Living Beyond Borders: Growing Up As Mexican in America

Bibliography

Longoria, Margarita, editor. Living Beyond Borders: Growing Up Mexican in America. Viking Books for Young Readers, 2022. ISBN: 978-0-593-20498-6.

Plot Summary

LIVING BEYOND BORDERS: GROWING UP MEXICAN IN AMERICA is an anthology gathered by Margarita Longoria. It includes many young adult stories about the Mexican American identity. Each showcasing different experiences of growing up between both cultures, languages, and expectations in the USA. The book talks about racism, immigration, being "too Mexican" or "not enough", and belonging. 

Critical Analysis

Margarita Longoria curated a great and important anthology that perfectly showcases the life of a Mexican American young adult. Typically, books showcase only a few realities and perspectives of a culture, which can become difficult for a student to find themselves in. But this book allows for many opportunities to find themselves in. When only one version of the culture is being showcased, it can cause readers to feel like their version is not normal or that it belongs in literature. This anthology breaks that mold and allows most versions of the Mexican American experience to become the center of the story.

This book contains many views within Texas, making it quite personal for readers within that state. From hearing Spanish at home, English at school, or both mixing into Spanglish. Readers understand what it feels like trying to figure out what part of their home life fits in elsewhere, because they typically don't. This book validates all of those experiences for young readers instead of ignoring them.

Personally, I connected to this book as I grew up Salvadorian and Mexican American in a small predominantly white town in Texas. Even though this book focuses on the Mexican American experiences, many of the stories and experiences within this book felt very similar to me. I understand that experience of living in between and trying to find where to belong. In just my 26 years of living, I have personally seen a rise in Hispanic and Latinx culture throughout Texas, but that does not mean it is fully understood... and respected. This book allows for many parts of the culture to be seen and understood. 

Overall, LIVING BEYOND BORDERS is a meaningful and necessary anthology. It supports readers from the Latinx and Hispanic American culture. It builds empathy for readers from other backgrounds to understand and see our culture. 

Review Excerpts

"This superlative collection of fiction, essays, poetry, and graphic vignettes is as varied as its contributors. The experiences portrayed in this anthology are deeply personal with sharp, heartfelt ruminations on the experience of living on the cusp of two cultures, as Longoria notes in the introduction. " Booklist, starred review.

"Twenty original contributions by Mexican American authors about growing up in the U.S. In a note to readers, editor Longoria describes feeling compelled to create this anthology as she saw Mexican Americans being attacked and derided in the media. The result is this collection of short stories, personal essays, graphic stories, and poems by Mexican American authors. The standouts here pack a real emotional punch. Awareness of the impact of socio-economic status often takes center stage, and several pieces are set in the Rio Grande Valley. Protagonists vary in age from middle school through adult and are predominantly mestizx." Kirkus, starred review.

Awards

Outstanding Works of Literature, 2021, Short List, High School

Best Children's Books of the Year, 2022  Ages 14 and Older

Booklist Book Review Stars, 2021 

Connections

This book could be used during Hispanic Heritage Month. Each story can also be pulled directly as exemplar for a unit on creative writing. Units on identity and/or culture would pair well with this book too.