Tag Archives: girl power

section 4: All so ordinary

section 4 of the book “ordinary girls” covers some of the last chapters in Diaz’s story. a big topic discussed through the end is what happens after the end. The end of movie always has that happy ever after while the more realistic ones just have that end, but what happens in the thereafter? Diaz explores this. While the ending of the initial chapters don’t really have a happy ending Diaz explores what happens further onto her story by explaining in brief where she end up going for the next crucial period in her life, which is right back to where everything in the beginning books took place, Miami. We know the distressing fates of the people around her and get few glimpses of who they were, we know how low Diaz feels as a divorce, college and military dropout, and even exclaims that she is living with her parents again. A bunch of stuff happens towards the end but the point that really drives me was that even if there’s an ending to a story no matter good or bad a question that needs to be answered is what happens after? Diaz definitely answers this in terms of her own story which follows the colorful tone of the book that its carried since the beginning.

Ordinary girls/ unordinary book

Vulnerability, and humanity. Two key terms that pops up in my head throughout my read of the book. Since this is a memoir of the author you know that there’s a variety of truth to be told but you don’t know how raw that truth will be told. There’s a scene I skipped forward to while initially skimming through the book before my first read where the author, Jaquira Diaz tells us about her experience being pat down with a number of other girls. She and the other girls being searched are seen as nothing more than numbers to be notched. With their dignity and humanity taken away for a moment in the book the author becomes vulnerable to the reader and shows just how taboo her story is. Something that I can’t say the other books have. I am excited to keep reading this book and am excited to talk about it. Its like watching a Netflix show and before a uncensored episode there’s a warning in the beginning for the viewer to have them prepare for something that needs be warned about and those episodes are always the most fun and interesting to watch.

Ordinary Girls Analysis Pt.1

Ordinary Girls is a memoir written by Jaquira Diaz, a Puerto Rican women. In this memoir she talks about her experiences growing up and how being a Puerto Rican women has impacted her life. In the beginning of her book, she has an introduction labeled “Girl Hood” and it’s an introduction not about her life specifically but what it means to be a girl and also live as one and the transition into women hood. The first couple of pages (pgs. 10-15) Diaz is reminiscing of the times she spent in Puerto Rico as a child in 1985 and the stories her father told her while her mother was ignoring him and smoking her cigarette and her brother asleep. She also mentions how her mother and father met when Jaquira’s mom was in high school and father in college. Jaquira then goes and introduces “La Otra”, the other women in pages (22-29). La Otra was a their neighbor that was in love with Jaquira’s father and tried to get as much information out of Jaquira about her father. The neighbor would ask her questions regarding her father and his interest and one day even sent him food and when Jaquira’s mom found that out, everything went downhill. “La Otra” had a huge impact on Jaquira’s life because Jaquira witnessed first hand how an outsider ruined her family and parents relationship. Jaquira also saw a side to her father that she never did, her father would lie to Jaquira and her mom and tell her that Jaquira was lying about the encounters he had with the neighbor. Many more real life and eye opening events take place after this one as well that has helped Jaquira Diaz become he women she is now.