As a latchkey kid growing up in San Juan, Texas, comedian Cristela Alonzo dreamed of leaving her border town and seeing the world. In this emotional two-part episode, she tells Alicia how her childhood aspirations made her the black sheep of her family, and how she needed to put those dreams on hold, first to care for her sister’s children, and then, her ailing mother. Through it all, music and television – from the Backstreet Boys to the Golden Girls – was her "connection to the outside world." She writes about it all in her funny and moving new book, Music to My Years: A Mixtape Memoir of Growing Up and Standing Up.

Follow Cristela on Twitter and IG @Cristela9. And buy her book, Music to My Years: A Mixtape Memoir of Growing Up and Standing Up. If you loved this episode, listen to to-latina.simplecast.com/episodes/how-gina-brillon-became-a-comedy-junkie">Gina Brillón, and to-latina.simplecast.com/episodes/how-sasha-merci-and-dee-nasty-found-their-comedic-calling">Sasha Merci and Dee Nasty for more on comedy. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!