Book 1- Post 2

    After writing the first blog post about American Like Me by America Ferrera, I knew that I would love to read and know more about this fascinating book. While the book starts with the introduction and the childhood story of Ferrera, it continues to talk about the personal stories of Ferrera’s friends. When getting to page 165, I came across a very interesting chapter about America Ferrera that I would like to share with you.

    The chapter starts with a very deep and strong statement by Ferrera: “I am standing on my father’s grave” (p.165). It was 20 years since the last time Ferrera saw her father before he left from the US to Honduras, and she explains that the reason of her standing there is vague and unclear. She came to Honduras to educate herself on the struggles and upheaval that women experience under disempowering and oppressive system. Same as the first chapter, Ferrera keeps saying that all she heard as a child was how lucky she was to be an American born, and how her parents left everything in Honduras to come to the US and give her and her siblings an opportunity for education and a chance to live their dreams. She also claims that for her, Honduras was a country that existed in the past and was unknown since she had to think of Honduras as the fate she had been spared from. 

    When Ferrera turned 26 years old, she explained that a switch flipped in her head. After avoiding thoughts about her father, she decided to start looking for him. It was a very scary and terrifying move for her but she knew that it is something that she can’t give up on- Knowing her past. Unfortunately, she received a phone call from her aunt saying that her father has passed away. The book takes us back to the begging where she said that she is standing on her father’s grave. While trying to seek for information about her family history, she states: “For the first time in my life I was recognizing a huge part of myself in my family history” (p. 175). She noticed the similarity between her and her great-grandfather. He was an activist who was fighting on the battlefield for the rights of his citizens. 

    Ferrrea ended the chapter with saying again, that all she heard her whole life was how grateful she is that her parents immigrated to the US from Honduras, and that she has to appreciate it. Indeed, that what she is doing but on the other hand it never crossed her mind to mourn what she has lost. The history, connection, identity, family, and most important knowing herself.