BODEGA DREAMS: PRESENTING OBSTACLES TO THE LATINO IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY

Held et al also report that “premigration poverty, stress and trauma during the migration stage, and postmigration discrimination each correspond with a heightened risk of mental health disorders” (65) If Latino youth encounter negative experiences during their immigration to America, and they then attend a school where authority figures are dismissive and discriminatory towards them, that is the perfect cocktail for developing mental health issues. Feeling alienated can cause anxiety, depression, self-harm, as well as an identity crisis. They may develop feelings of shame regarding who they are because they do not fit the mold that is being emphasized as the American norm (Alarcon) In Bodega Dreams Chino mentions that “Since we were almost convinced that our race had no culture, no smart people, we behaved even worse. It made us fight, throw books at one another, sell joints in the stairways, talk back to teachers, and leave classrooms whenever we wanted to” (Quinonez 6) The way people are treated makes a major difference in how they view themselves and how they act

The Latino immigrant community faces stress on a daily basis. Despite potentially already struggling with economic issues that come with the transition, they also have to face political and social issues. They may struggle to receive a proper education they are entitled to because society dismisses them as future delinquents before they can even write their own name Many members of the Latino immigrant community simply want a better life for themselves and their children, and battle suppression by the system each day. Bodega Dreams portrays that concept well and emphasizes that when someone is born their life is (and should be) theirs to make of it what they will.

Works Cited

Alarcon, Renato D , and Hector Perez-Rinson "Crossroads: Identity Struggles in Latin America and Latin American Psychiatry " International Review of Psychiatry , vol 22, no 4, ser 330-339, Aug 2010, pp 330–339

Held, Mary Lehman, et al “A Study of Social Work Students' Knowledge and Perceptions of Stages of Latino Immigration ” Journal of Social Work Education, vol 54, no 1, 2018, pp 61–78 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2017.1307148. Quinonez, Ernesto Bodega Dreams Vintage Books, 2000

Viramontez Anguaino, Ruben P , et al “Bettering The Educational Attainment for Latino Families: How Families View the Education of Their Children ” Journal of Latinos and Education, vol 18, no 4, ser 349-362, 7 Feb 2018, pp 349–362 https://doi org/https://doi org/10 1080/ 15348431 2018 1426465