Ordinary Girls

Jaquira Diaz wrote this memoir about growing up in housing projects in Puerto Rico and South Miami, Florida in Ordinary Girls. Jaquira is no ordinary girl. She is fierce and she is angry. She grew up in a family where drugs and violence were common and every day occurrences. She was neglected by her criminal father and her mentally ill mother. Later her father makes the move to lawful employment but Jaquira is already marching down the path to being a juvenile delinquent. Her fierceness is her saving grace. Eventually she makes more and more good choices. This book was interesting to read. My journey through the chapters was scary, riveting, and enthralling.