They Could Have Named Her Anything
Stephanie Jimenez


​Working class Queens serves as the backdrop for this bildungswoman about an ambitious young student who makes a few regrettable decisions.

Maria Anis Rosario is part Ecuadorian and part Puerto Rican, and thanks to stellar grades and an examination placement score, has been able to attend an elite prep school in Manhattan. Each day, she catches the subway and trades her vibrant multicultural working class neighborhood for a new rich, predominantly white cocoon. Despite the clash of cultures, she befriends impossibly affluent Rocky, one of the school's "in crowd" girls, who invites Maria to go on a trip with her family to Las Vegas. Maria then falls for a married older man, but views the relationship as more than love: she secretly hopes he will help her pay for college and get her family out of financial problems. 

Jimenez writes with incredible frankness about Maria's nascent sexuality and relationships with men, including her often cruel boyfriend at a public school and the emotionally indifferent older man. The details may make some readers squeamish, and you will definitely shake your head at the questionable relationships, but missteps are a part of growing up. Maria comes to see the downsides to Rocky's wealthy lifestyle and learns to appreciate what she has. 

An unforgettable and complex coming-of-age tale that you won't be able to put down. 
Stephanie Jimenez is a former Fulbright recipient. She is based in Queens, New York. Her fiction and non-fiction have appeared in the Guardian, O! the Oprah Magazine, Joyland Magazine, The New York Times, and more.

They Could Have Named Her Anything is a publication by Little A. Click here to purchase.
Reviewed by
Elliott Turner​
​8/9/2019
Elliott Turner's fiction has appeared in Apogee Journal, Transect Mag, Vol. 1: Brooklyn, Azahares, Barren Magazine, & countless others. His debut novel, The Night of the Virgin, was an Int'l Latino Book Award finalist. He is a contributing editor at Latino Book Review and lives in Texas.
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