Madre: Perilous Journeys with a Spanish Noun by Liz Bakewell (review)

Liz Bakewell’s book is much more than a novel: it is a linguist’s ethnographic research put into simple words; it is a diary of adventures where self-discovery happens; and it is a question about the way we use language today and the gender of the words used, especially with regards to Spanish, where every noun has gender. For these reasons, Madre can be beneficial to students, specialists, and the general public alike. This crucial book inspires students to study abroad and to narrate their own journey through learning a language. It opens their eyes and alleviates the anxiety they usually encounter while learning a second language. Often second language instructors fail to address many of the deeper levels of understanding or cultural moments that Madre so poignantly reveals and expresses. Students will benefit greatly both intellectually and emotionally from the depth of this novel in addition to finding inspiration for travel and study abroad. I recommend assigning it as supplementary reading in beginning to advanced Spanish classes.

Madre can also help heritage speakers. Most colleges or universities do not have a special class or program for them, so here Bakewell’s novel offers an incentive. Heritage speakers can feel identified, touched, and happy to see their “colloquial” language “elevated.” Written in English, it is very instructional, since it expands their knowledge about a culture, using another context of the word madre. The title stirs their curiosity and invites them to discover Mexico vicariously.

Contributing to the fields of anthropology, sociology, and linguistics, Madre explores the cultural and social norms of a particular country and how the country’s language identifies and characterizes those norms. Specifically, it explains how women in any kind of society are categorized through language. One sees how the current trends of femininity, machismo, or issues related to gender inequality are addressed through language. It makes us question how language reenforces Marianismo or machismo, and how language is created and arises from ideas. Bakewell defines how Mexican society uses idioms centered on the concept of madre. Often second language instructors do not talk about double meanings or contextual meanings in a Spanish textbook; we limit ourselves to the explicit meaning of the word and leave out the cultural connotations that Madre brings to life. Anyone who is interested in different cultures, languages, traveling, and personal journeys will benefit from reading this book by gaining a better understanding of Mexico and the Mexican culture along with the use of Spanish in Mexico, almost like learning the true “Mexican language.”

A personal linguistic journey of self-discovery and an invitation to understand one’s own culture and that of another, Madre is inspirational and motivating, and, above all else, an excellent tool for anyone who wants to teach (and learn about) the status of women beyond borders.