A moving family story that reveals universal truths. Linda deftly intertwines the stories of her father’s two families: one known to her, one kept secret for much of her life. As González seeks to connect with her lost siblings, she uncovers more and more family secrets—and learns to confront the silences inside her own psyche as well. This grand drama of a family tale is a regalo to us all, gifting us with its tenderness, struggle, and full-hearted path toward love and reconciliation.

The Cost of Our Lives deserves a place alongside our very finest stories about family and belonging. Big-spirited and with an unflinching gaze, she delves into the very heart of what it means to be family, no matter how complicated or uncomfortable the details. Her book is bold, honest, and wise. Brava!

With grace, clarity, and compassion, Linda González traces a life that is part of a complicated family tree that includes her father’s other wife and children, an emotionally distant and stubborn mother, her own siblings, and eventually a woman with whom she will start a family. Where avoidance of the truth often filled her childhood with confusion, González tears down the walls of denial to bring forth an honest and powerful memoir of one Latina’s life.”

Alternately searing and soaring, The Cost of Our Lives explores the multiple layers of her family history, from the parallel family sired and discarded by her beloved father to the emotional complexity of her own contemporary life. Fearless and unflinching, Linda Gonzalez shares a memoir suffused with loss and love, confusion and uncertainty, yet ultimately filled with gratitude and joy.

A deep, intimate, and beautifully written account of the immigration experience through the lens of a courageous woman. A healing window into the power of love, family, and identity. A must read for anyone looking for role models of courageous living and fully embracing our Latino heritage, including our español!