Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
When it was published in 1991, How the García Girls Lost Their Accents was the first major novel written in English by a Dominican author. Now that's cool. (Source.)
Do you have a sneaking suspicion that How The García Girls Lost Their Accents has some basis in the author's own family life? You're probably right. Julia Alvarez's mom was so mad after the book came out, she refused to speak to her daughter for several months. We guess she didn't find the book particularly flattering. (Source.)
Don't you hate it when you get to the end of a really good novel? It's sort of like losing your best friend. Wait—that's just us? Okay, we need to get out more. Well, anyway, if you're not ready to say goodbye to Yolanda, you're in luck! Alvarez has another book written about her, called ¡Yo! (Source.)
Julia Alvarez doesn't just write novels for grown-ups. She's also a prolific author of poetry, essays, young adult fiction and children's picture books in both English and Spanish. Basically, you name it, Alvarez can write it. (Source.)