This was a difficult book to read. It wasn’t a piece of fiction that someone had conjured up, instead it was a recounting of an actual person’s story. Since Mama Blanca we hadn’t read a story that was based on a person’s life, so reading this was a bit hard to register because of the overall content. I know from the lecture it was mentioned that there might be parts in the book that were made up, but if we disregard that the content is still quite heavy. I think this might be the most “content” heavy book I will read in this class, and I don’t really know how I feel about it. I can’t really say I like or dislike this book, but what I will say is that it was the most emotionally taxing book so far.

There’s one line from the book that really got to me and has stayed in my head for a while. In chapter 13, the lines “I was very depressed about life because I thought, what would life be like when I grew up? I thought about my childhood and all the time that had passed.” (pg.176), is something I can’t forget. The quote itself seems so out of place, in the book. If you forget the context in which the quote was said, it seems like something that would be said in young adult book, movie or tv show. I feel like its a line everyone can relate to, I definitely started questioning my future before I turned 20 because I kept thinking about everything I hadn’t accomplished in the years before. The future felt so vague and scary, and I can’t imagine what it was like for Rigoberta. It was essentially a turning point in her life because, in my opinion, that’s when she started thinking who she is, in terms of her race and gender, and how she has the ability to make a difference. Or maybe I’m just reading too much into it…

Moreover, the books content having to do with discrimination and inequality was quite eye opening and moving. It’s not like race and discrimination isn’t talked about, but the way it was described here in such clear detail added another layer of realness, that you don’t get to read about often.

Question to think about: It was mentioned in the book that Rigoberta started becoming a leader within her community. However, it wasn’t until the deaths of her family members that really pushed her into being an activist. My question is, do you think that if members of her family hadn’t died she wouldn’t have become as big of an activist like this?