Something to Declare
Author: Julia Alvarez
Publisher: Algonquin
Goodreads | The StoryGraph
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Cover Description
From the internationally acclaimed author of the bestselling novels In the Time of the Butterflies and How the García Girls Lost Their Accents comes a rich and revealing work of nonfiction capturing the life and mind of an artist as she knits together the dual themes of coming to America and becoming a writer.
The twenty-four confessional, evocative essays that make up Something to Declare are divided into two parts. “Customs” includes Alvarez’s memories of her family’s life in the Dominican Republic, fleeing from Trujillo’s dictatorship, and arriving in America when she was ten years old. She examines the effects of exile — surviving the shock of New York City life; yearning to fit in; training her tongue (and her mind) to speak English; and watching the Miss America pageant for clues about American-style beauty. The second half, “Declarations,” celebrates her passion for words and the writing life. She lets us watch as she struggles with her art — searching for a subject for her next novel, confronting her characters, facing her family’s anger when she invades their privacy, reflecting on the writers who influenced her, and continually honing her craft.
The winner of the National Medal of Arts for her extraordinary storytelling, Julia Alvarez here offers essays that are an inspiring gift to readers and writers everywhere.
TL;DR Review
Something to Declare is one of those books I’m just so glad I read. It’s full of beautiful observations, cultural explorations, and life lessons (especially on writing).
For you if: You are a writer, especially if you’re just starting out and struggling with imposter syndrome.
Full Review
I got Something to Declare in my Page 1 Books subscription, in which a bookseller hand-picks something specially for you each month (they even look through your Goodreads!). I didn’t know that Julia Alvarez had an essay collection on life and writing (as it was published when I was six years old lol), but as soon as I saw it in my box, I knew they’d nailed the recommendation.
That held up as I read — and really enjoyed — this collection. It couldn’t have come to me at a better time. It was Latinx Heritage Month, and I have started to feel the pull toward writing fiction more and more. So I was in the perfect place to read about Alvarez’s childhood under Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, immigration to and adolescence in the United States, and long, bumpy journey to becoming a successful author.
I think this book is especially perfect for anyone managing imposter syndrome when it comes to writing. With hindsight, we know that Julia Alvarez has sold a ton of books. But she spent years and years grinding, unpublished, believing in her heart that it was what she was meant to do. To me, reading about an author’s journey to publishing later in life and against all odds is so much more relatable — and helpful. We don’t have to pop out of an MFA degree at Iowa and win awards on our debut novels in order to become the writers we are meant to be.