Back at it! Letters to My Mother by Teresa Cardenas

It was not my intention to be on "vacation" for so long, but August and the beginning of the school year seemed to run altogether. We're back now with a quick, but captivating Responsive Read.

Genre: Epistolary Novel

Grade Level: 6 - 12

Interest Level: 6-12

Themes: family, loss, forgiveness, love, prejudice coming of age, Cuban culture, standards of beauty.
Sensitivity Issues - subtle sexual references, references to menstruation, and references to physical/sexual abuse.

Goodreads Summary - 

The narrator of Letters to My Mother is a young Afro-Cuban girl who, when her mother dies, must live with her aunt and cousins. Dependent on them and their goodwill, she’s deeply wounded by their taunts about how dark her skin is and their attacks on her behavior in general, including her choice not to straighten her hair. When not at home, she must endure constant, casual racial prejudice. To keep the memory of her mother alive, and to remind herself that she was once unconditionally loved, she writes letters telling “Mami” what she is suffering and feeling. Composed wholly of these letters, this powerful, moving novel tells how the heroine comes of age. Is her inner strength sufficient to overcome her pain and the bigotry of the people in her life?When it was originally published, Letters to My Mother was attacked for exposing the problem of racism in contemporary Cuban society. Nevertheless, this illuminating, thoughtful work went on to win major awards.

What I Thought - 
Cardenas captures the sorrow, confusion and loneliness of a 10 year old girl that has lost her mother. I love that the text is simple, yet full of imagery and emotion, making it both accessible and interesting  for many reading levels and ages. I love  the rich cultural references that are sometimes subtle and sometimes  explicit. The novel deliberately explores the issues of  colorism, in Cuba, as the unnamed protagonist, who is Afro-Cuban, tries not only to manage the grief of losing her mother, but also the mistreatment of the relatives she has been sent to stay with.  She struggles with her grandmothers ideas about race, "Grandma says it's good to improve our race and the way to do that is to marry a white person." She also must endure prejudice against her dark skin and African features, but she is self aware enough to appreciate who she is. "I don't like it when people say that blacks are bembones, thick lipped...What do you think I'd look like with blue eyes, a bony nose and a thin mouth? Ugly as can be-- don't you agree?... That's why I won't let anyone run a hot comb through my hair. I don't want to look like Sara. I would even prefer to have cornrows, like African women."  Cardenas has created an opportunity to discuss and explore the damaging effects of a European standard of beauty that excludes most people, in particular blacks. Also, I like that the protagonist is reflective, loving and able to see past others faults in order to  find their humanity.
 

Instructional Possibilities -
It is full of material for research and collaborative discussion, on such topics as colorism, sexism, family responsibility, overcoming grief and Afro-Cuban culture/history to name a few. It could be used as a  model text, as a whole or in parts for narrative writing, with particular emphasis  on details, and point of view. It is wonderful for read alouds, and would be great to use for Reader's Theater, or just getting different students to read aloud with their own flavor/interpretations. This would be especially effective combined with a character study, since the protagonist  evolves from the frightened and grief stricken 10 year old she is at the beginning of the novel to the more mature, forgiving young woman she is at the end of the novel.  For reading standards it is effective for  analysis of text structures, characterization, point of view, and word choice. So many possibilities!

It's a lovely book. Go get it.