false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173419952m/286843.jpg 286843 8 The heroine of Julia Alvarez's <I>Yo!</I> is an author who writes what she knows--much to the chagrin of her close-knit immigrant family. During the first chapter, one of Yolanda (Yo) Garcia's sisters explains the basic problem: "I always was a reader, but now, whenever I open a book, even if it's something by someone dead, all I can do is shake my head and think oh my god, I wonder what their family thought of this story." Yo's friends and family members, many of whom appeared in Alvarez's earlier novel, <I>How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents</I>, take turns narrating this book. They draw a vivid portrait of the writer, describing her big mouth and high-strung nature as well as the details of her youth in the Dominican Republic. They're often more keenly aware of class, gender, and racial divisions than is Yo herself. When Yo returns to the Dominican Republic to spend a summer reconnecting with her roots, for instance, the servants at the family estate regard her as a very strange (but likeable) foreigner. In another segment, Yo's landlord, whose husband beats her, describes the writer's efforts to save her from the abusive relationship. In these episodes and others, Yo comes across as a woman who doesn't quite fathom the complexity of the events going on around her but has so much good will and verve that people forgive her small transgressions. It is a pleasure to hear all these diverse voices; some are funny, some wistful, but all of them seem to think Yolanda Garcia is the bee's knees. <I>Yo!</I> is a thoughtful, entertaining novel about the immigrant experience and the impact writers have on the lives of their peers. <I>--Jill Marquis</I> 868032 1997 Yo!: A Novel total:1085|5:4|4:12|3:16|2:2|1:0| 1085 3941 1356 69 4 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 21 08:01:07 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 08:08:01 -0800 2009 I found this method of story-telling really fascinating. How...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Nov 07 12:04:17 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 07 12:04:40 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jul 12 09:04:15 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 12 09:09:37 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Nov 13 09:37:14 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 13:03:02 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 15 15:17:43 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 15 15:24:49 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 15 19:12:57 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 15 19:14:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Dec 18 21:12:44 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 18 21:18:02 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 23:16:19 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 23:19:20 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sun Sep 20 15:45:39 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 15:50:06 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2000 Wed May 06 19:41:10 -0700 2009 Wed May 06 19:44:17 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Oct 17 16:09:49 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 17 16:10:57 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Oct 28 07:17:34 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 28 07:17:34 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 1998 Mon Aug 20 20:51:41 -0700 2007 Mon Mar 24 20:42:07 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2000 Sun Feb 15 21:43:16 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 15 21:43:16 -0800 2009 This is a semi-autobiographical novel, written by those surrounding the main character.]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jul 03 09:18:09 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 09:18:46 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 08 08:52:56 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 10:41:54 -0700 2009
"The future has come, and we were in such a rush to get here!" ]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 19 14:01:19 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 14:02:01 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 14:51:55 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 14:59:01 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Tue Aug 28 20:35:14 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 05 21:18:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 19:44:38 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 30 11:33:32 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 19:44:38 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=286843