7 Minutes in Book Heaven with Christine Suggs and ¡Ay, Mija!

This Queer Book Saved My Life

Welcome to our Summer of Book Love series!
Every Tuesday this summer we will feature new episodes of 7 Minutes in Book Heaven which has your next summer read!
Today we meet Christine Suggs and their graphic novel ¡Ay, Mija! My Bilingual Summer in Mexico.
In this bilingual, inventive, and heartfelt debut, graphic novel sixteen-year-old Christine explores a trip they took to Mexico to visit family, embracing and rebelling against their heritage and finding a sense of belonging.
At first, Christine struggles to connect with family they don't yet share a language with. Soon Christine settles into life in Mexico, eating pan dulce, drawing what they see, and growing more comfortable with Spanish. But when Mom joins their trip, Christine's two worlds collide. Through exploring the impacts of colonialism in both Mexico and themselves, they find their place in their family and start to feel comfortable with their mixed identity.
Christine (they/them) is a comic artist and designer living in Dallas, TX with their wonderful partner, 1 dog, and 2 cats. Christine's work explores the intersection of their identities, namely being a queer, fat, Latinx leftist who loves all things cute. Bonus facts: their day job is in app design, they are an avid Dungeons & Dragons player, and they're quite obsessed with their cats.
Buy ¡Ay, Mija! My Bilingual Summer in Mexico
Visit our Bookshop or buy directly right now: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780316591928
Connect with Christine Suggs
Website: christinesuggs.com
Instagram: @csuggsillustration
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Credits
Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
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