You Sound Like a White Girl
The Case for Rejecting Assimilation
Julissa Arce
- **AN
- INDIE
- BESTSELLERMost
- Anticipated
- by
- ELLE**•Bustle•Bloomberg•Kirkus•HipLatina•SheReads•BookPage•The
- Millions•The
- Mujerista•Ms.
- Magazine
- •
- and
- more“Unflinching”
- —Ms.
- Magazine
- •
- “Phenomenal”
- —BookRiot
- •
- "An
- essential
- read"
- —Kirkus,
- starred
- review
- •
- "Necessary"
- —Library
- Journal
- •
- "Powerful"
- —Joaquin
- Castro
- •
- "Illuminating"
- —Reyna
- Grande
- •
- "A
- love
- letter
- to
- our
- people"
- —José
- Olivarez
- •
- "I
- have
- been
- waiting
- for
- this
- book
- all
- my
- life"
- —Paul
- OrtizBestselling
- author
- Julissa
- Arce
- calls
- for
- a
- celebration
- of
- our
- uniqueness,
- our
- origins,
- our
- heritage,
- and
- the
- beauty
- of
- the
- differences
- that
- make
- us
- Americans
- in
- this
- powerful
- polemic
- against
- the
- myth
- that
- assimilation
- leads
- to
- happiness
- and
- belonging
- for
- immigrants.“You
- sound
- like
- a
- white
- girl.”
- These
- were
- the
- words
- spoken
- to
- Julissa
- by
- a
- high
- school
- crush
- as
- she
- struggled
- to
- find
- her
- place
- in
- America.
- As
- a
- brown
- immigrant
- from
- Mexico,
- assimilation
- had
- been
- demanded
- of
- her
- since
- the
- moment
- she
- set
- foot
- in
- San
- Antonio,
- Texas,
- in
- 1994.
- She’d
- spent
- so
- much
- time
- getting
- rid
- of
- her
- accent
- so
- no
- one
- could
- tell
- English
- was
- her
- second
- language
- that
- in
- that
- moment
- she
- felt
- those
- words—you
- sound
- like
- a
- white
- girl*?*—were
- a
- compliment.
- As
- a
- child,
- she
- didn’t
- yet
- understand
- that
- assimilating
- to
- “American”
- culture
- really
- meant
- imitating
- “white”
- America—that
- sounding
- like
- a
- white
- girl
- was
- a
- racist
- idea
- meant
- to
- tame
- her,
- change
- her,
- and
- make
- her
- small.
- She
- ran
- the
- race,
- completing
- each
- stage,
- but
- never
- quite
- fit
- in,
- until
- she
- stopped
- running
- altogether.In
- this
- dual
- polemic
- and
- manifesto,
- Julissa
- dives
- into
- and
- tears
- apart
- the
- lie
- that
- assimilation
- leads
- to
- belonging.
- She
- combs
- through
- history
- and
- her
- own
- story
- to
- break
- down
- this
- myth,
- arguing
- that
- assimilation
- is
- a
- moving
- finish
- line
- designed
- to
- keep
- Black
- and
- brown
- Americans
- and
- immigrants
- chasing
- racist
- American
- ideals.
- She
- talks
- about
- the
- Lie
- of
- Success,
- the
- Lie
- of
- Legality,
- the
- Lie
- of
- Whiteness,
- and
- the
- Lie
- of
- English—each
- promising
- that
- if
- you
- obtain
- these
- things,
- you
- will
- reach
- acceptance
- and
- won’t
- be
- an
- outsider
- anymore.
- Julissa
- deftly
- argues
- that
- these
- demands
- leave
- her
- and
- those
- like
- her
- in
- a
- purgatory—neither
- able
- to
- secure
- the
- power
- and
- belonging
- within
- whiteness
- nor
- find
- it
- in
- the
- community
- and
- cultures
- whiteness
- demands
- immigrants
- and
- people
- of
- color
- leave
- behind.In
- You
- Sound
- Like
- a
- White
- Girl,
- Julissa
- offers
- a
- bold
- new
- promise:
- Belonging
- only
- comes
- through
- celebrating
- yourself,
- your
- history,
- your
- culture,
- and
- everything
- that
- makes
- you
- uniquely
- you.
- Only
- in
- turning
- away
- from
- the
- white
- gaze
- can
- we
- truly
- make
- America
- beautiful.
- An
- America
- where
- difference
- is
- celebrated,
- heritage
- is
- shared
- and
- embraced,
- and
- belonging
- is
- for
- everyone.
- Through
- unearthing
- veiled
- history
- and
- reclaiming
- her
- own
- identity,
- Julissa
- shows
- us
- how
- to
- do this.
