflix, immediately became one of my favorite films, the character of Rudy Ray Moore ranking high with another one of my all-time favorite movies, It’s a Wonderful Life’s George Bailey. Both movies coincidentally follow the inspiring journey of dreamers; Dolemite even has the vibe of a Frank Capra picture where the underdog finally wins at the end.
SZA's Ctrl
Two years ago, 26-year-old Solana Rowe, known professionally as SZA, released her debut album, Ctrl (pronounced “control”), a conceptual album whose lyrics spanned the gamut of self-love, insecurities, growing up, break-ups and hook-ups, and, generally, being 20-something, figuring life out. After listening to Ctrl for the first time, I felt in my bones that the album was a veritable classic, and how could it not be?
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