¡Ándale, Prieta! : a love letter to my family
(Book)

"Anchored by the tough grandmother who taught her how to stand firm and throw a punch, debut author Yas̕mn Ra̕mrez writes about the punches life's thrown her non-traditional family of tough Mexican American women. Having spent years of her twenties feeling lost--working an intensely taxing retail job and turning to bars for comfort--the blow of her grandmother's death pushes Yas̕mn to unravel. So she comes home to El Paso, Texas, where people know how to spell her accented name and her mother helps her figure out what to do with her life. Once she finally starts pursuing her passion for writing, Yas̕mn finds herself processing her grief by painting a portrait of her Ita, a resilient matriarch who was far from being a stereotypical abuelita. She remembers coming along to watch boxing matches at a dive bar as a child, Ita wistfully singing old Mexican classics, her mastectomy scar, and of course, her lesson on how to properly ball your fist for a good punch. Interviewing her mom and older sister, Yas̕mn learns even more about why her Ita was so tough--the abusive men, the toil of almost-literally back-breaking jobs, and the guilt of abortions that went against her culture" --,Provided by publisher.