"It's Not About the Accent" is a 2007 Young Adult novel by Caridad Ferrer (author of "Adios to My Old Life").
Caroline Darcy, a white girl and fifth-generationer from New Hampshire, is set to leave for college, but plans to move into her dorm during the summer to enjoy the college party life. Tired of her boring, small-town life back in Ohio, she decides to follow in the footsteps of her Cuban great-grandmother Ellie. Dyeing her hair Havana brown, tanning her skin, and getting a bright new wardrobe, Caroline becomes Carolina, a half-Cuban theatre major with a caliente personality. She quickly becomes the centre of attention on campus, mostly by male students who are beguiled by her "exotic-ness". She catches the attention of Erik, a gorgeous fratboy with baby blue eyes, and the two share a seemingly whirlwind romance. Unfortunately, she also attracts the attention of one of Erik's sleezy friends, who forces Caroline into a dangerous situation. She is rescued by the quiet but studious Peter, a real Cuban-American.
Book contains examples of:
- Brownface: In order to get the typical Latina look, Caroline deep-tans her skin by spending the summer by the pool.
- Blaming the Victim: As Nichols is forcing himself onto Caroline, he accuses her of leading on Erik for denying him sex whilst playing "fesity" around him.
- But Not Too Foreign: Caroline is 1/8 Cuban.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: Caroline brings up her large breast size (noting that she wears 36D cups). This coupled with her "Latina" flair adds to the male students' interest in her.
- Entitled to Have You: Since Caroline refused to put out for Erik, Nichols believes he is entitled to have sex with her. He rationalizes this believing Carolina, as a busty Latina, will enjoy it.
- Karma Houdini: Averted. Not only is Nichols beaten up by Peter for raping Caroline, he is quickly charged and arrested.
- Posthumous Character: Caroline's beloved Nana Ellie, who inspired the former's love for Cuba, died years before the start of the book.
- Spicy Latina: Caroline's entire new personality consists of playing the spicy, outgoing, and flirty Latina on-campus. While it gets her the attention she seeks, it also comes with the very-real consequence of being hyper-sexualized by some of the male students, like Nichols who rapes her.
