Chingona: Owning Your Inner Badass for Healing and Justice

by Alma Zaragoza-Petty

Creating the world you want to live in takes guts and grace and everything you've got. To heal the world, though, you've also got to find healing yourself. You've got to get in touch with your inner badass. In Chingona , Mexican American activist, scholar, and podcast host Alma Zaragoza-Petty helps us claim our inner chingona , a Spanish term for "badass woman." For all the brown women the world has tried to conquer, badassery can be an asset, especially when we face personal and collective trauma. Working for change while preserving her spirit, a chingona repurposes her pain for the good of the world. She may even learn that she belongs to a long line of chingonas who came before her--unruly women who used their persevering energy to survive and thrive. As a first-generation Mexican American, Zaragoza-Petty narrates in riveting terms her own childhood, split between the rain-soaked beauty of her grandparents' home in Acapulco and a harsh new life as an immigrant family in Los Angeles. She describes the chingona spirit she began to claim within herself and leads us toward the courage required to speak up and speak out against oppressive systems. As we begin to own who we are as chingonas , we go back to where our memories lead, insist on telling our own stories, and see our scars as proof of healing. Liberating ourselves from the bondage of the patriarchy, white supremacy, and colonization that exists in our own bodies, we begin to see our way toward a more joyful future. This work won't be easy, Zaragoza-Petty reminds us. Imagining a just and healed world from the inside out will take dialing in to our chingona spirit. But by unleashing our inner badass, we join the righteous fight for dignity and justice for all.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Latinx, Memoir, Audiobook, Self Help, Social Justice

195 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2022

Reviews

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a white woman, I am not her target audience, but I learned a lot.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chingona translates to Bad-Ass Woman in Spanish. It has historically been used as a derogatory term for a female, similar to how bastard might be used in English. With the rise of the divine feminine, attempts to shame women into submission are meeting more resistance. The reclamation of the word Chingona is an example of this resistance. Nowadays, a Chingona is a woman who choses to live life on her own terms. PERIOD.
I picked this book up because of the title and I'm so glad I did. I had no idea I was a Chingona, but I totally am. In the beginning of 2023 I resolved to be more my authentic self. I am not hiding parts of myself I might have previously for fear of being judged. And I'm also attempting to reclaim the parts of my culture that were stolen from me because of colonialism or whiteness or whatever label you want to put on the discriminatory nature of our culture. So much of Zaragoza-Petty's book resonated with this for me. I sped through this because it was overdue but I will probably check it out again when I need to re-tap into my power.

[Katalyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admire how she tells her story in such a way that it feels like we’re sitting face to face sharing trauma and history . It feels so familiar as if I were sharing with my primas. Having struggled in my own healing journey as a brown woman navigating a white mans world.. it’s soo refreshing to see struggles like my own and that of my people reflected in print. .. to see myself within these pages, my mother, my tias.. I don’t think I’ve experienced such validation.. it inspires hope and reinvigorates my passion for collective healing and cultural change. Thanks to Alma Zaragoza and other Chingonas, you’ve given a voice to many little brown girls. This book was exactly what my inner child needed. I recommend it to any brown girl/woman who’s on their own journey to discovering their own voice and claiming their power.

[Graciereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't want this book to end!! So much amazing insight and great resources !

[Klmondragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Everyone should read this book about accepting oneself and all the trauma and shame that may go along with that.

[Karli Cornett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first memoir I've read where the author explicitly states who her main audience is intended to be (spoiler, not white, female identifying humans). Her story and message is so poetically crafted, in some sections like a spoken word, beautifully weaving the idea with the personal story.

It's not a chronological journey, but one that addresses systems as well as personal wounds and how these two are connected. Dr. Zaragoza -Petty freely uses Latin mythology and phrases fluidly in her story and calls on other texts as part of her message.

[Amanda R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that more and more books like this exist because it is completely about representation matters and by us for us Latina vibes we definitely need at all stages of life but especially in young adulthood. This was easy to read and it felt like soothing therapy. Before I even finished this, I added it to a resource list I left with a group of teenaged Latinas I gave an invited workshop to recently.

[Jen Mayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Appreciate her voice and sharing her journey in this book.

[Deb Handrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book of an inspiring chingona woman.

[Maileen Hamto · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world where women continue to experience marginalization based on societal expectations and norms, there can never be enough affirmation of feminine power and agency. Scholar and activist Dr. Alma Zaragoza-Petty discusses her experiences straddling identities as a first-generation Mexican-American with solid roots in Acapulco and Los Angeles to invite Brown and Black women to own their “inner badass” in "Chingona," her inspiring debut.

In Spanish, the term holds derogatory connotations about a woman’s place, frowned-upon behavior, and existence in patriarchal spaces. Zaragoza-Petty explains her journey through defining her faith, exercising leadership, and reclaiming the word for empowerment to champion justice and equity and embrace her destiny to serve others.

Reading the book from my perspective as an immigrant woman of color, I found Zaragoza-Petty’s words encouraging and uplifting. Her writing is raw and powerful and appeals to the hearts of women who have experienced and internalized messages that diminish one’s self-worth. I appreciated learning about the cultural nuances of the term “chingona” and the rising movement among women-identified Latina/e/x who strengthen their resolve by overcoming personal and collective trauma.

As a social justice advocate whose influences include bell hooks, Gloria Anzaldua, and Pablo Freire, the author helps us understand how courage and badassery can create change to benefit communities.

[Georgina Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 ⭐️

I enjoyed the in-depth perspectives of what a chingona means and what being one represents in our lives amongst family, friends and our careers. I am a chingona through and through. ✌🏼🩷

“Owning your inner chingona means acknowledging the physic split so that you can begin to repair it and honor your body.”

“To own our inner chingona we need to leave la muy muy behind. We need to acknowledge the many wounds of our past and our present. We must choose to be brave. Not by becoming numb but by accepting what the wound is here to teach us.”

“Reclaiming our roots is about loving what made us the chingonas we are today. The trajectory to defining our lives for ourselves. Chingonas can learn to love their story when others around them love them for who they are. We can learn to question the way others tell our stories when it does not sit well with our lived experience or the history we know to be true. Owning our inner chingona means accepting the complicated histories of our lives, families and communities. Our stories are filled with lucha and surviance. This means while pain is a part of our stories it does not define who we are.”
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#goodreads #bookrecommendations #mustread #bookreview #livingwitharthrogryposis #amcstrong #arthrogryposis #libby #bookstagram #booksarelife #greatreads #kindlebook #audiobook #feminism #selfhelp #memoir #nonfiction #chingona

[Cope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chingona by Dr. Alma Zaragoza-Petty. The subtitle of this book is Owning Your Inner Badass for Healing and Justice. The author describes herself as a college professor, former gang member, and chola. She writes poignantly about her experience growing up in Mexico and then East LA. She documents her journey from being a middle school chola who narrowly avoided a gang shootout to becoming a PhD. She is an inspiring writer who talks about living in the “in-between” spaces and writes passionately about reclaiming the derisive word “chingona” and wearing it as a badge of honor. She is not the first Latina writer to reclaim this word. She refers to several other Latina writers who are proud Chingonas, including the incomparable Sandra Cisneros (author of the classic House on Mango Street). I loved this book and was moved by it. Remember, you can’t spell “scholar” without “chola.” Read this book if you are looking to be inspired (no matter who you are). Four stars.

[Connie J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not finished the book, as I am taking breaks to let what I read to sink in. I completely resonate with the author. I was born in the states but my heritage is a mix of indigenous, Mexican and Spanish. I relate most to the Mexican culture. I love the word Chingona, but it is interesting to hear the origin. But just like the good lord, we can turn something meant for evil/bad into good by reclaiming it.

Thank you Alma for writing this book and I am so glad my local library carries it here in Durango, CO. I look forward to reading more from you.

*I would be interested in the folks that gave only a few start, and did not elaborate on their review. Not sure they understand how they can hold space for cultural experiences they could never understand.

[BooksAndMinerals]

Great memoir with some self-help aspects.
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"These leaders often have to create new paths, new tracks, towards new destinations. I didn't know it then, but I was learning to live in the in-betweenness that many often find themselves in, especially those of us who are the first in our families and communities to find a different path and open that path for others."

"We cannot know that we are grounded in something until we ask why we do what we do and how we are showing up for ourselves and others."

[Juanita Flores-Mejia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a good book about her self exploration journey and while some of it was relatable for me, some parts felt like they were starting to tell a story that didn’t get finished. But overall there is lots of useful personal anecdotes and ideas for ways for us all to attain personal growth from colonization and white supremacy.

[Elia Fuerte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but I went into it thinking it was a self help book. It is a Memoir with some history lessons. I definitely recommend it, but I had the wrong idea of it, maybe that's my fault.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Zaragoza-Perry’s way of telling her story in this Audiobook (which isn’t an edition option on GoodReads). As a white woman, I am not her target audience, but I appreciate having the window into her life journey and perspective.

[Wildpony · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. As someone who migrated to the US from Mexico and obtained a higher education, I can relate. I felt seen, I felt someone can put in writing what I have been experiencing all these years.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Entre mas vieja Mas chingona" 💪💗

[Monica M Valencia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want an easy read that makes you think a lot, it is this book. Love that it talked about the area I currently live in.

[Vanessa Granados · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me feel seen.

[Silvana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forgot I finished this book like two months ago lol

[Tracy J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where have you been all my lifeeeeee. I loved this book. Listened to the audiobook which is amazing since it’s ready by her! Purchased a copy 💗 thanks for sharing your chingona-ness with the world & happy I found it!

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chingona: Owning Your Inner Badass for Healing Justice is the self help book that latinx women, non-binary, and female identifying people have needed. It weaves together the history of a derogatory term with lessons on how to unlock your inner badass to reclaim the term “chingona”.

Historically, “chingona” is a vulgar term that is used to degrade women for being too aggressive or out of control. This word highlights the juxtaposition of gender roles as the masculine version of this word, “chingon”, is actually a compliment for men that describes them as intelligent, cool, and even a badass. There has been a movement to reclaim “chingona” and reassign its meaning to a positive one.

There are consistent history lessons embedded into the book that provide context for the healing that one needs to have before unlocking their inner badass or chingona. My favorite part of the book is that Zaragoza-Petty closes a gap by directing the self help lessons towards the BIPOC community. This is done by acknowledging that labels such as chingona have a hurtful history that represents colonialism and racism from the past. This is different from many self help books as they typically are geared towards white populations. Therefore, the advice in these books are not relevant to BIPOC communities, which ultimately excludes a major population that are in need of healing and self help content.

I’ll be posting a more in-depth review on @latinxpublishing blog soon!

[Bat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to attend Zaragoza-Petty’s book talk at my local college. As a first generation student, finding help can be challenging. However, this book has helped me steered to the right direction. Truly came at the right time. I hope to continue my own chingona journey!