Mamá Didn't Raise a Pendeja: Anti-Affirmations Inspired by Tough-Love Abuelas

By Carolina Acosta & Aralis Mejia

Affectionate yet blunt, this self-help send-up curates the witty tough love of generations of Latina ancestors

If you’re tired of fluffy, feel-good self-help books, Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja is here to deliver real talk with a side of sass. This collection of unapologetically blunt, tough-love sayings—"anti-affirmations," if you will—draws on generations of Latina wisdom to cut through the noise and offer hard-hitting advice on everything from relationships to careers.

Created by first-gen Latinas Carolina Acosta and Aralis Mejia, this book captures the no-nonsense guidance passed down from their abuelitas and tías. Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja doesn’t sugarcoat—it delivers practical life lessons with humor, honesty, and a few verbal slaps of reality. Packed with culturally rich, real-world insights, it’s the perfect self-help book for anyone looking to level up without the fluff.

Whether you need a reminder to stay grounded or a push to tackle life’s challenges head-on, this collection will have you laughing, thinking, and getting your life together—all while keeping it real. Perfect for anyone in need of resilience, humor, and perspective, Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja proves that sometimes the best advice comes straight from mamá.