My American Girls is about Ortiz’s family and the challenges they face as immigrants. Not having proper education, Mrs. Ortiz has to raise her three daughters with a couple of low paying jobs. She wants her daughters to work hard so that they don’t have to suffer like her. Although there are lots of complications and hardships, the Ortiz’s house is full of visitors and neighbors. These Dominicans are brought together because they face similar challenges. Because they understand each other, the neighbors have special relationships with each other.

The community and Ortiz family impact Mrs. Ortiz’s girls who were born in America. While Monica, the oldest sister, is the one with the least ties to her native heritage and she is the one who has the balance between her Dominican side and her American side. She gives up her dream of acting to make her parents proud and instead pursues a more stable job. The family’s expectation has shaped her educational and career path.

Aida, the second oldest sibling, represents a young teenage girl who seeks attention and independence. She begins working at McDonalds to help her parents, but in the end, it affects her grades negatively and gets fired for being late to work. She thinks she is grown up, but the reality shows that she still needs perseverance and patience. Finally, Mayra, the youngest out of the three sisters, is an example of an immigrant who is still tied to her homeland. She struggles in academics and hangs out with her neighborhood Dominican friends. Out of three sisters, she is the one who is most badly caught in between two different cultures. She wants to live a Dominican life, but the environment won’t let her