Rejecting assimilation in ‘You Sound Like a White Girl’

A school crush once told Julissa Arce that she sounded “like a white girl.” At the time, Arce believed that was exactly what she wanted. But over the years, even after perfecting “accent-less” English, graduating from college, getting a job at Goldman Sachs, and becoming an American citizen, Arce still felt like she didn’t belong. Instead of just trying to fit in as the solution, Arce began to question whether that was the very problem to begin with. Elise Hu talks to Arce about her new book — You Sound Like a White Girl — and the case for rejecting assimilation in favor of embracing yourself, your history, and your culture.