Pork Belly Tacos with a Side of Anxiety

by Yvonne Castañeda

In Pork Belly Tacos with a Side of Anxiety, Yvonne Casta�eda shares vibrant stories of her childhood growing up in Miami as the daughter of humble immigrants from Mexico and Cuba ... and how she came to develop an unhealthy relationship with food.

To help ease her mami's nervios, Yvonne becomes a perfectionist from a young age, achieving high grades at school and mastering the piano. But as her Cuban family members openly make comments about her awkward desarrollo, or puberty, Yvonne enters a new phase of self-consciousness that begins her obsession with weight.

She abandons the piano for the high school cheerleading team and reinvents herself, becoming both skinny and popular. However, as a first-generation adolescent born in the United States, Yvonne wrestles with the conflict between the cultural norms of her Hispanic/Latino heritage and American societal expectations.

Plagued by doubt and low self-esteem, Yvonne begins a vicious cycle of weight gain and loss as she battles bulimia nervosa. Beleaguered by feelings of guilt, shame, and inferiority, she develops anxiety, depression, and a reliance on dangerous coping mechanisms.

Ultimately, sage advice from her dear abuela in Guadalajara, Mexico, guides Yvonne to a realization that shifts her perspective of herself and the purpose of her life, providing a foundation for inner peace and la soluci�n to her past struggles.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Mental Health

280 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2022

Reviews

[Irena Hayner · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a memoir. She struggled, she struggled more, and she continued to struggle. I thought that her descriptions of how bulimia became so central in her life were very brave and honest. Wow. That said, there was just TMI about never knowing what she wanted to do; never knowing what her dream job would be; and repeating her same mistakes over and over and over.

I loved the immersion into the home life of a Cuban/Mexican/American family, but it’s sad that nobody ever got her help, so I’m not too happy about her family.

I loved the mix of Spanish with English throughout! Delightful!

[Christina Valastro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good book that talks about anxiety, depression, eating disorders, alcohol abuse and family trauma. The more books I read and the more exploring I do with my own family dynamics, I want to scream when families don't just say exactly what they are thinking and feeling. Anyway, there's Spanish sprinkled in throughput the book and I can't decide if it's cool or distracting. I enjoyed reading this book and am glad for the opportunity to an advanced read.

[Kris Springer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one got better as it progressed; I enjoyed the writing more and the author’s voice and storytelling got stronger. Castaneda has a unique and important point of view and I love that she uses her experience and pain to help others in the Latin/X community to become stronger. I’m looking forward to meeting her at SJCPL’s Culturally Speaking event on October 1!

[Jen (The Jenerator) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best memoir I've read. Just ok. Eh.

[Adriana Rios · Rating 4 out of 5]

While memoir is not my favorite genre to read, I’m honored to read this story and know the author. I think Yvonne really captures a lot of elements of the human experience - our brutal self-criticisms, hidden pain, and consistent search for meaning and purpose. This book made me laugh and it also broke my heart at times. I think it really captures how lonely many Latinas can feel in navigating their situation or asking for help, while also demonstrating the tenacity and strength we have in moving through this life. I think this book is not to be read as a linear path towards recovery or a clear set instructions on how one overcomes addiction and an eating disorder. Rather, it think it’s a recollection of moments that stand out for the author as she comes to the decision to be radically honest with herself and seek to change. It is also an encouragement that everything we experience and live through informs our purpose. It’s not in vain, which is a real encouragement.

[Emma]

This book came to me at a particularly special time in my life, having purchased it at a used books pop-up shop in DC, I was imaging it to be a quick plane read. However, I soon found myself relating to Yvonne on more levels than I imagined from her upbringing in a Latin household to her interests in education and the whole where-shall-my-life-take-me-now thread throughout the latter half of the story. Even down to the mental health struggles within a family unit where culturally, things are thought to be better left unsaid. A raw honest portrayal of anxiety, addiction, alcohol abuse, eating disorders, people-pleasing, and the mental load of being a child born from those that have only sacrificed. Especially how common these issues are—how prevalent these issues are among many Latin-American households and how many are never treated. The ending did feel a bit rushed for me and I left myself asking how did she really get help?? Was she given that space? How did she figure out her career? As someone struggling with that right now.. I still enjoyed her storytelling and what she did get the chance to share.

I also loved the way she weaved so much Spanish into the story, sprinkling it through out to truly show her world view as a bilingual speaker. As someone yearning to prioritize Spanish as a part of cultural upbringing one again, I thoroughly enjoyed the inclusion but could see how it might be a bit difficult to understand or even distracting for those that don’t speak Spanish. As someone who understands a good amount of Spanish, I enjoyed it and would love to see more of it!
(I try not to rate memoirs)

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read this not long after The Tears of a Man Flow Inward—very different stories, obviously, but in both books the authors touch a bit on what it means to see mental health/trauma approached from two different cultures: one that encourages talk therapy and medication, and one that, for various reasons, doesn't. I wish that had been explored more here; though Castañeda acknowledges the cultural divide, she pretty much leaves matters at "in my parents' cultures this isn't a thing", though I expect there's a significant amount of research out there and an interested writer could tease out a whole lot more story from it.

I'm also interested in the way Castañeda uses Spanish in the book: sprinkled liberally in, presumably as a way to indicate her bilingual upbringing (her parents both being native Spanish speakers with limited English), but not in a way that feels natural. It's a bit like...if I used ein bisschen Deutsch here and there to indicate that ich spreche German, but only used German for Wörter that non-German speakers might understand. I don't have an answer for what the right way to convey multilingualism is, mind, and it makes me curious about how other writers describing multilingual childhoods have approached the matter.

[Elsa · Rating 2 out of 5]

wish i could give a higher review … i think it was really brave of the author to share her experiences, especially because mental health struggles were kept more under the wraps in her community. however, Castaneda's negative take on her body throughout the autobiography clearly shows she is not recovered- she constantly talks about the "fat spilling off her thighs" or her chubbiness as a child in a negative way, and very irrelevantly. furthermore, it describes about 40 years living an unhealthy lifestyle and then goes onto the epilogue where Castaneda is apparently recovered without therapy, married and becoming a social worker. The title of this book is misleading- it implies that it discusses her struggles with mental health and how she overcame it, but instead it gives a play by play of her life along with very unhealthy behaviors she used to cope with it, and then adds at the last few pages that she is somehow happy and healthy now.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is insightful into the origins of her problems, how the factors of her childhood added up to the addictions she suffered from later. To be honest, it was a very long book and I started to get bored about the halfway mark. I stuck it out and was glad I did, to see the same insightfulness be what helped Yvonne overcome her issues.
I can see why some reviewers complain that she shouldn’t have been able to get better without professional help, but isn’t the point of a therapist to help a person understand why they turned to bulimia and alcohol abuse and give them reasons why to change and positive coping techniques as a replacement? Yvonne managed to figure that out for herself, and as she pointed out, her journey to recovery was unique to her. Not forgetting that it took her 20+ years to do so!
An admirable but not 100% enjoyable read.

[Jeni Enjaian]

This book started out so well. I enjoyed the way Castañeda began to weave together the story of her life, the events that led to the struggles listed in the subtitle. It seemed like she was leading up to the point where she would talk about her breakthrough moment and how she began to heal from the various traumas and struggles. That didn't happen. For the last 15% of the book, she kept making poor decisions and of lot of it did not make narrative sense because she did not make the the timeline portion once she graduated from college clear at all. The only bit of resolution came in the epilogue where she is applying for to a social work degree program and apparently has made a lot of positive changes but none of this narrative shows anything about them.

[Paige Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pork Belly Tacos with a Side of Anxiety is a powerful memoir that captures the complexity of living with bulimia, anxiety, and depression through the lens of a first-generation Latinx daughter. Yvonne Castañeda writes with honesty and clarity about perfectionism, body image, cultural expectations, and the ways food becomes both comfort and conflict.

What stood out to me most was her willingness to show the messy, nonlinear reality of recovery and the deep emotional roots beneath the behaviors. Her voice is compassionate, self-aware, and refreshingly unfiltered. This is a meaningful, accessible read for anyone who has lived with an eating disorder or wants to understand the emotional and cultural layers beneath one.

Highly recommend.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yvonne is a proud woman born to a Mexican mother and a Cuban father. Yvonne growing up found a lot of anxiety from seeing her mothers nervios and has high expectations on herself from her fathers hard work ethic. Combined to cope as a teenager this eventually turned into an eating disorder for Yvonne who shares candidly her life experiences and shares openly about her experiences and methods of her eating disorder.

This was an incredible memoir to read. I loved how raw Yvonne shared her experiences and the touches of española as someone who is slowly learning it.

Thank you NetGalley and Santa Monica Press for this ARC!

4.75/5 stars

[Your Common House Bat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that Pork Belly Tacos was a pretty solid read. That it was a memior was pretty neat; most of the eating disorder books i have read are fictional so it was really informative to read a non-fiction firsthand account. And from a non-white perspective. I feel as though it's important for people of all races and genders to be able to talk about eating disorders because this impacts people from all walks of life.

[Amanda Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alright book, easy read. The last 2 chapters could have been the entire book! After a few chapters it was just repetitive and ended up just being boring. I found it kinda weird that her resolution was about 5 pages long. There were also quite a few spelling errors which started to annoy me after a while. Eh, not a book I'd feel like I missed out on if not read.

[Kelly Pramberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brave book all about food and body image and shame… all the things I have also dealt with growing up. The story was very relatable and I liked the writing style.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. 5stars!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting memoir of life experience and living with perfectionism. But the ending lacked; are we to conclude that realizing her truth (which was what exactly?) magically resolved 45 years of mental health issues?

[Cami l · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly brave portrayal of eating disorders in the context of the Latinx community. Loved the author’s sense of humor sprinkled throughout, and her deep admiration for her parents, while recognizing that they are flawed human beings.

[Shelly La Court-Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous first hand account of dealing with cultural expectations, anxiety and finding a sense of purpose in a confusing world. The body image issues and ways of unhealthy coping really struck a chord in me. Fabulous writing !

[Tearra Shereè · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to choose a book to read for my pyschopathology class to review and this was the one. I really enjoyed the authors humor throughout the book and her vulnerability. She really opened up about her struggles throughout her childhood and into adulthood. Good read for my assignment.

[Celt1958 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a YA book. It describes her journey but I wish she had emphasized how to get help particularly for her community where asking for help is not accepted. She is a goid storyteller.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Important topics covered here in her memoir. But not that well written and very, very repetitive of her teen anxieties, bulimia, alcohol/tobacco binging, low self-esteem, etc.

[Anna Frohling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like other people have said, it skips ahead in time and doesnt tell you how she got over her struggles, its just two chapters saying everything is fine now, and ends very abruptly

[Grace Hansson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vivid and real and emotional and hilarious.

[Carri Nowak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a page turner for me. It was interesting to learn about some of the Cuban and Hispanic American cultures.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger warning: eating disorder
Memoir of growing up as a daughter of immigrants and feeling constant pressure to be perfect.

[Michi · Rating 5 out of 5]

ooh yeah, perfectionism. this one cuts close to home.

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a great book that won't take you a long time to read, this is it. I was interested in her story from the first chapter, and read the rest of it pretty fast. Some parts are hard to read, because it's so honest. I felt like I was there with her, she has a strong voice. I like that they put resources at the end of the book for people who need help. All in all, I loved this book. I have never read something that talked about Hispanic culture and mental health, so I'm grateful that she shared this story.