Lo que mi abuela me dijo / What My Grandmother Told Me

Book excerpt: Dichos, or proverbs, offer a daily source of strength and inspiration in Spanish-speaking households all over the world. In this book about growing up in Manila with a Filipina grandmother, Maria Paz Eleizegui Weir shares the centuries-old dichos she learned from her abuelita: wisdom that is still useful today, whether you live in Managua, Mazatlán, or Manhattan. In Lo que mi abuela me dijo Weir tells the moving story of how the folk wisdom she learned from her grandmother shaped her life. Arranged by subjects, the dichos provide wisdom on topics such as childhood, work, strife, and love. On friendship, for example, Si quieres el perro, accepta las pulgas: If you like the dog, accept the fleas. On manners, Los trapos sucios se lavan en casa: Dirty linen is washed at home. With more than one hundred dichos, this collection imparts timeless insight across generations.