Class Connection

I am currently taking English 379: American Women Writers and I am often finding myself being able to make connections between this English class and TE 448. I just finished reading "Desert Blood: The Juarez Murders" by Alicia Gaspar De Alba and I not only was it a great book, I was able to make so many connections between it and what we have discussed in TE 448.
This book takes place in El Paso, Texas and La Cuidad Juarez, Mexico. Throughout the entire text the author used Spanish phrases and words to convey messages and feelings. When we discussed in class what we thought of this technique I was pretty much okay with it because I know a little Spanish from taking four years of it in high school. However, I realize I was only basing my judgment off of Spanish used in adolescent literature like "Esperanza Rising" and "Becoming Naomi Leon." After reading "Desert Blood" which is at my reading level, I know have a more concrete opinion of the use of Spanish in a text.
I often found myself tripping over the words and trying really hard to figure out what the author was trying to say because often times she didn't give an English translation. I really got to feel the confusion that might overwhelm children when reading books that have a different language in them. After finishing the text, I find that the Spanish was affective because the author consistently used it the same throughout the novel. Our course pack article stated that as long as the Spanish was used consistently in the same manner then it was considered appropriate and affective. The author of "Desert Blood" also used Spanish to name all the food in the novel which I found very appropriate because like I read in the course pack, there often times isn't an English translation for that word.
Overall, after experiencing the use of Spanish in a novel that I was reading, I have to say that as long as the Spanish is used effectively and consistently and doesn't provide for too much confusion, I can appreciate the bilingualism.