Alberto Espiricueta
City/Ciudad: Maywood/Bell
Book/Libro: The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney & Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy
ENGLISH
I was thinking about this question yesterday when I saw the [Instagram] post and I looked at my books and I was like, "which book really changed the course of my life?" There's two. One is kind of more carefree, which is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, that got me into reading books, collecting books, and really setting me on that path of reading, right? The second book is a lot more heavy in the sense [that] it was during a time of personal upheaval. This was right before COVID in 2020, and during that time, I was diagnosed with anxiety and panic attack disorder. So one of the books that I was tasked with reading in my classes on ecotopia was Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy, which is a utopian book and a feminist book written in 1976 where the protagonist is dealing with mental health problems. And through some magical realism, she's able to transport herself to the future where they have worked on creating ecotopia. It doesn't say where, but probably some part of New York. Seeing what the future could be, while I was dealing with mental health issues at that time, really helped guide me to a better future for myself – but also, just thinking [of] what the future could be in our area and just in the world itself. It's still ongoing, that journey, but it set me on that path. That's the book I would recommend.
ESPAÑOL
Ayer pensaba sobre esta pregunta cuando vi el post de Instagram y miré mis libros y pensé:“¿Cuáles libros cambiaron el transcurso de mi vida?” Son dos. Uno de ellos es más bien alegre, El Diario de Greg, me impulsó a leer más, coleccionar libros, y en verdad forjó mi camino hacia la lectura. El segundo libro es más serio en el sentido de que fue durante un tiempo turbulento. Fue justo antes del COVID en 2020, y durante ese tiempo fui diagnosticado con trastorno de ansiedad y pánico. En una de mis clases acerca del ecotopia se me dio la tarea de leer el libro Woman on the Edge of Time por Marge Piercy, un libro utópico y feminista escrito en 1976 en el cual la protagonista enfrenta problemas de salud mental. Por medio del realismo mágico, ella puede transportarse al futuro en donde se ha creado una ecotopia. La ubicación no se menciona, pero lo más probable es que sea en una parte de Nueva York. Ver un avance del futuro me ayudó a orientarme hacia un mejor futuro personal mientras lidiaba con problemas de salud mental y también me ayudo a pensar sobre el futuro de nuestro entorno y en el mundo. Aún sigo en dicho camino y el libro me dio un punto de partida. Es el libro que recomendaría.
“Seeing what the future could be, while I was dealing with mental health issues at that time, really helped guide me to a better future for myself….”
-Alberto
