Bronx Attitude is a warm, proud, deeply human memoir about identity, journalism, and carrying your neighborhood with you wherever you go. What does “Bronx attitude” really mean to you?

“Bronx attitude” is really a frame of mind, an nergy that propels you into roles and spaces that feel foreign. The attitude projects confidence and bravery even when you’re nervous. It is like a shield and a balm at the same time.

You describe culture shock in college. How did navigating spaces that were not built for you shape the professional you became?

Navigating those spaces prepared me to help others get through those spaces as well. Every time I exerienced difficulty i wanted to tell others about it. It shaped the way I operate as a professional as I am always trying to help people access help and power.

Your career mirrored the unprecedented growth of Latino New York. How conscious were you, in the moment, of being a chronicler of that history while living inside it?

I knew that part of our work, as journalists, was to document the history of this community, but I am not certain I was always conscious of it since we were in the midst of many battles. Immigration, civil rights, access to housing. However, we did put a lot of effort into covering the successes and in that way we were aware that our folks were making history – on broadway, in entertainment, sports, education and other realms.

You’re honest that success is not clean or solitary. What do you hope young Latinas reading this book take from the parts that are most difficult, not the victories?

I hope that young Latinas reading the book will understand that they are not alone or first in their struggles. That we all share challenges whether cultural, or adolescence, or emotional and family dramas. We have had these struggles and we have overcome them.

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