Ordinary Girls

Often, the parts of our lives that are exception- ally traumatic tend to impress themselves most on our memories. On page 15, Jaquira Díaz says she is both “determined to remember” and “prohibido olvidar (forbidden to forget).” Do you find yourself more capable of remembering the exceedingly bad times in your life? What about the exceedingly good? Why is Jaquira forbidden to forget?

Most of the memoir is centralized in the spaces where Díaz is with her family and the friends that become like family to her. When she joins the navy, Díaz, and the story itself, is uprooted from this sense of place. In what ways, and why, was this time a turning point for her? What new difficulties did her time in the navy present?

Think about the image of the mouse that Jaquira and Anthony encounter in Abuela’s house. Why does Jaquira say she is “part mon- ster, part mouse”? What does she mean by this? Does she think her act is forgivable? Do you?

At the beginning of Ordinary Girls, Díaz grap- ples with the question of whether home is a place. In the section titled “Regresando,” Díaz continues to come back to Miami Beach. What are the different occasions that cause her to return? Do you think she sees Miami Beach as a place she can call home, or not, and why? How are her feelings about Puerto Rico differ- ent from those about Miami? Is home a place, and what else do you think home could be, if not a place?

Abuela and Grandma Mercy are set in contrast to each other throughout Díaz’s account of her childhood and young adult life. In what ways do each of her grandmothers inform Díaz’s perception of herself, her heritage, and her worth?

Consider the two settings of Puerto Rico and Miami Beach. How does the author character- ize the two differently? How do these differen- ces reflect the changes in the family’s dynamic over time?

Violence seeps into much of Jaquira’s experi- ences. As a result, the parts of her life associated with love and community are also inter- mingled with fear and pain. What are some examples of these instances?

What are some of the “monster stories” told in Ordinary Girls, both in Díaz’s own life and in the media that she is consuming? What is the scariest part about La Llorona, according to Díaz? What is her biggest fear regarding her relationship to her mother?

Cheito reminds Jaquira of Puerto Rico and Boricua culture. Despite the comfort this brings her, she is also acutely aware of the ways that his family is far different from hers. Does her experience with Cheito give her motivation to change her future or cause her to resent her own family?

Music is a crucial part of the lives of Jaquira and her friends. Pick one of the songs she names in the memoir and listen to it. What was happening to Jaquira at the time in her life that she listened to this song? What parts of it do you think resonated with her? Why is music so important?

Díaz compares herself to Holden Caulfield. Compare the lives and characteristics of the two. Why do you think she identifies with him?

The chapter titled “Secrets” recounts Díaz’s experiences from a young age involving violence against women. Discuss the parts of this chapter that shocked you or impressed upon you most. Then discuss the line “It will be a long time before you buy another pair of strappy sandals. But you will.” Why is this statement so powerful?

Consider the quote, “I know something about the in-between, of being seen but not really seen” (p. 291). Compare Jaquira to the character she creates of Puerto Rico. Discuss why, at the end of the memoir, she delves into the topic of injustice in Puerto Rico, including Oscar López Rivera and Hurricane María.

What is an ordinary girl? Whom is Díaz ad- dressing and what message does she want to send to them?