Book Review: Chancla: Healing Our Families, Ourselves, and Our Culture through Nonviolent Parenting by Leslie Priscilla-Parenting

Hello, dear Readers,

Below is my book review of Chancla: Healing Our Families, Ourselves, and Our Culture through Nonviolent Parenting by Leslie Priscilla.

Title: Chancla: Healing Our Families, Ourselves, and Our Culture through Nonviolent Parenting 

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Non-Fiction-Parenting

Author: Leslie Priscilla

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: August 19, 2026

Language: English

Hardcover: 304 Pages

Meet the Author: Leslie Priscilla

Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

A parenting guide that speaks directly to Latinx families with language, history, and lived experience that honors and celebrates our cultura―while helping readers unlearn violence and shame as tools of discipline.

For many in the Latinx community, “la Chancla”―what we learn to see as the warning sign for disciplinary violence―has become a cultural symbol that has spawned relatable memes that many of us laugh about and bond over. But what if it’s also a symbol of something more harmful? 

In Chancla, educator and Latinx Parenting founder Leslie Priscilla invites readers, parents, and the Latinx community on a transformative journey away from cycles of fear, shame, and corporal punishment. With warmth and deep cultural insight, Priscilla explores the historical legacies attached to Chancla while offering a path forward rooted in connection, self-reflection, and ancestral healing. Chancla is the nonviolent parenting practice that celebrates Latinx cultura, while teaching its readers―and their Mamis, Papis, Tias, and Tios―how to heal from generational violence. 

Blending personal storytelling, historical context, and actionable tools, Chancla helps readers not only nurture their children, but their wounded inner child. Readers will see themselves in these pages because Chancla ultimately encourages them to unlearn what they’ve inherited and make space for what they deserve: homes full of love, safety, and respect.

My Thoughts

What an eye-opening book. And to think that for many years, I just thought about the "chancla" as the way my mom wanted to discipline me for my "bad" behavior. I never ever thought about all the implications and the history behind chancla culture, and the deep impact it can have on children and those children transitioning into adult life. 

I appreciate the author's thorough research, examples, and proposed questions in the book and how she mixes her own story with the information meant to be conveyed to readers. 

I loved reading this book; it was very relatable, informative, and well explained. 

Thank you, Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley, for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Wendy

Book Review: The Women In White: A Novel by Sarah Pekkanen-Mystery/Thrillers

Hello, dear Readers,

My book review of: The Women in White: A Novel by Sarah Pekkanen.

Title: The Women in White

Rating:  5/5 Stars

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Author: Sarah Pekkanen

Publisher: St.Martin's Press

Publication Date: August 04, 2026

Language: English

Hardcover: 288 pages
Meet the Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

The next thriller from #1 bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen combines a decades-old mystery with spine-tingling paranormal elements in this twisty novel of the seen and unseen.

Extrasensory perception.

The Gift.

A Sixth Sense.

Or something else….

In 1964, four remarkable young women at a prestigious university became the subjects of parapsychology experiments by a visionary scientist. On the cusp of a historic breakthrough, the women mysteriously vanished, and the program was erased from history.

Decades later, Riley Bell, newly divorced and desperate for a fresh start, accepts a caretaker job for an elderly widow named Betty. Riley steps into a home that is frozen in another era - no microwave, television, or cell phones, and Betty has never heard of the internet.

Why has Betty lived in such profound isolation for so many years, and why does she need Riley now? As the story unfolds across two timelines - Betty’s 1960s era of 5 o’clock martinis and high-stakes experiments, and Riley’s quest to uncover the truth about the missing women - old secrets rise to the surface. And the only way to survive is to confront the mystery that has lingered for sixty years.

My Thoughts

The best thriller I read this summer. And my new Sarah's favorite.

Although there were not a lot of twists, the suspense is rich, and the characters are unique to the story.

Fast-paced, with scientific elements and a dual timeline, this thriller is a very enjoyable read. 

Thank you, St. Martin's and Netgalley, for the free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wendy