They were both born in the United States, Alvarez was born in New York and Selena Gomez in Texas, but they were raised extremely differently. Alvarez was born here, but only “three weeks before [her] parents came home” (Alvarez). Because Alvarez was born here, but not raised here, she grew up in a more traditional Latin way. She wrote "An American Childhood in the Dominican Republic" describing her childhood, but it seemed that "her 'American childhood' was shaped by a historical dependence on the United States" (Suarez). In her writing, she had to “invent herself to negotiate her dual cultural affiliation” (Suarez), which can be easily perceptible, because of what she chooses to write. Selena Gomez, on the other hand, was raised as an American girl. She grew up learning that women can do anything in today's world. Not that you can't grow up like this in Latin countries, but it's much less common. Perhaps learning a little more about both of their backgrounds will teach readers why they wrote what they wrote.