Brand New Memory

Download or read book Brand New Memory written by ElÕas Miguel MuÐoz and published by Arte Publico Press. This book was released on 1998-03-30 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gina Domingo lives in the world of southern California pop culture. Cuban-American by birth, Gina is less a multiculturalist than an omniculturalist, absorbing everything in her path. But her life with her overly-protective parents takes an unexpected turn when GinaÍs paternal grandmother, Estela, visits. Here is GinaÍs abuela„whom Gina hasnÍt seen since the family left Cuba„come to set the record straight. Now GinaÍs entire range of experience, memories, and family truths begin to change. Estela doesnÍt impose her history on a family still coming to grips with its past and life in exile. Instead, she regales her granddaughter with tales of the island. When Estela unexpectedly dies while visiting the United States, Gina finds she has been bequeathed a legacy of freedom to create her own memories, her own version of the past. Like SalingerÍs Holden Caulfield, or the heroines of Joyce Carol OatesÍs Foxfire, the teenaged protagonist of Brand New Memory is possessed of a voice so simpàtica„so engrossing in her perception of herself, her family, and her friends„that we find ourselves mesmerized and unable to stop turning the pages.