Chola Salvation

by Estella Gonzalez

In the title story of this collection, Isabela is minding her family's restaurant, drinking her dad's beer, when Frida Kahlo and the Virgen de Guadalupe walk in. Even though they're dressed like cholas, the girl immediately recognizes Frida's uni-brow and La Virgen's crown. They want to give her advice about the quinceañera her parents are forcing on her. In fact, their lecture (don't get pregnant, go to school, be proud of your indigenous roots) helps Isabela to escape her parents' physical and sexual abuse. But can she really run away from the self-hatred they've created? These inter-related stories, mostly set in East Los Angeles, uncover the lives of a conflicted Mexican-American community. In "Sábado Gigante," Bernardo drinks himself into a stupor every Saturday night. "Aquí no es mi tierra," he cries, as he tries to ease the sorrow of a life lived far from home. Meanwhile, his son Gustavo struggles with his emerging gay identity and Maritza, the oldest daughter, is expected to cook and clean for her brother, even though they live in East LA, not Guadalajara or Chihuahua. In "Powder Puff," Mireya spends hours every day applying her make-up, making sure to rub the foundation all the way down her neck so it looks like her natural color. But no matter how much she rubs and rubs, her skin is no lighter. Estella González vividly captures her native East LA in these affecting stories about a marginalized people dealing with racism, machismo and poverty. In painful and sometimes humorous scenes, young people try to escape the traditional expectations of their family. Other characters struggle with anger and resentment, often finding innovative ways to exact revenge for slights both real and imagined. Throughout, music traditional and contemporary accompanies them in the search for love and acceptance.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Latinx, Anthologies

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2021

Reviews

[FranWeird · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was going to be a 2 star read for me but the "Matadora" story alone bumped it up to 3

[Christina Montoya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took my time reading this book because I was enjoying the stories so much! I thoroughly enjoyed: Chola Salvation, Little Soldiers and Peroxide. I was fully invested in the characters. The stories are all so real and relatable, especially if you grew up in a neighborhood that looked anything like East LA, where these stories take place. Estella Gonzales is an important voice in the literary world and in looking forward to reading more of her work! Do yourself a favor and grab a copy of Chola Salvation, you will not be disappointed.

[Charlie Reina · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much of a touchstone for me today as The House of Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros was when I read it almost 30 years ago. THIS is East Los. Estella Gonzalez keeps it real.

[Natalia Figueroa Barroso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chola Salvation by Estella Gonzalez @cholasalvation

Chola Salvation is a debut short story collection centred around working class Mexican-American characters living in East LA or East Los as the final story in the book explains the locals call it. Each narrative deals with different systems of oppression from racism to sexism, from heteronormativity to classism.

What Gonzalez excels in is her female protagonists, code-switching and magical realism. In the short story ‘Chola Salvation’ which the book is named after, fifteen year old Isabela takes advise from Frida and Virgen de Guadalupe who walk into Isabela’s family restaurant dressed looking like ‘bad-ass vata loca[s].’ Chola Frida and la chola Virgen reveal themselves as superheroes, giving Isabela that strength she needed to leave her abusive parents. In ‘Act of Faith’, Angelina prepares a literal funeral with a purple coffin, skeleton inside, pan de muerto and all to figuratively kill her cheating husband Antonio for good. And in ‘How to Tell a True East La Story’ Magdalena, a hairstylist, tells a story of how her grandmother Fina visited her as a cat on the Day of the Dead.

I’m looking forward to Estella Gonzalez’s next novel, I hope it’s filled with women, spanglish and magic.

[M. Maloney · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best short story books I've read in a long time. These short stories are a delight to read.

[Aimee Dars]

The #LatineBuddyRead on Instagram recently discussed CHOLA SALVATION, the debut short story collection by Estella Gonzalez. Set primarily in East LA, the interconnected stories cover a range of experiences in the Mexican-American community and effectively utilize different styles to address themes of racism, abuse, machismo, and self-acceptance.

I enjoyed the stories in CHOLA SALVATION and think the collection is a good choice for readers who liked Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So or Monstress by Lysley Tenorio.

[Lisa Monroy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this story . Unfortunately, I only made it through the first story . The writing was ok, however, the story was so far fetched from reality that it made no sense. It would have been more understandable if the main character was dreaming these scenes up. In my opinion, to demoralize our Lady was too much to handle. Just silly and un relatable. One star for sure. 😕it’s too bad. I really wanted to like it.

[Adrienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this. I liked it. It totally could have been my frame of mind. I was feeling nostalgic and looking for something more like my beloved The House on Mango Street. It isn't the book nor the author's fault that my experiences were different.

[Kimberly Azpeitia]

DNF @ 50%. Oh how I wanted to LOVE this book but unfortunately this book didn’t do it for me. I am so sad & disappointed. The cover is beautiful & the author talked about very important things but the short stories weren’t interesting enough. I didn’t really care to continue reading. My first DNF of the year ☹️

[Jacqueline Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of prose. Every story had me intrigued and excited for what to expect. Somehow pictures my family members as some of these characters and had sympathy for others. Would recommend to anyone, but the Latinx community most definitely should read this!

[sunkissedmiranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a latine from the LA area - a mixed bag with some real gems throughout. RTC.

[Jay Koester · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories.

[Susieq_reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

No! Just no!

[Dianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I grew up in east los and really wanted to love this book. I had to DNF. It should also come with a trigger warning.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's so much to love about Chola Salvation.

Vivid, relatable characters, for one.

Estella Gonzalez, for another. I had the honor of interviewing her for my book club (NOT SPONSORED). You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/qCVhBmNKeRE

I also loved all the pop-culture references, and these truly set the scene for when these stories took place - 80s-90s.

Those decades might seem like a long time ago, but if you've lived through any part of them, you might see them as just yesterday...in some ways.

Given how differently we, as a society, interact today - i.e., social media - it might seem like a dystopian world to some.

And while we've come a long way technologically, we're still working through similar social issues as we dealt with then. Sadly, I think this is especially true within the Hispanic community- machismo, homophobia, slut-shaming, to name a few.

Through Chola Salvation, we get a glimpse into the world for Hispanic-Americans living in East LA. While often beautiful, it wasn't easy.



It was a perfect pick for CARAMBA! Book Club, where we come together to celebrate Latinx stories. You can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kalei...

[Mely · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok, I admit I feel a little guilty not only DNFing this book, but also giving it a one star rating. I got a good third of this book read and it was torture. I didn't enjoy the writing and I couldn't connect with any of the stories I was reading. Chicana or not, I couldn't finish this book. I was so disappointed because the cover was so awesome. I thought this for sure would be a favorite with all the rave reviews. But call me crazy... I hated this book.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-wrought collection of stories that focuses on characters living in East Los Angeles. Funny and often poignant, the characters in these stories are memorable and frequently wrestle with a tension between the culture presented as American culture and their own lives. I enjoyed reading these stories.