The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez

In the book, The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez, Sonia is the main character. Throughout the book, the story tells of the hardships of her life. Sonia has a difficult life. This all because of mostly one thing… family. Sonia is Mexican and in their culture family is first, no matter what. This makes Sonia’s life harder because she has to do everything for her family. In order to stay true to her family. Sonia’s family makes life harder for her each and every day. As this continues, she becomes more fed up with her family. Sonia’s family members and close friends have an effect on her in different ways. Because of the affect her family members have on her, she is forced to be stereotyped by other people.

The people who have the most effect on Sonia is her family. This includes her brothers, cousin, aunt, uncle, mother, and father. Each of these people has a different effect on Sonia. As for her mother, she has a huge negative affect on Sonia. Sonia's mother makes her cook, clean, and take care of everyone in the house. She uses the excuse that she is pregnant so that she doesn't have to get up and be a mother. Sonia's aunt affects her negatively also. Her aunt puts her down every day she calls her names and criticize her every day. Also Sonia's aunt eats all of the food and leaves a mess which causes more trouble. Because of her aunt, Sonia had to go to Mexico to "learn the ways of the old country" Although her other family members had a negative effect, her grandmother was different. Her grandmother taught her how to be more appreciative when it comes to the way she lives in America. She also learned to try and deal with her family would be what's best for her. Her uncle has the worst effect on Sonia. Sonia's uncle gets so drunk every day that she calls him "drunkle." Living in the house with her drunkle is hard for Sonia. He intimidates her and makes her feel uncomfortable whenever he looks at her. Associated with their uncle is Sonia's older brother. He is a drug dealer and makes life even harder for Sonia because he keeps his stash around the house and she finds it. As I mentioned before, family is everything to her family so Sonia doesn't tell. When it comes to Sonia's father... he is a god to her. She looks up to him and admires him every day. Sonia's father is a hard worker and a loving father. He knows when something is right and when something is wrong. Sonia's father is a role model to her and she wants to be like him one day so he has a positive effect on her.

Although some of her family members have a not so great effect on Sonia, she keeps on trying and pushing. Her delays and hardships make her stronger as a person. I think that it is interesting how her life was falling apart and then she put the pieces back together perfectly like a puzzle. Overall Sonia is a very smart person and strong character. This book should inspire other to be like her and achieve their goals.