Once I Was You: Finding My Voice and Passing the Mic
Written by Maria Hinojosa
Published by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Maria Hinojosa is an Emmy Award–winning journalist, a bestselling author, and was the first Latina to found a national independent nonprofit newsroom in the United States. But before all that, she was a girl with big hair and even bigger dreams. Born in Mexico and raised in the vibrant neighborhood of Hyde Park, Chicago, Maria was always looking for ways to better understand the world around her—and where she fit into it.
Here, she combines stories from her life, beginning with her family’s harrowing experience of immigration, with truths about the United States’s long and complicated relationship with the people who cross its borders, by choice or by force. Funny, frank, and thought-provoking, Maria’s voice is one you will want to listen to again and again.
Look for the Spanish version, Una Vez Fui Tú: Cómo Encontré Mi Voz Y Hoy Paso El Micrófono.
Primary ISBN: 9781665902809
Publication Date: August 2022
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Memoir, Middle Grade, Age 08 or older
Community Represented: Mexican/Mexican American
Themes: Activism, Citizenship, Community Action, Family Separation: Different Immigration Status, Genre: Biography, Identity: Multilingual, Immigrant: Economic, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Setting: US/Mexican Border Crossing
Setting: Mexico (Mexico City), United States (Chicago IL)
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Immigrant
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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