What do you think?
Rate this book
If I Denounce My Accent
Ela, short for Rafaela, is a teenager attending her second year of high school. She's overwhelmed by being foreign in a new country, with a new language and new people. She knew life would change but didn't know how she would have to fight for a place in the world. While at the same time navigating through the phenomenon of growing up, finding herself, choosing a career, and even finding the role that she would have to play in the midst of racism and prejudice.
At the beginning of her senior year of high school, she discovers a deep secret from her childhood that redirected her life. It redefined her relationships and led her to the path of relearning self-love and self-acceptance. While this was liberating, she had to hold it in and find comfort from other sources and not from those she loved because of her fear of being judged. Ela faced disappointment and obstacles, but she had to continue to move on and fight the odds to have her voice heard in her community. The lack of representation for people like her forced her to find motivation and inspiration from her own strength and willingness to achieve her dreams; her family's dreams. If I Denounce My Accent explores the different struggles immigrants have to endure, which is something rarely discussed. It browses through the meaning of being an immigrant in a country that continues to remind us that we shouldn't belong.
At the beginning of her senior year of high school, she discovers a deep secret from her childhood that redirected her life. It redefined her relationships and led her to the path of relearning self-love and self-acceptance. While this was liberating, she had to hold it in and find comfort from other sources and not from those she loved because of her fear of being judged. Ela faced disappointment and obstacles, but she had to continue to move on and fight the odds to have her voice heard in her community. The lack of representation for people like her forced her to find motivation and inspiration from her own strength and willingness to achieve her dreams; her family's dreams. If I Denounce My Accent explores the different struggles immigrants have to endure, which is something rarely discussed. It browses through the meaning of being an immigrant in a country that continues to remind us that we shouldn't belong.
222 pages, Paperback
Published September 21, 2022
8 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 22, 2024
“Every day, I miss the non-stop waves outside my window. I had to travel across the sea to appreciate my Island-Girl life. I had to step out of the scene and watch it on the screen to know that I was truly living my best life on the island.” ✨🌊🏝️
the book reads like a young adult novel in the way that it’s very much about the main protagonist’s coming of age.
Ela, short for Rafaela, is a teen and immigrant coming from the Dominican Republic to New Jersey in the hopes of not only adapting but triumphing for both herself and her family who mean so much to her 🌟
throughout the book, you get Ela confronting waves of insecurities that comes with being not only an immigrant but a girl that is self-conscious of beauty standards that are implemented from a very young age. being a teenager also affects her self-esteem as it fluctuates with craving validation from others. Ela’s values keep her grounded though and she is focused and determined when things got tough along the way.
When Ela arrives to the U.S., she immediately has to grapple with real life problems in addition to juggling her schoolwork. She gets to experience HS at its last two and most crucial years and already has to make moves to secure a bright future starting with finding a college to attend. This causes her much anxiety but even more so for someone that is still trying to settle in and make friends and find love and come to terms with improving her broken English.
At the heart of the book, we also have childhood trauma that Ela has had to process on her own. Through the help of a book that describes abuse for what it is and that doesn’t hold back from holding the abuser accountable for their actions, she begins her road toward healing as a victim of sexual abuse.
“… I could feel tears of frustration welling in my eyes, my vision becoming blurred while images from my own life flashed through my head… Tears that waited decades to flow and help mourn something they knew I lost.”
A trip down memory lane reveals more of Ela’s upbringing in Los Patos, “a beautiful town located in the southern part of the Dominican Republic” and how lucky she felt to live near everyone she loved. It’s wholesome until the trust is broken by an older cousin. It’s heartbreaking to read but very much necessary to understand how much baggage Ela carries on the back of her mind, alone.
That being said, her time at her hometown were not all bad: “These were golden afternoons, and they made me forget about my worries. These days I didn’t think about growing up and everything that comes with it. I lived in the moment, in the present joy and enjoyed my life and my friends for what they were.”
Ela continues to grow up and becomes her own person. Her past experiences affects how she processes her present and always looking to do her best, she works on coming out of her shell. Especially as college demands more of her as it relates to adulting and the real life outside of school.
I love this third part of the story where you see Ela finally “embracing the multicultural side of [herself].”
“I realized that my broken English was just part of me, and anyone who thought me to be less than because of it was losing out on someone great.”
Ela finally meeting a love interest that is actually genuinely good for her and mature in his pursuit of her affection also makes for bringing about good things to the main character whom you root for to succeed all the way.
The financial aspect of college and education in general is always something that Ela has to contend with and as graduation nears, it comes to show itself once more as the last obstacle before a happy ending.
“I know that I am strong, and I can bring my own joy and happiness into my life.” This is how the book ends but after finally graduating and confiding in her twin sisters about her being a victim of sexual abuse, she is filled with relief after sharing her truth with someone else.
“Sharing my story was like validating its existence, validating the existence of that six-year-old girl who had made it through so much.” 💖🙏🏽
the book reads like a young adult novel in the way that it’s very much about the main protagonist’s coming of age.
Ela, short for Rafaela, is a teen and immigrant coming from the Dominican Republic to New Jersey in the hopes of not only adapting but triumphing for both herself and her family who mean so much to her 🌟
throughout the book, you get Ela confronting waves of insecurities that comes with being not only an immigrant but a girl that is self-conscious of beauty standards that are implemented from a very young age. being a teenager also affects her self-esteem as it fluctuates with craving validation from others. Ela’s values keep her grounded though and she is focused and determined when things got tough along the way.
When Ela arrives to the U.S., she immediately has to grapple with real life problems in addition to juggling her schoolwork. She gets to experience HS at its last two and most crucial years and already has to make moves to secure a bright future starting with finding a college to attend. This causes her much anxiety but even more so for someone that is still trying to settle in and make friends and find love and come to terms with improving her broken English.
At the heart of the book, we also have childhood trauma that Ela has had to process on her own. Through the help of a book that describes abuse for what it is and that doesn’t hold back from holding the abuser accountable for their actions, she begins her road toward healing as a victim of sexual abuse.
“… I could feel tears of frustration welling in my eyes, my vision becoming blurred while images from my own life flashed through my head… Tears that waited decades to flow and help mourn something they knew I lost.”
A trip down memory lane reveals more of Ela’s upbringing in Los Patos, “a beautiful town located in the southern part of the Dominican Republic” and how lucky she felt to live near everyone she loved. It’s wholesome until the trust is broken by an older cousin. It’s heartbreaking to read but very much necessary to understand how much baggage Ela carries on the back of her mind, alone.
That being said, her time at her hometown were not all bad: “These were golden afternoons, and they made me forget about my worries. These days I didn’t think about growing up and everything that comes with it. I lived in the moment, in the present joy and enjoyed my life and my friends for what they were.”
Ela continues to grow up and becomes her own person. Her past experiences affects how she processes her present and always looking to do her best, she works on coming out of her shell. Especially as college demands more of her as it relates to adulting and the real life outside of school.
I love this third part of the story where you see Ela finally “embracing the multicultural side of [herself].”
“I realized that my broken English was just part of me, and anyone who thought me to be less than because of it was losing out on someone great.”
Ela finally meeting a love interest that is actually genuinely good for her and mature in his pursuit of her affection also makes for bringing about good things to the main character whom you root for to succeed all the way.
The financial aspect of college and education in general is always something that Ela has to contend with and as graduation nears, it comes to show itself once more as the last obstacle before a happy ending.
“I know that I am strong, and I can bring my own joy and happiness into my life.” This is how the book ends but after finally graduating and confiding in her twin sisters about her being a victim of sexual abuse, she is filled with relief after sharing her truth with someone else.
“Sharing my story was like validating its existence, validating the existence of that six-year-old girl who had made it through so much.” 💖🙏🏽
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2025
This book was so wonderful! if I Denounce My Accent is a strong YA novel that effectively blends universal struggles of growing up while experiencing the challenges of being a teen immigrant. Ella full name Rafaela a Dominican immigrant, is trying to find her identity and belonging throughout this novel.
She was such a resilient woman and I found it so interesting it took place where I grew up in New Jersey so I know how hard it was to live there. Even though I was born in the states I related to so many of her struggles, and it really resonated that she was Dominican like me.
I highly recommend this novel, it was such a heartwarming read.
She was such a resilient woman and I found it so interesting it took place where I grew up in New Jersey so I know how hard it was to live there. Even though I was born in the states I related to so many of her struggles, and it really resonated that she was Dominican like me.
I highly recommend this novel, it was such a heartwarming read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews