Digital Reading Reactions to Unbreakable: My Story, My way By Jenni Rivera by DESTINY PUEBLAS

"One of the dilemmas of pursing the American Dream is that you sacrifice being able to ever see the friends and family you left behind." p.10

dpueblas001 — 2023-10-31 20:21:06 UTC

The author talks about how her parents immigrated from Mexico to the United States and she mentions how much she admired her mother's determination to move to the United States and start a life with her father despite not knowing anyone and barely having any money to take care of herself. This reveals how her family deeply struggled and tells us that a lot of her extended family was in Mexico. It tells us how much her mother and father must have struggled with leaving behind their families and starting from "Scratch" essentially. Her mother kept her head up and acted as if nothing was ever wrong in order to protect her children from knowing the reality of the struggles that they were facing or had faced. The author and her siblings grew up shielded from the realities and struggles that they had gone through. I have a lot of connections to this quote because I know that growing up my grandparents also went through the same thing and had to deal with similar struggles to the authors.

"What I admired most about my mother was no what, through the thick and thin, she had my daddy's back. She was a soldier for their love." p.30

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-01 21:40:22 UTC

I think that in any household around the world, children look up to their parents and see them as role models; perhaps wanting to be like them in the future. It's important as parents to set a good example for their children and see what kind of person you want them to be when they grow up and are at the age where they make their own decisions. Rivera so desperately wanted to be like her mother growing up and saw her as a real woman. This set the notion for any decision Rivera made regarding her children and the little family that she had. She made decisions based on the kinds of things she thought her mother would do. To me, he wasn't her own person since she couldn't make her own decisions based on what she thought was best. This shows how later on in the story Rivera would fight for a love that simply didn't exist any longer. She tried to stay with Trino and fight for their love but she endured abuse while doing so. In my own experience, my mom has told me a lot of stories about family friends who also had this kind of mindset of fighting for love and sticking by their partner even though they might have not done the same for them. I feel that as women or as people in general we shouldn't stick to old ideologies that our parents or grandparents presented to us growing up. We should pave the way for new ideas and traditions that we want our children to grow up surrounded by and pass those on instead. We shouldn't teach our children to stay in relationships that aren't any good and push them to only do so if they see it's being reciprocated back.

"Aren't there other men in the world, mija? Why are you so stuck on this one? Do you not feel worthy of being loved and admired by another fish in the ocean?" pg. 56

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-15 21:45:08 UTC

The author, Rivera; deeply struggled with letting go of relationships that didn't serve her right. She endured abuse and let it continue for many years. It reveals how forgiving she can be as a person. Even after Trino had both verbally and physically abused her for many years she still forgave him and wanted to be with him. It shows us how much she was deeply affected by the idea of wanting to be like her mom and only be with one man for the rest of her life, even if she wasn't happy or if it served her right. This presents how loving she can be as well, Trino had been her first love and first everything which for her was a big deal. It affects her in ways that she doesn't even realize because she is not the only one experiencing this but her children as well. They are the ones who have to grow up in a toxic household having to witness the horrors of their mother and father hitting and screaming at each other. I know that a lot of parents aren't accepting of their children having new partners because of the ideas they grew up with but I think Rivera's father telling her and letting her know she can do so is something that she needed. She often seeks her father's approval and having it for something like this has to mean she will do something about her situation.

"As a little girl, no matter where we were living, whether it was the apartment in Culver City...there was always music." p.23

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-15 21:48:35 UTC

The author talks about how she grew up surrounded by music no matter where she was or where she lived. It was something that she was accustomed to, since she was small all the way until she reached adulthood; music was always something she enjoyed and knew. It reveals how music has shaped the kind of person she is now. Throughout the novel, she mentions all the kinds of genres of music she was into despite only growing up listening to Spanish music because of her parents. She enjoyed the music and it helped her develop her musical talent. If it wasn't for music she probably wouldn't have been able to find herself after all her abusive relationships. It served as an escape for her during the times that she needed it. Even though she had left music and tried to put it behind her, she found her way back and it turned out even better for her and it transformed her later in the novel. I can relate to this because I remember growing up I never really enjoyed listening to the type of music I grew up surrounded with but as I got older, I realized how inspiring some of the songs can be and the recognition they can bring to the LatinX culture.

"It seemed impossible for me to live without the father of my children and the first man in my life...I can't ever be with another man, I thought. My father wouldn't allow it." p.56

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-15 21:51:12 UTC

This reveals how Rivera was once again questioning whether or not she should end her relationship with Trino. Even though he was her first everything, he didn't treat her well and treated her badly instead making her question and doubt herself. Rivera puts herself in situations that aren't beneficial to her and instead harm her. This affects her mentally because of the harm she is enduring. Growing up, I heard a lot of people have this type of mindset of only being able to be with one person because of the comments their parents made about other people growing up. I think this is a bad ideology to have because constantly going back and putting yourself in bad positions shows a bad example to your children. Throughout the novel, she talks about how much she loves her children and even how she wants to do better for them but is constantly making decisions regarding their well-being. It makes me wonder how her children feel about her decisions.

"My poor babies, I thought. If only they knew how difficult and ugly the music industry was. How hard it was to be a female artist in my genre." p.83

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-15 21:53:55 UTC

This reveals that the author knows how difficult the industry is for women and how easy it can be for males to succeed and do good in such cases. It tells us that there will be multiple problems coming in the future for her involving the music industry. Frequently in the industry women are forced to do things in exchange for favors, this degrades women and often it is their only other option and they resort to doing these things. Rivera refused to do any of these things which reveals how hard she stands her ground and isn't willing to conform to standards that society sets for women in the music industry. Music is a passion of hers and being able to do it without having to go against her morals seems like an achievement because it shows that if she is successful she will do it by her means; meaning more to her. Women usually have to work twice as hard to show that they can be successful in the industry; in modern times right now women are on the top billboard charts, winning awards, and being recognized for their hard work. As said in the quote, little kids don't know these struggles but this can be said for all people in general not just children. People are not well-informed about these types of struggles that women go through and it's good to see artists doing things about it.

"...all of the announcers insisted on introducing me as "Jenni Rivera, Lupillo Rivera's sister. It started to get under my skin. I was proud of my brother, of course, but I was also determined that one day they would introduce me as just "Jenni Rivera"." p.101

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-15 22:45:22 UTC

As Rivera was starting to become more known in the music industry she started to become recognized by more people, but she was living in her family's shadow. Her dad had his own record label and was a producer, and her brother Lupillo had a successful music career making it hard for her to be able to be in the spotlight. She was never ashamed of the "Rivera" name however and was proud of it; she supported her brother but wanted to be known on her own; not for being the sister of another musician. This reveals how supportive she is because despite not being recognized by her name she was still grateful and supportive that her music was still gaining support. I find it refreshing how even though her family was already paving a legacy for her she also contributed to these efforts and wanted to be more. She wanted to be her person as well and I think this is an amazing thing because people often use the fame of another family member to get famous without trying to provide additional effort. She grew up surrounded by her brothers but didn't let that define who she was going to be. People try hard to be like their family members hoping to make them proud but she wanted a new route in music and chose to be somewhat different. She isn't a follower or bandwagon; she was her person and hoped to be that way.

"I was at fault. I wasn't perfect...We vowed to try harder and to make it work for the sake of our love and the kids...he never wanted to see me with someone else." p.69

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-15 22:52:56 UTC

Once again Rivera is showing her willingness and efforts to make bad relationships work even though they are just physically and mentally harming her. So far I've noticed that people can repeatedly hurt Rivera and she will always forgive them because she is simply a loving and generous person. Rivera lets herself be easily manipulated by the men in her life who just tell her nice words or that they deeply do love her when in reality it's not that way. It angers me that she is blaming only herself for mistakes that her partner has made as well because yes she wasn't perfect but she demonstrated efforts to try to make everything work specifically because she didn't want her children to grow up without both their parents.

"In my career I've learned to respect the media because they can make or break you as an artist, but I refused to bow down to them if my pride or dignity was at stake. I refused to stop being myself..." p.113

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-28 02:56:47 UTC

This reveals how Rivera never changed as a person despite every single heartbreak, pain, or obstacle that she went through. All of these experiences that she was put through made her stronger as a person and it shows that she realized that she didn't have to change to satisfy anyone as long as she was accepting of herself and her family was accepting of her. She had a strong connection with her family and it shows how loving she was as a person; even though at times she felt as if she could let them down they were always there for her in the end and she was appreciative of this. It also reveals how humble she is because she was not letting the money or fame change her like it often happens in the music industry for a lot of people. I noticed that she always gave back and did everything for her kids; even though she had to work she managed to make time for her children and didn't let herself forget about the people that were there for her. Rivera wasn't the type of woman to stand down or let herself be belittled by anyone who didn't know who she was; she never backed down and always stood up for herself knowing that she could risk losing her fanbase or any special opportunities. I can personally say that this is one of the things that I admire about her because she didn't put up a fake front based on everything I read, she was always real with people even if they weren't that way with her.

"We were all grown adults with kids and lives of our own, yet at that moment we were all children again, desperate to save our parents from divorce." p.127

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-28 02:58:39 UTC

This reveals how emotionally attached the Riveras are to their parents and how united they are as a family. They've gone through hardships with each other and always try to find ways to forgive each other or to even make the other person they're having issues with talk to them. It demonstrates initiative on the behalf of the people who are willing to be the bigger person and do what's right for their family. It's heartwarming to see how even though they are all grown adults who have their own things going on they want to still see their parents together and don't want their family to fall apart. This reminds me of how my family was while growing up; we were all so united and always did the best to ensure that all of our families were on good terms with each other. We would have problems because someone said something and someone else didn't like it but at the end of the day we knew that we had to all be united.

"Babe, don't change a thing. You are beautiful just as you are." p.138

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-28 02:59:58 UTC

This quote stuck out to me while reading because I realized that not once while she was growing in the industry or having all these feelings no one had ever told Rivera that she didn't need to change to fit other people's standards. She was the one who told herself these things and she dealt with all the negative comments that people had about her body. It took more than 20 years; since her first daughter was born for someone to tell her that she was beautiful and make her feel appreciated for how she was. I noticed that Rivera seemed happiest during the times she was with Fernando and he made her feel like she could be herself. I think this was such an important thing for Rivera to experience because she was always surrounded by cameras, watching her every move and not letting her be who she was. In society, the standards for the way women should look or act are extremely high and they expect all women to look like supermodels these are the only things that are presented in the media which overall just plays a negative influence on women who are seeing all these things in their daily life.

"Many people told me that a singer who was not born on Mexican soil could never break into that market...so you can imagine how excited I was to be proving them wrong once again." p.149

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-28 03:03:11 UTC

This quote tells us how important it is for women like Rivera who are constantly being told no to prove other people wrong and show that just because you might not be from one place specifically it doesn’t mean you can't succeed. I can imagine the feelings of excitement and gratitude towards the people who believed in her and supported her in those times when other people in the music industry didn’t. This matters because oftentimes we as humans feel like we need to have other people's approval to keep pursuing something. It makes us feel like we’re accepted or we won’t be judged because we have the approval of others. This however wasn't the case for Jenni; she never needed the approval of others who didn’t want to show her support or prove to her that she was somebody other than Lupillo Rivera’s sister. Rivera wasn’t necessarily seeking approval from others but rather just showing them that she could achieve the goals that she set for herself and that she wasn’t the person they thought or labeled her as. I know the types of feelings of satisfaction that arise from showing people that they were wrong so I could only imagine the feelings that Jenni had at this time now that she was starting to become a bigger artist.

"Speaking out about sexual abuse was so taboo back then, especially in the Mexican American community. People used to turn a blind eye and keep their mouths shut because they were too embarrassed or too scared of what might happen to them." p.154

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-28 03:05:38 UTC

This to me is one of the most important quotes that I chose throughout the entire novel. I feel like this shows the seriousness of a lot of the hidden issues that occur in the Mexican American community. This quote is saying that oftentimes it can be difficult to talk about topics such as sexual assault to close family members, especially in Mexican families since these are not topics that are greatly discussed. I think it means that Jenni understood why her sister or daughter chose not to speak about the situation until they were older and felt like they wouldn't be turned away or dismissed. This matters because it shows the seriousness of the situation and why sometimes it can be hard to be heard or get your point across in families or cultures that don't see this as something that gets talked about or gets a lot of attention. She wasn't the type of person to be ignorant about these things nor did she turn an eye on the people who needed her most which shows that she is compassionate.

"Nothing is worse than watching someone you love destroy himself while you can do nothing to help him." p.172

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-28 03:07:01 UTC

This quote is saying that the hardest thing in life is watching the person you care for destroy themselves; especially in Rivera's case, she was watching one of the men she loved throw away his life with drugs. To me, it means that if people have the chance to prevent someone they love from making bad choices you should try to help them before it can be too late to save them. This matters because Rivera had to go through so many things in her life that all affected her in many ways. Both negative and positive things occurred in her life that made her change the way she viewed things or made her take different approaches to certain situations. I can only imagine how hard it would have been for Jenni to have to witness a person who was doing good in life and trying their best to accomplish something and do better for their mom turns into a person who became addicted to drugs and found this to be the only way they could live. I think in certain situations it can be hard to do something if the person you're trying to help doesn't want to be helped and that's the kind of situation that Jenni was in. She wanted to help, but if she did she would also hurt herself so she did what was best for her as well.

Right There

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-29 22:10:49 UTC

What was the name of the city Jenni grew up in?
Who did Jenni most want to be like while up growing up?
What was one of the baseball teams Jenni's 3rd husband had played for?
What city had been the place where Jenni had performed her last concert before sadly losing her life?

Think and Search

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-29 22:11:15 UTC

What might've happened to Jenni if she had decided to stay alone and no longer put up with the abuse she was experiencing?
What happened to Jenni that made her realize the world was evil and that she needed to stop being so trusting?

Author and You

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-29 22:15:53 UTC

Why do you think it was hard for Jenni to leave Trino despite all the abuse she endured?
Why do you think that Jenni always wanted to be around her family and have them by her side?
Do you think Jenni reacted appropriately when told about the abuse her daughter and sister had experienced?
Why do you think Jenni always said "Two more years" after achieving the goals she had already set for herself?

On my Own

dpueblas001 — 2023-11-29 22:20:49 UTC

In what ways do you think witnessing domestic abuse affects young children?
Do you believe the music industry is hard to break in, especially for women?
How does experiencing sexual abuse affect women mentally and physically?
Do you think children often pay the price or face repercussions because of the actions of their parents?

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-04 21:24:52 UTC

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-04 21:53:09 UTC

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-04 21:54:03 UTC

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-04 21:55:49 UTC

"I had to become content with being the underdog. I enjoyed proving my disbelievers wrong." p.95

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-05 06:10:40 UTC

This quote tells us how important it was for Rivera to prove the people who didn’t believe in her wrong. Throughout her whole life, she had been told that she was never going to be able to make it and she had lots of people telling her she wasn’t good enough because of the way she looked. Her appearance looked different from other women who were idolized in the music industry; she wasn’t skinny or petite like these other women which caused her to often put herself down and she had even developed body dysmorphia. This quote matters because she never let any of these people put her down or cause her to quit and give up. Nothing ever stopped her from reaching her goals; she believed in herself when no one else believed in her. She remained a warrior and strong through all the obstacles that were thrown her way which is something that made me see her in a different light. To me, this reveals how she was truthful to herself and the amount of confidence she had to pursue this lifestyle and dream of hers.

"The vengeance is not yours. It is God's. He will take care of it. Please don't make this worse than it already is." p.79

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-05 06:12:35 UTC

This quote is saying how Rivera should let things happen in their own ways and she shouldn’t interfere with any plans that might happen in the future. I know that Rivera was distraught with the way things were going with her ex-husband and having to deal with finding out about the sexual abuse her sister and daughter had endured from her ex-husband. It matters because it shows how much her parents want to keep her from doing wrong things. After all, any little thing can affect her career and it can be dangerous if she chooses to do things and take things into her own hands. This matters because from everything I’ve read throughout the novel I’ve noticed that Rivera's family are the only ones who can prevent her from making wrong choices. Her family plays a big role in her life and they are always there for her emotionally and physically when she needs it.

"Nobody pressed charges against me when I was a nobody, but now that I had money in the bank, I had to pay for my stupid mistakes." p.181

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-05 06:15:34 UTC

This quote is saying that when Rivera was essentially a "nobody" just a regular woman who was doing real estate and didn't have as much money as she does; nobody cared or bothered to get to know her or ask her for stuff. Now that she was doing good in life and had a lot of money and things in her name people wanted to leech off her and get as much as they could from her. This means that people in her life now were going to take any opportunity to try to get money if they could. Any little situation can be turned into something bigger and people would try to get money from those situations. She knew if she was responsible for something then she would take accountability but if she wasn't then she knew she would still have to suffer the consequences for the little mistakes she made. This matters because in the novel people tried to make her seem like the bad guy for doing certain things when in reality all she was doing was defending herself. People spoke badly about her and publicly said things to the media but when she tried to defend herself, people would twist the story to make it seem worse than it was. As she gained more popularity and money from her career, the hate and people trying to use her for her money began.

"...I had achieved all I had dreamed of and even more. Yet all I wanted to be was home with my kids." p.195

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-05 06:19:21 UTC

This quote is saying that she is proud of how far she had come with her music career and how amazing it is that she was able to break into an industry that nobody believed she would be able to succeed in. She achieved more then she ever set mind for and she is eternally grateful for these things. However, as much as she appreciated the life she was living it was not the same without her kids and she missed being with them and wanted to dedicate more time to them. This means that she would stop spending so much time focusing on her music career, traveling, missing important family gatherings and reunions, and spending all that time with her children who she knew needed her as much as she needed them. She missed the feelings of being home and spending holidays like Mother's Day with the people who appreciated her and loved her for who she was. This is important because from what I've seen in the media or just in regular life with regular working people; often time adults who have children aren't willing to give up time from work to spend it with their children. Their lives revolve around their work and accomplishing task after task without ever really getting breaks. It's refreshing to see how even though she was right in the middle of her big break as an artist she realized that she wanted and NEEDED to spend more time with her family.

"My fans held me up when I was so down on myself. They supported me when I was judging myself so harshly. They gave me love that I did not deserve." p.205

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-05 06:22:00 UTC

This is one of the quotes that I love most from the entire book because it tells us how emotionally attached Rivera was to her fans. She appreciated them and loved them so very deeply. She wasn't like other artists who once they started gaining more popularity forgot about their fans and started talking badly about them; she always appreciated them and tried to give them time. In the novel, it mentions how she always took her fans into account and how certain things would affect them or cause them to look at her. If she cared about losing anybody, it was her fans. She valued their opinions and didn't ever want to lose them for the mistakes she made or for the way the media was painting her out to be. They continued to show her love and support when she needed it. This means that if Rivera ever needed people to rely on they would be her fans since she knew she could count on them. This matters because they never judged her for her mistakes or for the way she looked which were things that she was often insecure about. She knew that her fans would be there for her at the end of the day and she would make sure to give back to them and not let them down either in return. Just like in the case of the concert where she had received death threats; she thought about how hard her fans must have worked to buy tickets to see and she couldn't let them down by not showing up. She put her safety in jeopardy to make sure her fans were happy. It shows the kind of values and morals she stands on; she was always considerate towards her fans.

"I wanted everyone to be together again, despite any arguements or differences that we may have had- I wanted every Rivera to be in the same place at the same time. I needed them all. I would always need them." p.220

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-05 06:24:12 UTC

Throughout the whole novel, we learn how important the idea of having a close family was to her. Her family was fortunate enough to always be able to resolve issues they had and remain supporting one another through their difficulties. It tells us how her family had a major role in who she was as an artist and as a regular human being. Her family supported her and she is accustomed to having them in her life now. I find it heartwarming that the first people she always thinks of are her family. They're the most important thing to her and it's nice to see that it's remained that way throughout her career. This matters because she had the support of her entire family which is what a lot of people don't have. I believe that she is thankful and appreciative of everything since they have helped her with her career and have helped her get to where she is now.

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-06 02:26:29 UTC

Author Name: Dolores Janney Rivera

Author's Stage names/performance names: Jenni Rivera

Authors Social Media Handles: @jennirivera

Place and Date of Birth: Long Beach, CA

July 2, 1969 - December 9, 2012

How might their place of birth impact their world-view?:

Jenni mentioned how growing up in Long Beach taught her to be tough and see the world for what it was. The area she was raised in was known as "gangland" so she had to be protective and aware of her surroundings. She however, wanted to achieve more and primarily focused on her schoolwork achieving good grades and receiving outstanding student awards. She didn't let herself be influenced by all the bad things around her.

Ethnicity/Heritage/Gender: Mexican American, Female

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-06 02:28:46 UTC

Day Job/Profession: Real Estate Agent/Singer/Songwriter/Producer

Interesting Details About the Author:

She Grew up surrounded by brothers and remained close to each one of them all through her life.
She became a mother and was married at the age of 15; this affected her emotionally and physically since she wasn't prepared for the changes that came from both of these things.
Throughout her career, she was often seen as leader and mentor for many women who supported her. She knew that anything she did would provide support for the women who needed her. This played a big role in her life because she was always appreciative of women like this and she enjoyed bringing justice and bring a voice to the women who couldn't speak about issues such as domestic abuse.

Schooling/College: Long Beach City College, Cal State Long Beach- Business Administration major

How did this author become inspired to write?: Jenni became inspired to write once she started becoming more famous within the music industry. She wanted to make it her mission to openly speak about her struggles and create a more intimate connection with her fans. She wanted to recount her stories her own way and not the way the media was making these stories out to be.

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-06 02:29:26 UTC

Authors Accomplishments:

2003, she received a Latin Grammy nomination in the category of Best Banda Album; becoming the first American-born artist to be nominated for this award.

Founded the Jenni Rivera Love Foundation to help women and children who had suffered from abuse.
In 2000 her song "Las Malandrinas" off her 3rd album marked the beginning of her career.
In 2002 she received her first Latin Grammy
2012 she became the first female Banda artist to sell out back-to-back nights at the Nokia Theather

On my Own

dpueblas001 — 2023-12-09 02:12:55 UTC

In what ways do you believe domestic abuse affects women physically and mentally?
Do you believe children pay the cost for the actions of their parents?
Why do think it is hard for women to leave abusive relationships?
Why do you think it is hard for women to break into the music industry?