Gringa Latina: A Woman of Two Worlds

by Gabriella De Ferrari

The author describes growing up in Peru in an Italian immigrant family, her Catholic education, her closeness to the women in her family, and her adulthood in America

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1995

Reviews

[Anna Bosman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fellow woman of many worlds, I wholeheartedly approve. Your origins, your place of birth, your childhood and your final choice of where to be and whom to be are all separate things, and nationality surely exists, and every language certainly wires your brain in a very special way. And yet the amalgamation of it all seems to be the healthiest, the most wholesome. You don't have to be Peruvian or Italian or American (or Russian, or South African) - you can be all of those things at once. Never none of them at all. Never a single thing only.

[Francisco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was attracted by the premise: an autobiography of a Peruvian girl of Italian descent, now living in the US, who is seen as an outsider both in Peru and in the US. But I was annoyed by the author's unchecked class/race privilege and her right-wing-y interpretations of Peruvian society.

The first chapters --about small-town Peruvian life-- were very nice, though. And I wish the author had added more about her struggles with identity.

[Strother · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most wonderful passage I recall from this book is about the narrator's experience of motherhood -- and her intuitive decision to speak to her baby in the language in which she can best sing lullabies and express her affection.

[Gather RI · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memoir so lyrically written and meaningful for anyone who is an immigrant or a child of immigrants. Also, what a portrait of mid-century Peruvian life!

Gabriella’s parents were upper middle class Italians who moved to a desert town at the base of the Andes in Peru for the love of it. There she grew up as a gringa, at the confluence of Indian maids from tiny Andean villages, Spanish-speaking townspeople and other European ex-pats.

By 15 she was off to learn English as a convent school in the UK, and then after a week’s hunger strike, convinced her parents to let her attend American college. Where she was surprised to find herself a Latina!

If you grew up in one culture and moved to another, you’ll always be of neither, subtly off balance, yet enriched by the perspective. I think you’ll adore this book. It is full of flavor, including 12 recipes at the end that mix Italian and Peruvian heritages together.

[Rachel Shields Ebersole · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusual memoir, with lots of beautiful cultural and psychological observations. Set in mid-century Peru, featuring a third-culture kid whose parents are Italian, this book just has a lot of wonderfully specific experiences that felt refreshing after the homebound monotony of a COVID year. I feel like a lot of different folks would enjoy the read!

[Jessie Pimentel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose to read this book when I found out that it was about a young girl who was raised by her Italian parents in Peru. This story is describes how she learned to cope with these clashing cultures and how she was able to come to terms with being a 'gringa' and a peruvian. I really enjoyed this book because I too am peruvian, and I also have to cope with my clashing cultures that do not allow me to describe myself as one or the other. I felt a connection to the protagonist because there were times in which she had difficulties identifying herself. But i was mainly interested in the fact that the story was set in Peru. :)

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gabriella De Ferrari offers her autobiography as a Peruvian girl of Italian descent living in the U.S. at the time of writing. The book is more a series of vignettes than a linear history of her childhood. She captures racial and class divides in Peru and cultural anecdotes, though leaves the reader with more questions than answers.

[angélica · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was something putrid about the narration throughout the entirety of the story. This person's privilege is so obvious, the condescending tone so unnecessary. How this book received such high ratings is beyond me.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this

[Rhode PVD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely marvelous. An all-time favorite. She also did a fictional book with similar themes. This one was better.