Audacity Book Club: March Read

By Celeste Daniels

Hello, audacious readers!

Spring is here and we are giving flowers where flowers are due. Last month, we celebrated the legacy and resilience of Bella da Costa Greene in The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. This month, we’re exploring the life and love of Selena Quintanilla-Perez in the biography, To Selena, With Love by Chris Perez.

Nicknamed the “Queen of Tejano”, Selena was a star on the rise. She would break records and have unprecedented success, including one of the best-selling Latin albums of all time before her death at 23 years old. But Selena was more than a musical icon. She was a businesswoman, a friend, a daughter and a wife.

Highlighted in the movie and series about her life, Selena’s relationship with guitarist Chris Perez started as a forbidden romance. They dated for over a year before Selena’s father, Abraham, would find out and kick Chris out of the band, threatening Selena y Los Dinos with disbandment should she continue to see him. This would push the two to elope at 20 years old and they would stay married until her death in 1995. For Selena and Chris, love was far from easy but it was worth fighting for.

In this heartfelt biography, Chris Perez tells the story of how he met Selena, the journey of their love and the ups and downs of their marriage. To Selena, With Love gives long-time fans a glimpse of her life off-stage, showing her sincerity and vulnerable as well as her determination for make a life for herself.

This book is available wherever books are sold and as well as at your local library or library app. Make sure to check an upcoming project from me and Audacity’s founder, Jessica Wise, The Bridge Club. I hope you guys enjoy the book and I’ll see you in April for the full review. Until then, don’t forget to read audaciously!