Book 1 Post 2, - American Like Me by America Ferrera

The more I read America Ferreras, American Like Me, the more personal I become to reading these stories. Coming from immigrant parents myself, reading the many essays in Ferrera's book that are filled with real-life experiences and personal journeys about growing up in America makes you think about how you ended up here. You tend to relate yourself to the stories you are reading while comparing your own experiences and struggles to the ones in the book. While continuing in reading these essays Anjelah Johneson Reyes's chapter caught my eye the most because of how I can relate to her. 

Anjelah Johnson Ryeyes grew up in San Jose California, immersed in vibrant Mexican culture. Her family navigating into the American societal context was prominent outside of her home. During her essay, she sets the scene of her Mexican heritage by describing the sounds, tastes, and colors of her family gatherings, and the Spanish language is spoken throughout her home. Despite this, she recounts several experiences while in school expressing how because of this cultural richness she was often met with outright rejection by her peers which led to feelings of confusion and isolation. One struggle she mentions in her essay is her implications with language and how it affects her identity. She talks about the challenges of not being fully fluent in Spanish which made her feel alienated in her Mexican culture. This pushed her away from her community as she didn't feel accepted by her peers. Her experiences and her complex situation often left her getting mocked by Americans by using stereotypical jokes about her Mexican heritage. This is when she finds comedy as an outlet for exploring her cultural identity and connecting more with others. She talks about her observations of cultural quirks and contradictions within her and other cultures which gave her lots of material to use. Through comedy, she could find her own identity and navigate her struggles. She is using humor as a connection between her American reality and Mexican heritage. One skit she talks about in the book called “Nail Salon” allowed her to use these stereotypes to help find her new connection that transcends cultural differences.

Anjhelah and I have some things in common which relate to comedy. Growing up from parents of immigrants I also used comedy as an outlet to connect with my peers in school as well. For myself going to school with predominantly Mexican Americans, I feel like the odd one out because of the way you look. I was the only Middle Eastern/European kid in my class while not speak a lick of Spanish. Using typical stereotypes as an outlet to find common ground to connect with people is something that I picked up on quickly but was very effective. When Anjelah explained in her essay that she used common stereotypes to enhance her comedic ability, I related personally. I find it fascinating how you can find people from different backgrounds and scenarios and can relate to them in so many ways.