How+the+Garcia+Girls+Lost+Their+Accents

Author: Julia Alvarez

Discussion Time: 4B, Thursday January 13, 10:55-12:25

Group Members Facilitator: Marissa N Natalie S Elizabeth A Jeanna L Leah B Suzanne D Meagan H Sarah C Hillary P*

http://images.betterworldbooks.com/045/How-the-Garcia-Girls-Lost-Their-Accents-Alvarez-Julia-9780452268067.jpg

Why were the Garcia de la Torres forced to leave the island? Where (time and place) is the book set? Who is telling the story? What is an important theme or conflict in the book? What's the significance of the hummingbirds on the front cover of one of the books? Who do you think the girl is on the front cover of the other books? Is Papi overprotective? How do the girls morals change as the grow up? Do they change at all? How does moving to America change how the girls lead their lives?
 * Clarifying Questions:**

__Sofia__: - Had the first grandchild - ran away from home to marry a German man named Otto - ruined the relationship between her and her father - youngest
 * Characters:**

__Sandra__: - Artist - self identity problems (monkey) - insecure - beauty - second youngest

__Yolanda__: - Poet - wanted to be a school teacher - lost her native culture - 2nd oldest

__Carla__: - Psychologist - oldest

__Mami__: - Mother - takes care of her four daughters - inventor

__Papi__: - Doctor - protective - traditional - seems to be more involved in the older life - wants to keep the girls from losing their culture, but it's keeping the girls from finding themselves

1) How do the older sisters seem protective of the younger ones, especially Sofia? 2) How do Mami and Papi interact differently with their daughters? 3) Are there any other characters who impacted the girls' lives? 4) How do the traditional ways of the dominican and ways or American living effect Sofia and Papi's relationship? 5) Why does Laura tell the stories about her daughters?

1) How do the sisters narrate differently? 2) Does the narration change during different time periods? 3) Why does the author choose to start off when the girls are older and then end the book back on the island telling about the last day on the island?
 * Narration**:

1) What do the girls love about the Dominican Republic? 2) What do they love about America? 3) Do you think they are happy when they are in America? 4) If the girls had a choice do you think they would have stayed on the island or moved to America?
 * Setting**:

1) Conflict with losing ties to family roots. 2) Losing culture/Gaining identity throughout life 3) Importance of being with family 4) Trouble with men in their lives(family/boyfriends/husbands)
 * Themes/Motifs:**

1) Did going back in time make the novel more confusing or more interesting? 2) Is writing in this time line more effective? 3) Do the different perspectives make the novel more effective? 4) Alvarez skips around, going back in time as the book progresses, did this make the book easier or harder to read/understand?
 * Style of Writing:**

Pages 83: "It rises..." 99: "I saw what a cold, lonely life..." 107: "You can believe we sisters..." 109: "Mami and Papi got all worried..." 131: "We look at each other..." 168: "At moments like this when they all seemed one organism- //the four girls...//" 215: "It was strange how..." 274: "Then she stopped, stuck, halfway up, halfway down."
 * Significant Passages:**

Brief history of Trujillo: []
 * Outside Resources:**

A few interview questions with Julia Alvarez: [| http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/garcia_girls.html]

Julia Alvarez's Bio: []

Interviews with actresses who played the four sisters in a play: [] []


 * More Discussion Topics:**

1) Sense of self/Identity - How does the idea of color coded clothes relate to the girls identities? What effect does this have on them later in life? 2) Challenges of immigration 3) How the girls are Americanized 4) Importance of family


 * Concluding remarks?**