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Plantains and the 7 Plagues

A Memoir: Half-Cuban, Half-Dominican and Full Life
Book by Paz Ellis

Average: 3.8 (4 votes)

May 22, 2017  |  2,572 views  |  0 reviews / comments

Plantains and the 7 Plagues by Paz Ellis. A Memoir: Half-Cuban, Half-Dominican and Full Life. Book coverAuthor Paz Ellis takes readers on a cross-cultural and trans-generational journey through her childhood in New Jersey to adulthood with Plantains and the 7 Plagues, A Memoir: Half-Dominican, Half-Cuban and Full Life.

Paz insightfully describes, the complexities and contradictions of growing up in the United States to a Dominican mother and a Cuban father. From her mother’s obsessive cleaning rituals to her father’s remarkable knack for invention, this book beautifully explains what living a hyphenated-life means for so many Hispanics. She writes about what it means to be American, and Cuban, and Dominican, and having to be all of those things and only one of them… all at the same time. Following the passing of her mother, the author finds herself on a search for meaning through not only her past, but also her mother’s. This book is about life, loss, memory, culture, and family, the glue that determines who your family actually is- love. Written with a healthy dose of wit and an abundance of sincerity, Plantains and the 7 Plagues is honest, painfully relatable, and deeply heartfelt.

ISBN: 
9781952578038

Author's Notes

I am half-plantain and half-Cuban in search of biblical plagues. My memoir is a collection of memories, stories, love, pain, grief and family connections. As a child born to a Dominican mother and Cuban father I struggled with their assimilation as they became hyphenated-Americans as well as my own hyphenations. There were multiple moves, school bullies, few friends and a large, loving family to help me find my way and grow into the person I am. Inspired by the recent passing of my mother, I found myself entrenched in the past looking for answers and resolution to my grief. The result is this memoir that I dedicate to memory of my loving parents.

About Paz Ellis

Paz Ellis's picture
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Paz Ellis has been writing since childhood. Her writing journey began with journaling, poetry, and short stories. She grew up in a household of voracious readers. Her father used to write Cuban folk songs and one of her uncles is a poet. When she was about twelve-years-old her mother gave her a wonderful gift- her first hardcover book. It was a beautiful copy of "Little Women." She looked at...

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