Caramelo

While not really Tex-Mex, Sandra Cisneros who is Mexican-American and now lives in San Antonio (after having grown up between Mexico City and Chicago, seemed to fit my stint in Austin quite well. I hadn't read any chicano literature before and was curious to see how I would be able to relate to it. I needn't have worried. Cisneros' Caramelo seems to some extent mirror her life's writing, she tells of growing up neither Mexican, nor American, as the only girl in a family of seven kids, not to forget living in near-poverty. Her book is more than a coming-of-age story though, it mixes the life stories of not just her young protagonist, but also her father, (especially) her grandmother, her grandfather and (limitedly) other members of her family. Throw in some tidbits of Mexican and US border history that I was little aware of and you have a fascinating tale spun by an interesting writer immersing her English with Spanish words and sentences.