Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education

by Jennifer De Leon (Editor)

College can be a complex time for Latinas, who are traditionally expected to leave home when they get married. In her essay “Only Daughter,” author Sandra Cisneros remarks, “After four years in college and two more in graduate school, and still no husband, my father shakes his head even now and says I wasted all that education.”
Wise Latinas is a collection of personal essays addressing the varied landscape of the Latina experience in higher education. For some Latinas, college, where they are vastly underrepresented, is the first time they are immersed in American culture outside their homes—and where the values of two cultures often clash. Wise Latinas is in part a response to this widening gap.
Featuring acclaimed writers such as Sandra Cisneros, Norma Cantú, and Julia Alvarez, to name a few, Wise Latinas shows that there is no one Latina college experience. With thoughtful and engaging pieces, Wise Latinas provides a platform for Latina writers to share their experiences in higher education and gives a voice to the many Latina women who have taken risks; embraced the new, confronted change; and maintained (and in some cases found) their roots.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Latinx, Education

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2014

About the author

Jennifer De Leon is author of the YA novel Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From (Simon & Schuster, 2020) which was chosen as a Junior Library Guild selection, and the essay collection White Space: Essays on Culture, Race, & Writing (UMass Press, 2021), which is a recipient of the Juniper Prize in Creative Nonfiction. She is also the editor of Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education (University of Nebraska Press, 2014), an anthology that won an International Latino Book Award. An Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Framingham State University and faculty member in the Creative Writing & Literature Master Program at Harvard University, she has published prose in over a dozen literary journals including Ploughshares, Iowa Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, and more. Jenn makes her home outside the Boston area with her husband and two sons. Her next YA novel, Borderless, is forthcoming in February 2023.

Reviews

[La'Tonya Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The worst thing about this book is the title and perhaps the cover. Someone probably thought it was a good idea to capitalize on Chief Justice's phenomenal quote about being a "wise Latina," but that phrase doesn't properly capture the spirit of the essays contained within. Neither does the cover which depicts a singular, perhaps timid, woman roaming a massive courtyard or what have you. I wouldn't describe the writers as timid or lost or even wise. Rather, they are all pretty badass. The voices span the Latin American diaspora and the authors represent different generations, as well. My personal favorite is "Scrambled Channels" by Yalitzas Ferreras, while "Rapunzel's Ladder" by Julia Alvarez is one of the best pieces I have ever read about higher education. (I wrote "A+" in the margins) In fact, this entire book may be one of the best collections I've come across. Definitely mandatory reading.

[Cristina Umanzor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being someone who has recently entered grad school, it was so refreshing to know that my fears and worries were felt among other people who identified the way I did as a first generation Latina. Every story has something I could relate to, where I could say “omg that’s like the time I...”. This was a nice reminder going into grad school that there are other people who went through the same doubts and fears and worries that made it out the other end just fine!

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite insightful on the link between Latina culture and the achievement of higher education.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren't many books out there like this, regarding Latinas' experiences being the first in their families to attend higher education. Each story resonated with me in some way and has inspired me to eventually reach out to the editor of this book of essays and stories. I love love loved this book and I can't wait to own this, share this, and tell the whole world about it! Can't stop raving about it.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some really captivating and relatable essays in this anthology. I'm happy that there were actually a couple of Dominican writers. I would absolutely recommend this to my young nieces and any other young Latinas heading off to college.