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I'm bicultural, and everyone sees me as a Latina, but in my head I see myself as both Latina and American.

My mom's Brazilian, so she and I definitely grew up with different perspectives. I was born in America, and she's from Brazil, so we have different ways of doing things. There's a bit of culture clash there.

Am I Latin? Am I American? What the hell am I? I love my culture and I'm very proud of my culture.

I realized how Latina I was, and then also, at the same time, how not Latina enough I was, because I'm born and raised in Los Angeles. I speak Spanish, but I don't speak perfect Spanish, not like a native speaker.

I've always wanted to be able to say that I come from Los Angeles, California and feel quintessentially American - even if I said that in Spanish.

I've grown up surrounded by Americans and to a very large extent feel American. It sounds strange because I seem to be so quintessentially English in everyone's mind - and perhaps I am. Perhaps it's quintessentially English to have a fascination with America.

To be seen and to be respected for my work and acknowledged as a true American Latina... means a lot to me.

We as Americans of Latin descent are just as American as anyone else of any other descent.

I speak Swedish, it's my first language. Of course, growing up with Latin American parents from Argentina, I also have some other influences from other cultures. But Sweden is where I feel the most at home.

I think I'm an American writer writing about Latin America, and I'm a Latin American writer who happens to write in English.