Summary
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez is a seminal novel in Latino literature that tells the story of four sisters adapting to life in America after fleeing the Dominican Republic. Published in 1991, the book was Alvarez's debut novel and quickly gained critical acclaim for its poignant exploration of immigration, assimilation, and cultural identity. Told in reverse chronological order through interconnected stories, it spans over 30 years in the lives of the Garcia sisters.
The novel draws heavily on Alvarez's own experiences as a Dominican immigrant to the United States. It vividly portrays the challenges faced by the Garcia family as they struggle to maintain their cultural roots while assimilating to American life in the 1960s. Major themes include the fragmentation of identity, the quest for self-discovery, and the lasting impact of political turmoil and exile. Alvarez's lyrical prose and non-linear structure offer a nuanced perspective on the immigrant experience.
Since its publication, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents has become widely read and studied as an important work of Latino literature. It was included on the New York Public Library's list of “21 new classics for the 21st century” and has been the subject of extensive scholarly analysis. While there have not been any major film or TV adaptations, the novel continues to resonate with readers and remains a powerful exploration of cultural duality and the search for belonging.
Plot
Julia Alvarez's novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents tells the story of four sisters - Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofia Garcia - who immigrate with their parents from the Dominican Republic to New York City in 1960. The novel is told in reverse chronological order, beginning with the sisters as adults in the 1980s and moving backwards to their childhood on the island in the 1950s.
In the early sections, we see the adult Garcia sisters struggling with their identities as Dominican-Americans. Yolanda, a writer, returns to the Dominican Republic for a visit but feels out of place. The sisters deal with failed marriages, mental health issues, and conflicts with their more traditional parents. Flashbacks reveal their difficult adjustment to American life as teenagers, facing racism, culture shock, and pressure to assimilate.
As the novel moves further back in time, we learn about the family's privileged life in the Dominican Republic, where they were part of the upper class with maids and an expansive family compound. However, their father's involvement in a plot against the dictator Trujillo forces the family to flee to New York. The final sections depict the girls' idyllic early childhood on the island before political turmoil disrupted their lives.
Throughout the non-linear narrative, Alvarez explores themes of cultural identity, assimilation, and the immigrant experience. The Garcia sisters must navigate between their Dominican heritage and American culture, often feeling caught between two worlds. The novel poignantly captures their struggles to find their place and “lose their accents” as they come of age in a new country.
Themes
Immigration and cultural identity
Coming of age and loss of innocence
Family relationships and generational conflict
Gender roles and feminism
Language and communication
Memory and the past
Political oppression and freedom
Setting
Julia Alvarez's novel spans over 30 years, from the 1950s to the 1980s. The story begins in the 1960s when political tensions force the Garcia family to flee from the Dominican Republic to New York City. The earlier parts of the novel are set in the Dominican Republic under the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, while the later parts take place in the United States as the family adjusts to their new lives as immigrants.
In the Dominican Republic, the Garcias enjoy a privileged upper-class lifestyle on an expansive family compound with servants. The tropical Caribbean setting provides a stark contrast to their new home in the Bronx. The novel depicts their struggle to adapt to urban American life in the 1960s and 70s, including experiences in Catholic schools, boarding schools, and college campuses as the girls come of age.
The narrative moves between the two settings, with scenes in both the Dominican Republic and various locations in the northeastern United States. Key places include the family's homes in both countries, schools in New York, and Yolanda's return visit to the Dominican Republic as an adult. This back-and-forth between settings mirrors the characters' cultural duality as they straddle two worlds and struggle to define their evolving identities.
Characters
Yolanda García: The third oldest daughter and main protagonist. A writer and poet who struggles with her divided cultural identity. She returns to the Dominican Republic as an adult, sparking memories of the family's past. (4 sentences)
Carla García: The eldest García daughter. A therapist who acts as a mediator between her sisters. She faces racism and sexual harassment after moving to New York as a child. (2 sentences)
Sandra García: The second oldest daughter. An artist who develops anorexia in college. She is described as pretty and able to “pass” as American. (2 sentences)
Sofia García: The youngest García daughter. More rebellious than her sisters, she marries young against her father's wishes. Her relationship with her father is strained until her son is born. (2 sentences)
Carlos García: The girls' father. A doctor who opposes the Trujillo dictatorship, forcing the family to flee to New York. He struggles to adapt to American life and clashes with his Americanized daughters. (2 sentences)
Laura García: The girls' mother. She comes from a wealthy Dominican family and has difficulty adjusting to a more modest life in New York. (2 sentences)
Quick facts
It was Julia Alvarez's debut novel, published in 1991 when she was 41 years old.
The novel is told in reverse chronological order, beginning in 1989 and ending in 1956.
It consists of 15 interconnected short stories focusing on the four García sisters.
The character of Yolanda is considered to be Alvarez's alter ego.
The novel explores themes of immigration, assimilation, and the loss of cultural identity.
It is partly based on Alvarez's own experiences immigrating from the Dominican Republic to the United States as a child.
The book was included on the New York Public Library's 1999 list of “21 new classics for the 21st century".
Each of the four sisters narrates different chapters, providing multiple perspectives.
The novel's title refers to the sisters gradually losing their Dominican accents as they assimilate into American culture.
It has become a widely taught text in courses on Latino literature and immigrant experiences in America.
About the Author
Julia Alvarez, born in 1950 in New York City, spent her early childhood in the Dominican Republic before her family fled to the United States in 1960. This experience of immigration and cultural adaptation profoundly influenced her writing career. Alvarez is the author of numerous acclaimed works, including novels, poetry collections, nonfiction books, and children's literature.
Her breakthrough novel, How the García Girls Lost Their Accents (1991), was the first major English-language novel by a Dominican-American author to receive widespread recognition. Alvarez's writing often explores themes of cultural identity, assimilation, and the immigrant experience. Her 1994 novel In the Time of the Butterflies, which fictionalizes the lives of the Mirabal sisters during the Trujillo dictatorship, has sold over a million copies and was selected for the National Endowment for the Arts' Big Read program.
Throughout her career, Alvarez has received numerous accolades for her work. In 2013, President Obama awarded her the National Medal of Arts for her contributions to American literature. She has also been recognized with the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature and the Latina Leader Award in Literature from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Alvarez's writing has been praised for its exploration of Dominican-American identity and its portrayal of strong female characters.
In addition to her literary achievements, Alvarez has had a significant impact on education and activism. She served as a writer-in-residence at Middlebury College until her retirement in 2016 and has taught creative writing in various settings across the United States. Alvarez and her husband founded Alta Gracia, a farm-literacy center in the Dominican Republic that promotes sustainable agriculture and education. She continues to be an influential voice in Latin American literature and an advocate for social justice causes.
