Book Review on “Sabrina & Corina” by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

An attachment disorder is a term used to describe mood and behavior disorders, however, this term normally comes from the unavailability of normal socializing care and attention given by a primary-caregiver within the early years of someone’s childhood. This attachment disorder can lead to self-identity issues when children begin to grow into an older adult. Within, the short story, titled, Sugar Babies, which is located within the book “Sabrina & Corina” by Kali Fajardo-Anstine who writes about a younger lady, who is struggling to keep a scholarship due to a challenging course. This book enlightens us about her troubling relationship with her mother as well. Next, we will be connecting this painting “Roots”  by Frida Kahlo,  which is a painting based on a woman who is wrapped in vines within the desert. Within both the short story “Sugar Babies” and the famous painting “Roots'', we can infer that the global issue within both of these pieces is mental illness. This can be shown within the writing in the short story and the colors and symbols that were utilized for the painting. To justify this, they imply the use of diction and mood. 

In the short story, Sugar Babies, The audience is introduced to Sierra and her troubled family life. This story also brings up the topic of how her family life has transferred into her mother figure of the sugar baby project. Within this short story, the author utilizes diction as well as mood to convey the idea of the global issue being presented within the story, which is, mental illness. An example that can be found is when the author uses diction when it reads, “‘So, Josie,’ I said, ‘what brings you down from Denver? Or do you normally drive around cooking pork chops for people?’”. This quote can bring up an emotional experience when  Sierra had stated to her mother, who has been absent from her life for the past 3 years. Another way diction was used within this quote would be when the author creates tension when Sierra calls her mom “Josie”. The idea that Sierra calls her mother by her first name and not “mom” can show the audience what kind of relationship Sierra has with her mother. We can also infer that this relationship between mother and daughter is a very broken and sad one due to the fact Sierra is acting out of sadness and anger for the absence of her mother not being a part of her life, and then magically appearing back into Sierra’s life acting as if nothing has changed. Thinking back to the opening sentence. Since Sierra has not had a motherly figure in her life for the past 3 years, she has taken on this attachment disorder. This can be proven within the next piece of evidence. On top of diction, the author also utilizes mood. An example of this would be when it reads, “‘Hey,’ Robbie said, his chapped mouth bunched to the side. ‘Where’s her outfit?’ ‘Lost it.’”. This can be shown within this quote when the author starts to reveal how Sierra has suffered from attachment disorder. We can infer this Within the quote because of the almost a sarcastic or unbothered mood. This would be the mood Utilized in the short story since Sierra has shown that she has stopped caring about the sugar baby assignment when before she was very invested in being a good mother. This is because her mother had visited her. When Sierra’s mother had shown up unexpectedly, acting as if everything was the way it was 3 years ago, Sierra became angry and has then brought this anger upon her school's baby project. Since Sierra had been treated like this as a child or when she was younger she has learned that this is how the role of a mother should act and be towards their child. Overall within the short story “Sugar Babies”, the author uses diction and mood to emphasize the global issue of mental illness, in this case, an attachment disorder. 

On a different note, the painting Roots by Frida Kahlo is a painting with a woman, Frida Kahlo, who is intertwined with vines while she lays in the desert. Within this painting, the painter utilizes color as well as symbols to emphasize the global issue of mental illness and how it takes a toll on many people's lives. An example of when Frida Kahlo uses color would be how she uses very dull colors. By using these very dull colors, the vines that are intertwined with the woman seem as if they are dead and the background desert seems to bring a sad feeling to the painting. An example of symbols within this painting would also be the vines being intertwined with the women. The vines resemble mother nature, or in this case, a mother figure. When the seemingly dead vines are intertwined with the woman, it resembles how the woman has never felt close or connected with mother nature, or a mother figure. Given the fact that the vines as well as the desert are colored in dull colors, they are associated with a bad emotion. Then when you connect this to what the vines resemble, It can be seen that the artist is speaking upon the idea of an attachment disorder. This reveals that the painter feels disconnected from a mother figure. Overall, Frida Kahlo utilizes color as well as symbols to emphasize the global issue of mental illness. 

In conclusion within both of these pieces, “Sugar Babies” by Kali Fajardo-Anstine and Roots by Frida Kaho, both of the authors use their authorial choices to emphasize the global issue of mental illness. This is done in “Sugar Babies” through diction and mood and is done in Roots through the use of color and symbols.