Pork Belly Tacos with a Side of Anxiety: My Journey Through Depression, Bulimia, and Addiction

Overview

In Pork Belly Tacos with a Side of Anxiety, Yvonne Castañeda shares vibrant stories of her childhood growing up in Miami as the daughter of humble immigrants from Mexico and Cuba . . . and how she came to develop an unhealthy relationship with food.

To help ease her mami’s nervios, Yvonne becomes a perfectionist from a young age, achieving high grades at school and mastering the piano. But as her Cuban family members openly make comments about her awkward desarrollo, or puberty, Yvonne enters a new phase of self-consciousness that begins her obsession with weight.

She abandons the piano for the high school cheerleading team, and reinvents herself, becoming both skinny and popular. However, as a first-generation adolescent born in the United States, Yvonne wrestles with the conflict between the cultural norms of her Hispanic/Latino heritage and American societal expectations.

Plagued by doubt and low self-esteem, Yvonne begins a vicious cycle of weight gain and loss, as she battles Bulimia Nervosa. Beleaguered by feelings of guilt, shame, and inferiority, she develops anxiety, depression, and a reliance on dangerous coping mechanisms.

Ultimately, sage advice from her dear abuela in Guadalajara, Mexico, guides Yvonne to a realization that shifts her perspective of herself and the purpose of her life, providing a foundation for inner peace, and la solución to her past struggles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781595801081
Publisher:	Santa Monica Press
Publication date:	02/22/2022
Pages:	280
Sales rank:	404,611
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	15 - 17 Years

About the Author

Born in Los Angeles to Mexican and Cuban parents, Castañeda was raised in Miami, where she eventually earned a BA in International Relations from Florida International University. She has worked in the restaurant, cruise line, education and hotel industry, and was contracted as a linguist with the Department of Justice. Having suffered from Bulimia Nervosa for over 15 years, Castañeda developed a passion for fitness and later pursued a career in the fitness industry, in which she worked as a Personal Trainer and General Manager for over ten years.

Currently, Castañeda is a Licensed Psychotherapist in Massachusetts (LICSW) and an Adjunct Professor of Boston College Graduate School of Social Work and Online Facilitator of BC School of Theology and Ministry. Aside from her own lived experiences, Castañeda has worked extensively with the underserved Hispanic/Latino population as a behavioral health clinician.

Castañeda is an iPEC Certified Life Coach, a Registered Yoga Teacher, a Corrective Exercise Specialist, a Kettlebell Coach and a 2nd Dan Black Belt in Shotokan Karate.

Table of Contents

Author's Note 7

1 Toy Piano 9

2 Do I Have to Be a Woman? 23

3 Bull's-eye on My Back 43

4 The Elephant on My Chest 53

5 Mejico Undo 67

6 Pom Pom Nightmare 79

7 Legs Too Fat! You Too Fat! 89

8 All Aboard! 103

9 Speed Train to Hell 111

10 Road Tripping 123

11 A Broken Compass 145

12 Keeping Secrets 157

13 My Favorite Mistake 169

14 Only God Knows 193

15 Drifting Away 207

16 Traumatized Tooth Fairy 217

17 Imposter Syndrome 231

18 Single and Badass 245

19 Jumping off the Train 251

20 La Solución 257

21 Epilogue 269

Acknowledgments 276

Resources 279

About the Author 280

Editorial Reviews

01/01/2022

Gr 8 Up—An honest but difficult to read memoir about eating disorders and mental health. The second child of Mexican and Cuban immigrants, Castañeda was raised in a Spanish-filled, boisterous, and loving environment in 1980s–' 90s Miami. She was rewarded for her prowess on the piano and good grades with almost-daily trips to McDonald's, eliciting comments and stares from family and strangers as she gained more weight. In her teens, Castañeda started dieting and purging to stay thin, and her first experience with depression and anxiety manifested. With deprecating humor and razor-sharp honesty, the clinical psychotherapist recounts her life—from birth to age 45—with the nostalgic feel of an older sister sharing advice. An author's note at the start of the book warns about the derogatory use of terms like fat and chubby—a difference from the recent fat-positive anthologies by Kelly Jensen and Angie Manfredi. The narrative often feels rambling and staid, but the figures portrayed, like the authors' parents and brother, are fully realized and are depicted with warmth. Through her reconnection with her Catholic faith, Castañeda reaches her breakthrough, eventually doing social work in the Latinx community. VERDICT More like Victor Martinez's Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida than Isabel Quintero's Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, even with its faults, this exploration of mental health from the Latinx perspective fills a much-needed gap.—Shelley M. Diaz

School Library Journal

There are wounds of the spirit impossible to heal alone. Yvonne Castañeda is a healer healing others by sharing her own story. This book resonated deeply with me, as it will with many who are lost when their DNA contradicts the image of the ideal.”—Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street

“An astonishing memoir, overflowing with compassion, honesty and hope. Castañeda fearlessly captures how immigration can eat the body and the lifelong healing that such injuries require. One of the bravest debuts I’ve read in years.”—Junot Diaz, Pulitzer prize-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

"With deprecating humor and razor-sharp honesty, the clinical psychotherapist recounts her life—from birth to age 45—with the nostalgic feel of an older sister sharing advice. . . . the figures portrayed, like the authors’ parents and brother, are fully realized and are depicted with warmth. Through her reconnection with her Catholic faith, Castañeda reaches her breakthrough, eventually doing social work in the Latinx community. VERDICT More like Victor Martinez’s Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida than Isabel Quintero’s Gabi, a Girl in Pieces . . . this exploration of mental health from the Latinx perspective fills a much-needed gap.”—Shelley M. Diaz, School Library Journal

“Castañeda has written a book for anyone who seeks to understand mental health from within. Her down-to-earth approach and wit made me laugh while at the same time she masterfully guided me through the complexity of eating disorders. A must read!”—Rocío Calvo, PhD, Founding-Director Latinx Leadership Initiative, Boston College

“The autobiography covers important topics such as Hispanic culture in the diminishing importance of mental health, identity conflicts and Latino expectations that lead to health challenges.”—El Planeta

From the Publisher