Like water for chocolate by Sara Miró

Here’s one of those stories one could never forget, one of my favourites. This was a required text when I was in the 8th grade in Spain and, though I'm not sure if it still is, some of my youngest cousins have read it too. I caught my twenty-something year old brother re-reading it a few summers ago, and I was so surprised to even see him reading! If you have a chance to read it, maybe we could discuss whether this book would ever be a required text here in the United States or whether it would be in the black list of banned books.

Tita, the youngest of three sisters of a middle class Mexican family, finds in her grandmother's recipes a way to express her emotions, her frustrations, her sadness and her happiness. She channels her sensuality and her anger through the most delicious dishes, which have the power to make people feel what she is feeling. This wonderful novel can awake every single one of your senses: you can smell the aromas of Tita’s recipes, taste her tears in her stews, and feel the heat of the fire that burns in her kitchen and her soul. This is a story full of symbolism, in a time where religion, spiritual beliefs and tradition ruled the homes of the Mexican towns, and where your life was determined the moment you were born by whether you were the first, second or last child in the family. "Como aqua para chocolate" is a portrait of tradition, of rebellion, of dreams and passion, written in the most imaginous and beautiful way I could think of.