“Telling to Live may be one of the most important books published in the last few decades. Latinas collectively have not had a book like this before that features so many different backgrounds and cultures. . . . The inclusion of all these mix-and-match identifications is what qualifies this book to be required reading in women’s studies classes all across the globe. . . . Even if you are not of Latin descent, anyone who identifies with hardship and triumph in their own lives will connect with Telling to Live. Que vivan las Feministas Latinas!” — Jocelyn Climent , Bust
“[A] solid collection of writings that bear witness to history and society through the revelations of personal and professional experiences. . . . [C]hallenging, thought-provoking, and sometimes painful pieces on the topics of empowerment; measure; the body and memory; and passion and celebrations. . . . [T]his book is recommended for all academic and general libraries.” — M. V. Ekstrom, Choice
“[G]roundbreaking. . . . [It] should be required reading for all women’s studies, American studies, and American history students. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.” — Library Journal
“It is a bold political statement that recognizes the complexity of Latina identities; a statement, moreover, that dares to challenge the assumptions about what constitutes knowledge in the academy.” — Andrea Noble , Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies
“The … textual space challenges both the opinions and labels, held by members of the group and by outsiders, that ultimately devalue the individuals. Testimonio has allowed the academics of Telling to Live to achieve their multilateral objectives….” — Kathryn Quinn-Sánchez , Chicana/Latina Studies
"[A] collection of vivid first-person narratives and short stories, poignantly candid family snapshots, poems, taxonomies, and dialogues. . . . This is a vividly concrete reminder of the spaces these Latina women are attempting to negotiate or to bridge; as they acknowledge, ‘we must walk the fine line of contestation and complicity.’ . . . [T]he volume stands as an alternately chilling and inspiring monument to the women who wrote it, and to the many others who made that writing possible." — Anny Brooksbank Jones , Biography
"[A] complex view of the differing social, racial and economic histories which are too often erased under the umbrella terms Latina and Chicana." — Tace Hedrick , NWSA Journal
"[A] moving account of these women's life stories. They eloquently write about their struggles to overcome pain and abuse, to achieve success in their personal and professional lives, and of their discovery of a profound sense of sisterhood. . . . All of the writings are informative about the diversity of Latina perspectives. . . . This book should hold wide appeal for students of Women's Studies, American Studies, Latino/a and Ethnic Studies, and the general reader interested in the experience of Latinas in the United States!" — Judy Maloof , Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies
"[A] rare and important collection of autobiographical narratives, snapshots, short stories, poems, and dialogues." — Amanda Davis, Aztlán
"[A]n excellent basis for a seminar or reading group on women and gender in Latin America. . . . [A] fascinating document." — Linda B. Hall , Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies
"[P]oignant. . . . Insofar as accomplishing their stated goal, to explore the complex intersections of race, class, gender, nationality, ethnicity, and sexuality with regard to coalition building, Telling to Live is a highly successfully undertaking. . . . [A] laudable enterprise with far-reaching implications for those of us hoping to one day embark upon similar paths paved by the trail-blazing accomplishments of these testimoniadoras." — Marie Sarita Gaytán, Latino Studies
"In this unprecedented volume, the Latina feminist group successfully shape narratives that make women's lives accessible to multiple audiences and give meaning to lived experiences that are often erased. . . . [A] fascinating and challenging read." — Manuela Costantino, Canadian Literature
“Telling to Live is a groundbreaking text—important in its outreach, inclusiveness, and power—that expands, qualifies, complicates, and illuminates the ground of our discourse the way the best texts do—through transformative narratives, stories, and poems that resist the neat paradigms and –isms of our time. It is also a text that will fill an alarming gap in the academy, where silence or simplification of Latina perspectives still prevails.” — Julia Alvarez, author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
“Twenty years after the publication of This Bridge Called My Back, this stunning collection of writings by Latina feminists raises the stakes of collaboration across race, class, nation, and sexuality. Telling to Live challenges prevailing research practices and forges a model of deep collaboration for future generations of scholars.” — Angela Y. Davis, author of Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude ‘Ma’ Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday