With Love, The Argentina Family by Mirta Ines Trupp

Mirta’s family happily cook their diverse cuisines. In both books, food is a center at celebrations. Like the author, she becomes proud of who she is and determined to learn more. Confused about her Jewish identity, Molly explores Judaism. Shown are wonderful descriptions of fashion, dances, food and superstitions (Never stand in the threshold of a room!) and sadly the ever-present Anti-Semitism, eventually forcing the family to leave for Argentina.

Perfect for the Young Adult crowd, this historical novel searches for family and identity. In Becoming Malka, Molly Abramovitz travels to Moscow and then Odessa to research the generation before Argentina. With the help of the Queen of 8 Wands, magical (and mythical) Tarot card, Molly appears in 1900 in the household of her great-grandmother, Malka, for whom she was named. Jews can be 'black, brown or white' and speak Hebrew, Yiddish or Ladino.” It is, in fact, very similar to the Latino misconception, because a person can be 'black, brown, or white' and come from a Spanish speaking nation.

Spanish-speaking peoples are not all ‘brown.’ Not everyone eats tacos or spicy foods.The idea of Jews being of various ethnicities, color or creeds is a foreign concept to some. Clichés about the color of skin or the choice of foods are, still to this day, floating about in our society. Mirta’s story defies stereotyping, showing that umbrella terms are narrow and “more often than not, label andĬorral people into groups that are simply inaccurate. I couldn’t differentiate betweenĪrgentine customs, Yiddish baba maises (literally grandma stories) or Russian superstitions.” Uncles and cousins, I had a mish-mash of rituals and traditions in my brain. Mirta told me, “As a child, growing up away from my extended family of grandparents, aunts, Mirta becomes fiercely patriotic yet pulled to Argentina.

Guided by her extended Argentina and US family, Historical and she cannot be compartmentalized. In With Love, The Argentina Family, Mirta frequently to visit the Argentina family and her, when her fatherīegins working for Pan Am. Where does she belong? Who is she? Her identity struggles are internal and Not only were we immigrants, but we didn’t quite fit the mold. Here at home, I struggled to find myself within the American tapestry. Teachers couldn’t pronounce her name and students couldn’t figure out what group she belonged to. Mirta Ines Trupp searches for family history and her identity in her memoir, With Love, The Argentinaįamily and in her historical fiction, Becoming Malka: the story of a Russian, Argentinian, American and

With Love, The Argentina Family by Mirta Ines Trupp