New York, NY : HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2018.
361 p. ; 22 cm.
I'm not even going to pretend to be objective about this book. After seeing and hearing Acevedo read at our local library last week, while I was about half way through this book, all I can say is "Yes, read this book and recommend it to students you know."
She is a great performer and a strong writer, too. When I handed a copy of this book to a student recently, I said, "Be sure and look her up on YouTube."
The book is a fine telling of Xiomara, a girl coming of age in contemporary Harlem, NYC. She is a sensitive, but bold, young woman who is being raised by a very strict and very religious mother, and a somewhat distant and checked-out father - both who are immigrants from the Dominican Republic. She is also a twin of a brother she loves, and they both are struggling to become the adults they want to be - while under the restraints of their loving, but oppressive family.
Fortunately for Xiomara, her salvation is in nurturing her gift for poetry and spoken word performance. Will it be enough to overcome the binds of family and religion? Will she be able to find romantic love when her mother doesn't even want her talking to boys? Can she help her brother as he struggles to own his gay identity?
Well, you'll have to read the book to find out. There are unexpected plot twists and scenes of great emotion - and you won't be disappointed. I swear!
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