How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent

Author: Julia Alvarez

This novel is both a family saga and a coming-of-age story. Each of the four Garcia sisters tells her own story of the family's flight from the Dominican Republic and their subsequent adjustment to life in the United States. The novel is largely set in the 1960's, a time of political upheaval in the country the Garcia family left and of great social change in the country they adopted. The novel deals with many themes common to the immigrant experience-intergenerational conflict, bonds to home country and culture, and cross-cultural misunderstanding-as well as themes that are more particular to the experience of political refugees. Because this novel contains some mature material, it is recommended for high school students.

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

Year Released: 1992

Grades 9-12