The Tequila Worm

Canales, V. (2005). The tequila worm. NY: Wendy Lamb Books/Random House. Sofia is about to embark on high school but when she is recommended for testing to attend a private boarding school in Austin, TX, her world is challenged. Sofia has to come to terms with her identity with the help of her family, friends and a taco eating teacher. She can’t leave the rich culture of her Mexican-America self and finds that she does not, instead she brings her wealth to her elite school and brings her story with her. She kicks with her head and comes out on top. I identified with this book as a Latino who attended a wealthy school. Things are different like the Christmas nacimiento from her school friends yet rituals like it connect her with her family keeping her grounded. This is a great book for grades 5^th-college.  Anyone trying to find their identity while staying true to family will identify with this book. This book takes me back to my social work roots and makes me contemplate individual, family, community and societal roles and obligations. They are not separate from each other but stand a high chance for internal and external conflict. This can be hard to understand from majority view where family norms are the same as those of the society. This book does not intend to explore why as a minority, there might be more struggle identifying with the majority but it does indeed offer good food for thought.