How have issues of ethnicity and religion informed Bodega Dreams?
Ethnicity and religion are central to the Latino community’s that’s reflected in my book in a way that allows me to explore how they coexist in Spanish Harlem. In my family, my mother was the religious one, my father more political and existential. In Bodega Dreams you can see this in some of the characters: Blanca and Chino, for instance, play those roles, respectively. Q: So, how much of your novel is autobiographical? A: The first chapter, which explores the school years and early friendships of Chino growing up on the streets in Spanish Harlem, is very autobiographical. Chino paints “R.I.P.”s–a kind of graffiti meant to memorialize people in the neighborhood who’ve died; I did that too when I was a kid. Growing up in Spanish Harlem, you learn that in order to not take a beating everyday, you have to fight sometimes. It’s better to hit back and get beaten up once or twice, then get picked on for the rest of your teens. “Should I fight? How do I fight? Is there ever a just cause for
