Lara Rios, Becoming Americana

Becoming Americana

Lara Rios

Berkley, November 2006, $14.00

ISBN: 0425211916

In Southern California, Lupe Perez has her feet in two worlds. She attends UCLA with aspirations of achieving the American dream; however, at night she returns home to impoverished East L.A. She hides her background, including her incident with the cops. However, when she "rescues" Tracey, she suddenly has a new friend, who tells a reporter on the UCLA Bruin newspaper. Now everyone knows that Lupe has totally turned her life from a bad girl heading for trouble to a caring person who volunteers time to the community, works at a food court and attends college.

Lupe wants her celebrity status to end faster than Warhol's allotted time for fame. However, Dr. Reyes wants Lupe to embrace her effort by writing a book size thesis on the Americanization of Mexican immigrants. Reluctantly she agrees, though she is not sure what that means to her.

Using the thesis as the prime device to tell Lupe's story of how she went from becoming the American nightmare to the dream, BECOMING AMERICANA is an interesting chick lit look at assimilation. Adding to the reality of Lupe's observation and tribulations is that at times she is not a nice person, though for the most part she is. Though some of her actions seem out of kilter with her personality, Lara Rios provides a fascinating look at immigration from a perspective ignored by the beltway sound biters.