!Viva Latina!: Wisdom from Remarkable Women to Inspire and Empower

by Sandra Velasquez

Draw power and pride from the words of inspiring Latina women held in this keepsake volume written by and for Latinas.Stand in Your Worth captures generations of wisdom and Latina stories to inspire you through every stage of life. This book is a celebration of Latina power and sisterhood; it is a reminder of the resilience, bravery, and vibrancy that comes from the Latina community. Embrace your unapologetic heritage, defy expectations, challenge the status quo, and empower yourself through the narratives of these extraordinary women. Some of the incredible women featured in this collection include entrepreneurs and Co-Founders of #WeAllGrow Latina, Ana Flores and Vanessa Santos Fein, author and CEO of In Luz We Trust, Linda Garcia, author, coach, and actor, Angel Aviles, and CEO of Vive Cosmetics, Leslie Valdivia, among many more. Hear their stories, reflections, and transformative advice while embracing your roots and becoming your best self. Tap into your limitless potential and find    50 quotes and stories from Latina women, including key figures in history, politics, business, entertainment, and entrepreneurs Timeless wisdom that has been passed down over generations that inspires you to feel powerful, brave, and joyful Beautiful illustrations and portraits that showcase the vibrant flare of Latin culture and the amazing women featured in the book Sidebars highlighting Latin folklore and traditions Stand in Your Worth gives you the tools to build your own life and follow your own path. Find your community of hermanas and comradery with these motivational quotes.

160 pages, Hardcover

Published September 17, 2024

Reviews

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW🩷🌵

"Viva Latina!" is an absolute joy to read! It brings together the stories of incredible Latinas, each accompanied by a quote that captures their spirit, followed by a short but impactful biography. The illustrations… chulísimas!

The chapters are organized into eight sections: "Creer" (Believe), "Construir" (Build), "Explorar" (Explore), "Inspirar" (Inspire), "Amor Propio" (Self-Love), "Resiliencia" (Resilience), "Dirigir" (Lead), and "Familia" (Family). These topics are so fitting because they reflect the diverse and inspiring journeys of many Latinas, highlighting their creativity, strength, and love for family and community.

As a fan of Nopalera, I was excited to learn that the book's author is the creator of this beloved brand. Her passion for celebrating Latina culture and heritage shines through every page, making this book a true gem. "Viva Latina!" is not just a collection of stories; it's a beautiful celebration of Latina empowerment and resilience. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an inspiring and uplifting read!

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book celebrates the accomplishments of many different women, introducing readers to Latinas who have been successful in different spheres of business and entrepreneurship. Each chapter focuses on a different topic, such as resilience or self-love, and then offers quotes from these women, along with illustrations of them and short biographical sketches that summarize their backgrounds, accomplishments, and influence.

There are also short sections that describe various Hispanic cultural festivals or events from throughout the world. These seemed a bit disjointed and didn't seem to fit with the rest of the book well, even though I learned interesting things from these sections. Also, readers who don't speak or read Spanish should know that this book is very inconsistent in whether or not it translates Spanish words and phrases throughout the book. I don't think that really matters for non-Hispanic readers, since the book isn't written for them, but not all Latinas read Spanish, and the non-translated parts may make them feel overlooked.

As an object, this book is beautifully designed. This a sturdy, nice hardcover with shimmery blue accents on the cover, and the graphic design all throughout the book is colorful, energetic, and bold. This is the kind of book that some people will enjoy decorating with in their home and occasionally flipping through when they want to feel inspired.

I read this cover to cover, and although I enjoyed aspects of it, I also found it very repetitive. Many of the women profiled here repeat the basic self-empowerment messages in similar ways, again and again. There are some more profound moments here, but a lot of the quotes and reflections sound like something from a fortune cookie. Also, even though the women profiled here come from an impressive variety of national and cultural backgrounds, many of their career accomplishments are very similar, with focuses in the same kinds of areas.

I didn't realize that this book was mainly about being a successful entrepreneur. The profiles focus on business success more than anything else, and someone who doesn't aspire to start their own business may not connect with this book as much as they were hoping to. I expected this to take a much broader look at life, offering wisdom and life advice from women in many different vocations and stages of life. This was much less general than that, focusing on a particular strata of successful, evidently wealthy go-getters who have met specific markers of success, such as being featured on Forbes lists.

This book will inspire and encourage Latina women with similar dreams, helping them to see what is possible for them. That's incredibly valuable for them, but readers who aren't interested in the same path won't get as much out of this. I think that this book would have benefited from clearer marketing, since so much of it focuses on being an entrepreneur and running a business. This isn't as general as I thought it was, and it won't necessarily be relatable to people who don't share the same dreams.

I received a free copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Will Plunkett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each of the eight sections of this book is titled a verb in Spanish, showing how action is key to accomplishments like those presented in the book. It is short and easy to follow along, with some nice summaries of what these women have done so far and continue to do; even helps in reading some Spanish words (with and without translation). But I wish there were more details in the book about the contributors, than just one single page at the back with social media handles. One of the quote and painting pages of one such contributor, page 116, had my favorite quote (from Beth Carr, CEO of Fortified Branding), "Winds can rage, try to hold us back, and even knock us down. When our conviction for our vision, mission, and purpose are clear, nothing can stop us. We are the flagpole, not the flag. We will continue to stand strong and thrive, no matter the weather. We were built for storms."

[Kira K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I found this book really interesting with lots of new and amazing Latina women for me to learn about. I liked the quotes sprinkled throughout it, a someone quite partial to quotes myself. I think this was a great book for me to read as someone who needs to diversify my knowledge and put more focus into overlooked minorities.

Favourite Quote:
"We have the power to choose what to carry forward and what to leave behind."

[Valerie Contreras · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is GORGEOUS! I love the design, it feels very Latin. I found this book to be so uplifting and inspiring. I was in tears reading this because of how much I connected with this book. I felt like I had many big sisters, who I can look up to now. This book has won a special place in my heart that I will always cherish and look back at.

I recommend for EVERYONE to read this book especially my fellow Latinas and hope this inspires them as much as it has with me.

Thank you to Sandra Velasquez, Quarto Publishing, and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book.

There are a lot of inspiring words and quotes throughout this book which is the point of it. There are some pages that 1 page bios while others have a quote only.

It reminded me of the Rebel Girls books which wasn't bad since I'm a fan of that publisher.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s inspiring to read the stories of so many incredible Latinas. It helped me see myself represented and celebrated! I learned so many lessons and grateful to have a historic book we can share with the women in our families.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Viva Latina! is a lovely guide that inspires and influences Latinas to strive to achieve their goals and dreams. It is a unique and creative source of inspiration, featuring quotes and stories from remarkable Latinas, highlights of Latin folklore and beautiful illustrations.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeously designed and illustrated book of wisdom from amazing Latinas. Although I am not one, I was still inspired and awed by this splendid book. Recommended!