A Cup of Water Under My Bed: A Memoir

“Generally speaking, gay people come out of the closet, straight people walk around the closet, and bisexuals have to be told to look for the closet. We are too preoccupied with shifting.”Daisy Hernández, A Cup of Water Under My BedA Cup of Water Under My Bed was chosen by my book club at work (lovingly named El Barrio Book Club). The memoir was heartfelt, witty, honest and full of sentiment. I truly enjoyed the vivid vignettes Hernández's provided throughout the book. I found myself reminiscing quite a lot. As a first-generation Dominican-American, I appreciate and cherish being part of two cultures. I love the United States and I love the Dominican Republic (DR) . . . However, my traditions are pretty much all Dominican (with a es-prinkle of American) because of my parents -- especially my mom. This woman did not play around and meant business! I was born in the US, but Spanish was my first language. Once I learned English, I was not allowed to speak it at home until I was around thirteen years old. Also, every year until the age of nine, I traveled to DR with my abuela (Mama). Some of my fondest childhood memories are from those amazing summer trips. Many of Hernández's anecdotes reminded me of my childhood. I too had to translate and interpret for family members (grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, and my dad). Interestingly, my parents worked at a glass factory for many years until it closed. I appreciated Hernández's candid writing especially on common taboo subjects in Latino households. I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir and highly recommend it. Hernández gives readers a front row seat to her childhood and early experiences as a queer and feminist Latina.

This is an incredibly insightful and interesting memoir by a young Latina writer. Hernandez, the child of a Columbian mother and Cuban father, both of whom work in factories in New Jersey, describes her upbringing and coming-of-age. Her understanding of her family deepens and changes as she grows into adulthood. A lot of difficult memories and topics (religion, sexuality, alcoholism to name a few) are discussed head-on, and with emotional honesty. A Cup of Water Under My Bed opened a window into a world of experiences very different from my own, which made for fascinating reading.What I found most interesting was how well Hernandez describes the emotions of growing up and growing apart from her family, even as they influenced her profoundly and helped shape her worldview. Hernandez's narrative is not entirely linear, so those who expect that in a memoir may find it a little confusing. But I found the more spiral style interesting and just a different way to tell a story. The chapter about her mother's storytelling was a bit hard for me to follow, as the vignettes were short and kind of disconnected from each other. Still, this gave her mother a distinctly different voice from Hernandez herself, and made for an interesting contrast.I highly recommend this book to any reader who loves memoir and is looking for an interesting story and unique voice.

Reading "A Cup of Water Under My Bed", I could not help but recognize myself in the pages of this book. Daisy Hernandez writes from a place that’s familiar to me and this is not something I have readily found in other memoirs. I think for a general audience, Daisy’s voice is unique enough that you get a sense of what it’s like to be a first generation Latina growing up in the United States navigating between the English and the Spanish, between those who work with their hands and those who don’t. Daisy writes in a beautifully creative voice that makes you engaged in the conflicts she writes about, makes you feel the tension between moving between the two worlds. I’m glad she has shared her voice and look forward to reading more of her amazing words. This is a must read for any Latina navigating in the in-between...

I enjoyed reading this book. I found it quite interesting to follow Daisy through her childhood that was different than mine, but was still able to relate. The author does bounce around a bit, which would cause some momentary confusion, but overall I enjoyed the book.

A Cup of Water Under My Bed was an insightful memoir that focuses on the many challenges a young girl faces while growing up and finding her voice. This book was so impactful and her vivid imagery and scenes made me feel as if I was right there with her. I couldn't put the book down and would recommend to every girl out there. It is such an important read because it welcomes readers back into their own past, while inviting them into worlds they may not have known.

This memoir appeals to a vast audience as it includes Hispanic and Latino/a culture, LGBT issues, Jersey living, and Girl Power, to name a few.Hernandez does an excellent job of presenting details of her flashbacks from a child's unknowing perspective. It isn't easy to recount one's childhood and adolescent thoughts while living in an adult mindset. Yet, Hernandez excels at it. As a fellow Jersey Girl, I also feel home state pride in this exemplary memoir. There are some anecdotes here, as well.This is a MUST-READ.

A difficult book for me to rate. Many times the writing was wonderful. I understood the whole focus of the book except the author's need to discuss her sexuality. To other readers this may have been pertinent but to me I felt it subtracted from the story. The was much richness in this book but not all of the book entertained or enlightened. It is an interesting insight into this lati na woman' s life and thoughts.

The first chapter of A Cup of Water is excellent. Ms. Hernandez' words infected my thoughts for days afterwards. The rest of the book did not have the impact of the first chapter for me but the writing is first-rate.

I really fell in love with the parents and their journey, like so many others. I wanted to read more of their lives.

perfect, thank you very much, five stars

Awesome read’ I will read this author again