num_pages: 288
description: The quinceañera, a celebration of a Latina girl's fifteenth birthday, has become a uniquely American trend. This lavish party with ball gowns, multi-tiered cakes, limousines, and extravagant meals is often as costly as a prom or a wedding. But many Latina girls feel entitled to this rite of passage, marking a girl's entrance into womanhood, and expect no expense to be spared, even in working-class families. Julia Alvarez explores the history and cultural significance of the "quince" in the United States, and the consequences of treating teens like princesses. Through her observations of a quince in Queens, interviews with other quince girls, and the memories of her own experience as a young immigrant, Alvarez presents a portrait of a rapidly growing multicultural phenomenon with an emphasis on the importance of celebrating Latina womanhood.
language: English
title: Once Upon a Quinceanera: Coming of Age in the USA
titlecomplete: Once Upon a Quinceanera: Coming of Age in the USA
genres: Audiobook, Coming Of Age, Nonfiction, Womens, School, Feminism, Sociology, History, Memoir, Anthropology
ratings_count: 1034
awards: awardedAt: 1167638400000
name: National Book Critics Circle Award
category: Criticism
publisher: Viking Adult