Ay, Mija!

My Bilingual Summer in Mexico

Bilingual, inventive, and heartfelt, debut graphic novel talent Christine Suggs explores a trip they took to Mexico to visit family, embracing and rebelling against their heritage and finding a sense of belonging.

Fifteen-year-old Christine is preparing for their first solo trip to Mexico to spend a few weeks with their grandparents and tia that summer. While they're initially nervous about connecting with family that they don't yet share a language with, they quickly settle into life in Mexico — eating pan dulce, growing comfortable with Spanish, and drawing what they see.

Halfway through their stay, their mom joins the trip. At first, they're relieved to be reunited, but soon they struggle to reconcile the mother they know with the mother who has a past outside of themselves. What it must have been like to leave a country for someone you love? Through exploring the impacts of colonialism in both the country and themselves, they ultimately find their place in their family, something they can take back with them to Texas.