Julissa Arce's meditation on being a high achieving Latina in a white supremacist society is thought provoking and a much needed addition to the conversation. "You Sound like a White Girl" lives up to its subtitle, "The Case for Rejecting Assimilation."

Assimilation is traumatic. It also is a scale - from folks who full on reject their family heritage to those, like myself, who try to work around things that most signal otherness, like an accent. Arce writes what can only be described as a love letter to her younger self on proudly claiming her status as an undocumented immigrant and college graduate. Arce makes a case that by claiming all parts of ourselves, we not only live the most authentic lives possible, but also help to reshape what others envision when they hear "undocumented immigrant" and "college graduate."

Arce does not hold back in calling out the white supremacy that seeps into Mexican life as well as life in the USA. Colorism is tackled. Her defense of affirmative action is like water in this current political moment that is drying out support.

That said, "You Sound like a White Girl" is meant for an intro audience. This is a book to give a younger Latinx person who may be struggling with fulfilling their potential, chasing their dreams, and remaining faithful to their upbringing. The main narrative in our culture tells us to choose, Arce says, weave it all in. This is not a radical book, unless you subscribe to a full assimilation strategy. If you do, buckle up and be prepared to be schooled.

IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO REVIEW SUCH AN IMPORTANT BOOK.
I was drawn to this because of its title, You Sound Like a White Girl. Growing up “half Mexican/half white,” being told I sound like a white girl was a mockery, not a compliment. For Julissa, it was intended to be a good thing but naturally she knew it wasn’t. She was being told that she can assimilate to societal standards well, and to be grateful for that. I was being told that by having a white father that I wasn’t Mexican enough, which only made me want to embrace that side of me more. Even if I didn’t understand how.

Arce tells readers her experience as an immigrant that overcame the giant hurdles to American citizenship. It wasn’t easy in a literal sense of documentation and legal obligations, but it also was troubling mentally. She breaks down the ways that she was told directly and indirectly that to be accepted was to be a legal American, with a great job and a steady income. That’s the dream. No one told her that when she got there on Wall Street, she still wouldn’t be enough because she’s not white. People look at her and wonder what kinds of scholarships she must have received to get there. It’s assumed that she must have been part of an Affirmative Action hire. Sure, some people will not believe that kind of mistreatment happens. Again, this is her story. A lot of people will relate to this and feel seen.

THERE ARE IMPORTANT AMERICAN AND MEXICAN HISTORY LESSONS.
I won’t try to retell all of the eye opening historical references from Arce, but I will mention that I’m one of the people who didn’t realize that when the American border was drawn, Native Mexicans were trapped in America. You’d think that means citizenship, but it did not. They were other. The census was created to further classify them away from “white”. The state of California didn’t desegregate schools until 1947! Mexican children were put in separate schools for “their own sake”.

I could go on and on about all of the injustice documented in You Sound Like a White Girl, but instead I’ll end on the positives. Julissa Arce reached a high level of success in part to assimilation. She assimilated so she could go by unnoticed while she was still an illegal citizen. As an adult, she’s reached the point in her life where she could let go of the American “dream job” to be true to herself, and use her influence to help others with similar stories. It’s difficult I’m sure to put herself out there so publicly and stand up to racial bias from fellow authors at events. I admire her courage to challenge societal norms and give a powerful voice to many.

WE’VE COME A LONG WAY, BUT WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to read this book. It opened my eyes to some of the ways my own family has been mistreated, and where the ignorance stems from. I think the people reading this book will find something of value to apply in their own life. I’ve recognized some of the ways I’ve assimilated and now I’m consciously trying to undo some of that damage. Even the little moments standing up to coworkers can have a big impact. I’m reminding myself to stay brave and not stay quiet.

Short Review: A memoir about what it was like for Julissa Arce to live in America as an undocumented immigrant and the push toward assimilation she experienced. Along with the Mexican history Arce provided, this book offers important and valuable insight.

Long Review:
In her book You Sound Like A White Girl, Julissa Arce recounts what it was like for her to live in America as an undocumented immigrant. She offers stories of hurt and hope and the push toward assimilation. She touches on belonging and wanting to embrace her culture while society demands the opposite.

I learned so much from this book. Arce provides important information about Mexican history, adding richness, context, and depth to the book. As someone educated in the US public school system, it's not lost on me why I wasn't taught accurate history about Mexico. Additionally, I thought her views about the discussion around the book American Dirt were interesting and one of the best explanations I've come across. I am looking forward to seeing what her next projects are and I am going to add her other books to my TBR.

Wow. There is so much to say about this book, and yet anything that I could possible write about this book could not do it justice. The title of this book is provocative. As a non-white woman, I've been told numerous times that I "sound like a white girl." For other women of color, we know that this phrase is loaded. It means a lot of things and typically all of them are racist. However, I didn't really know if I would really like the book. I've read so many memoir-esq social justice books. Each person's experience is unique, special, and oftentimes painful. And we don't always need to read about it. Oftentimes, the author (or more likely than not the publisher) flattens the experience to please white readers so that they can feel better about reading a book by a non-white person. I honestly thought this might be one of those books. I was so happy to be wrong.

Julissa Natzely Acre Raya has written a book that is part memoir, part essay, and part history lesson detailing what it means to be Mexican in North America. Acre doesn't shy away from the hard truths of her journey, her attempts to assimilate and to be "good," participating in the capitalistic machine, and ultimately even being published under the same imprint that published 'American Dirt.' It was extremely refreshing to read someone who was so willing to look at the full picture of their own humanity and bring the humanity of others into their justice and liberation work. Reading this book, reinvigorated my hope in a more just future for all.

Another thing that puts Acre leagues above others who write about justice work is how intersectional her approach was in talking about issues affecting Mexicans in the US. While centering Mexican issues throughout the entire book, Acre did an excellent job of acknowledging where certain Mexican movements got inspiration (and also inspired) other identity based movements across the country. She spoke of the dual situality that Mexicans have in certain issues, such as race in the US, and did not shy away from the topic. She explained multiple sides of the issue, asserted her personal opinion, while also allowing the reader space to form their own thoughts on the situation. I've seen so many authors fumble around sensitive topics that affect identities outside of their own. As someone with multiple intersecting marginalized, I can find myself frustrated by the way this can be handled. I think that many activists and scholars could learn a lot from how Acre handled many of these topics in You Sound Like a White Girl, and I will be recommending this book to others invested in justice and liberation work.

Thank you to Julissa Acre, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It was truly a pleasure!

As a young person, Julissa Arce worked hard to become what some would call an "immigrant success story". She taught herself to speak perfect American English, focused on her studies, and got a high power job on Wall Street. But the goal posts kept moving, and she eventually learned that assimilation is not the answer to racism she once thought it was. In this phenomenal book, Arce argues against pressures for Latine people and other BIPOC to assimilate into white culture. Arce fits an incredible amount of research, theory, and personal experiences into a clearly and powerfully written 200 pages. Everyone should read this book!

This is a well-researched book that Arce fills with anecdotes both personal and historical. I am glad that she used her voice and her platform to make a space for this text. It belongs on shelves with others like Hood Feminism and Between the World and Me.