Latinx Immigrants and Broken Dreams
In Bodega Dreams, author Ernesto Quiñonez underscores the oppression that Latinx immigrants face in the United States. The central backdrop of Quiñonez’s story is a vibrant but deeply disenfranchised immigrant community in Spanish Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City. The neighborhood is populated with the children and grandchildren of immigrants, who fled political unrest in Puerto Rico and Cuba in the 1950s, hoping for better lives in the United States. Through narrator Julio…
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Crime, Wealth and Activism
Ernesto Quiñonez’s Bodega Dreams, set in New York’s diverse urban landscape of the late 20th century, argues that wealth and crime are inherently connected. An ex-activist named Bodega and a lawyer named Nazario utilize the criminal underworld to fund their dreams of empowering the Latinx immigrant community in Spanish Harlem. They use illicit funds—acquired from drug deals and dangerous mafia involvement—to buy property for the community, fund the education of promising Latinx youths, and…
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Religion, Sexism, and Poverty
Leveraging the voice of young narrator Julio, author Ernesto Quiñonez offers a harsh critique of religion as a largely disempowering force in the Latinx community in Bodega Dreams. Julio argues that his devout wife, Blanca, chides him for his sexism yet endorses the Bible, which depicts women as mere afterthoughts to the activities of men. Julio also thinks that the sermons at Blanca’s church depict women as promiscuous and sinful, and that…
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Loyalty, Solidarity, and Community
Author Ernesto Quiñonez foregrounds the importance of loyalty among the Latinx community throughout Bodega Dreams. A strong sense of community exists among the churchgoing characters in the story, who chip in to help one another with tasks like moving apartments. Moreover, an ex-activist named Bodega and his business partner Nazario—who both dabble in crime to protect the community from a fast-approaching wave of gentrification—emphasize that earning people’s loyalty is of utmost importance to…
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