Sonia Rodriguez was born in the United States, but her parents are Mexican immigrants who came to California before she was born. Her father has th...
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Sep 30, 2008
Diana
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Sonia, the oldest daughter and first U.S. born kid in her family is determined to succeed in school and life despite the fact that her pregnant mother relies on her to take care of her younger siblings, cook the meals, and keep the house spotless. Her beloved father who works three jobs is almost never home. Her older brother is always stoned and her drunkle, her mother's criminal brother, is always lusting after her. She does have an African American best friend whom she doesn't get to spend en
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Jan 01, 2009
Sonia is like our very own Cinderella. She cooks and cleans while her ama watches telenovelas all day. Her papi is the only one who understands Sonia's dream to be the first in her family to graduate high school, but with him always working one of his jobs the only people around are her ama, her drunk of an uncle, and her useless brothers who all insist that familia is everything. When Sonia has had enough of doing absolutely everything for the family and decides to put her studies first, her am
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May 27, 2011
Alejandro
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this book is about a girl named sonia she works very smart hardworking and caring.she is in high school she works very hard to get her homework done and get good grades, but she can bearly work on it because her mom is pregnet with twins. that means sonia has to do all the chores around the house he has brothers but their all lazy. one day she decides to go into thid petstore she looks the the cutest cat she has ever seen and a boy dat she ends up falling in love with. she calls the cat frijolit
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Feb 18, 2011
Anna
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This was good but not great and it seemed over developed in some places and underdeveloped in others. Sonia Rodriguez is a teenage Mexican American girl that feels frustrated by all of the stereotypes that exist about Mexicans yet she feels like her family *is* a stereotype. She's constantly asked to cook and clean and care for the men in her family and she has to sacrifice her school work and own needs to do it. I appreciated the fact that Sitomer was trying to cover so much in one book but I t
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Feb 05, 2011
Peggy
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This book is disturbing but extremely well written. It is the story of a high school girl, Sonia, who is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, who wants to finish high school and make something of herself. Her father works constantly to support the family, while her mother stays in bed watching t.v. Sonia is forced to do all the housework and clean while her lazy brothers do nothing. When she tries to put school ahead of everyone else's demands, she is shipped off to Mexico to straighten her o
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Jan 01, 2011
Terry
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A surprisingly touching coming of age YA novel. Sitomer tells the story of so many Latinas in el norte, with liberal sprinklings of Spanish and details of family life. The titular narrator is quiet to the outside world, holding in secrets, but has plenty of insight to share with readers. Part of the story takes place in rural Mexico, which I especially enjoyed for the balance of positive and negative forces that effect Sonia. Her dream of becoming la primera - the first in the family to gradu
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Jul 12, 2010
Mr.G
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Everyone should read these books by Lynwood high school English teacher Alan Lawrence Sitomer.
Writing about characters I imagine he works with every day, Sitomer has built a compelling series that I can't imagine anyone disliking.
In The Hoopster, we encounter Andre Anderson, an extremely talented basketball player and aspiring journalist. When Andre is asked to write a column on race, he examines his community, (a place some might call South Central), and his relationship to h More...
Writing about characters I imagine he works with every day, Sitomer has built a compelling series that I can't imagine anyone disliking.
In The Hoopster, we encounter Andre Anderson, an extremely talented basketball player and aspiring journalist. When Andre is asked to write a column on race, he examines his community, (a place some might call South Central), and his relationship to h More...
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May 20, 2010
Patti
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This was a tough book to read, but the strength of Sonia makes it worth it. Sonia is the oldest daughter of Mexican immigrants, the 2nd of 5 and the only girl. Her mother is pregnant with twins, her brothers do not help around the house, and her alcoholic uncle keeps returning to live with them because he is family. Sonia's father is her strongest support, but he works 12+ days to take care of his family. Her father has also taught her "Do not stoop to that level", meaning always s
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Dec 12, 2009
priscilla
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This is more of a 3.5 for me. As with "Hip Hop High School," I think Sitomer does a good job digging into a first-person female point-of-view. Also like HHHS, Sonia's story lacks the fast-paced drama of "Homeboyz" and takes its time, strolling through 2 years of Sonia's life. With both HHHS & Sonia, I felt that Sitomer could have (maybe should have) broken the large books into their own series. It's not that I lost interest in either book as I was reading, but I did get ti
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Dec 01, 2009
Mrs. Foley
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Tenth-grader Sonia Rodriguez reveals secrets about her life and her Hispanic family while she studies hard so that she can be the first member of her family to successfully finish high school. - From library catalog record
This book is being considered for next year's Gateway Award list. I definitely think that students would want to read this one. I started it one day and then stayed up way too late to finish it. It is one of those "just one more chapter" books that you More...
This book is being considered for next year's Gateway Award list. I definitely think that students would want to read this one. I started it one day and then stayed up way too late to finish it. It is one of those "just one more chapter" books that you More...
Nov 05, 2009
Camille
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 18, 2011
Renata
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Another young adult book, another one readers of all ages should read. This is such a SoCal story - a story of a Mexican-American teen born in California, whose illegal parents have lived and worked in the US her entire life. I loved the humor and depiction of immigrant life as well as the bilingual narrative anyone who lives around here can understand. Our heroine is a high school student who desires to be the first in her family to graduate from high school and hopefully go on to college. How
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Mar 05, 2009
Jodi
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Sonia is expected to cook, clean and care for her large extended family. Her studies are considered secondary to her family responsibility; but are of utmost importance to her. She views education as a ticket out of a life of drudgery. She hopes to break away from the traditional culture she has grown up within and become more acculturated to life in the USA; especially since she was born in the USA and not Mexico as her parents were. Life becomes progressively worse for Sonia as she attempts to
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Apr 24, 2010
bjneary
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I really liked the character of Sonia, I detested everyone in her family except her father! Since her parents were Mexican and migrated to California, they did not speak English, so I learned Spanish, what they like to eat (poor Sonia making all those tamales for drunkle's birthday celebration)and their many ideas about family loyalty (her Aunt Tia's religious fervor), machismo, broken dreams and working hard for a better life. I loved that Sonia never gave up, but her hope dipped pretty low a
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Jul 01, 2009
MissMcD
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Another book I learned about at the book conference...story of a girl struggling to live in a stereotypical Mexican family. Mom and Dad are illegal border jumpers; Mom sits at home watching Mexican soap operas (has never learned English); Uncle is constantly drunk; Brother is a worthless pothead; Dad works all day washing towels at a gym...all the while Sonia is treated like a slave in her own household. She does the cleaning, cooking, and raising of the 87 kids in the house (okay, maybe not t
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Jun 21, 2011
Mrs. Schatz
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Up until sonia goes to Mexico for the summer I could not understand this book. Why was it being written? Why was Sonia expounding on every bad stereotype of Latinos and giving numerous examples? Why was she being loyal to her familia and being their maid? Why didn't she just say STOP and get her education? Then when she got to Mexico, the stereotypes and helplessness kept sinking Sonia and the reader deeper. Then the egg explodes in her Abuelita's hand....
The author has quietly a More...
The author has quietly a More...
Jan 18, 2009
Claire
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This started out as 'typical' chick lit and I gave up. Then I went back, wondering why Patti had it on her best of '08 list. As I got into the story and Sonia emerged, I liked her and her secret story. In the same way as Perfect Chemistry goes against Latino type, Sonia is struggling to be 'la primera', the first in her family to finish high school and go to college. The women in her family sabotage her at every turn, her uncle and brother are scum and her doting father is overworked trying to f
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Oct 31, 2011
Melody
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I truly love this book so much! It's amazing how a guy author can get a perfect perspective of a girl!!!
:) So much spanish words I've learned, this book makes me laugh. And i feel totally related to this because it talks about a girl's family who doesn't graduate and she wants to be the first to graduate because her older brother dropped out of high school. And all my family dropped out of college and my dad dropped out of high school so did my brother. So i am going to be the first to gra More...
:) So much spanish words I've learned, this book makes me laugh. And i feel totally related to this because it talks about a girl's family who doesn't graduate and she wants to be the first to graduate because her older brother dropped out of high school. And all my family dropped out of college and my dad dropped out of high school so did my brother. So i am going to be the first to gra More...
Mar 21, 2010
Emily
rated it:
A very honest, open portrayal of a Mexican-American girl living in the "barrio" in the U.S. I like the mix of Spanish and English (the Spanish words always explained in English). I enjoyed following Sonia, a very high-achieving student who faces many barriers to her potential graduation from high school, all of which come from her family's expectations of her. What I did not like about the book was its crudeness- it did not simply contain curse words, but described in detail bodily fun
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Feb 09, 2011
Jill
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I'm so glad I read this...I almost didn't. This is a great introduction to Hispanic-American life in California full of characters that both challenge and fulfill many stereotypes of this fast-growing population. Sonia's life seems almost unbelievable, but her explanations and descriptions and back-stories draw you in and you're there with her and it IS real, but it shouldn't be. I laughed alot and cried a bit. If you're interested in learning more about this cultural group, which I feel is impo
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Jan 24, 2012
Brenda
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Sonia rodriguez was born in the united states and was brought to california before she was even born, her parents are from mexico. Sonia is a girl whos dream is to finish school and go to collage, but she thinks that is inpossible because she bearly have time to study and do her homewrok because she has to take care oh her little sister do the house chores and take care of her pregnant and og her drunke uncle. Sonias dad a hard working man who supports the family is the one one that believes tha
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Jul 22, 2010
Mom
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I listened to this book on MP3 which I highly recommend. The young actress who performed it did such a fantastic job. Anyway, it's the story (fiction) of a Mexican-American teenager living in L.A. It tells of her trials & tribulations, efforts to balance the demands of family and school. She wants to do well in school and wants to be the first in her family to graduate from high school. But as the only daughter, she is called upon to do so many chores and even help in raising her siblings. Read
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Nov 19, 2009
Kym
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Not only do I have the print copy of this book - fab! but listen to the audio tape (Recorded Books)! OMG! Sitomer has captured the voice and soul of a 16-year old latina. If you are looking for a comparison, Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone"...I couldn't believe either were male authors. The writing made me love Sonia, and feel as though she were family. I was sad to have it end. Sitomer commanded the heart, soul, and personality of his protagonist. A must read (or listen!). The woman w
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Oct 19, 2010
Martha
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I saw a man in the grocery store yesterday, he was buying a chile pepper. I asked him if he and his friends had chile eating contests. He said no but some of the people at his work do. He told me he can't even eat onions anymore because he gets heart burn. Such is the life of mi papi and Sonia.
I really think we need to get this book into the hands of our female readers, not just Hispanic but all of them. With the shift to pleasing boys and doing all for boys this is a great book for d More...
I really think we need to get this book into the hands of our female readers, not just Hispanic but all of them. With the shift to pleasing boys and doing all for boys this is a great book for d More...
Aug 12, 2010
Angie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 22, 2008
Becky
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Sitomer, Alan Lawrence. 2008. The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez.
I was born in the United States of America. That makes me legal.
Pero mis padres jumped the border to get here. That makes them illegal.
I have documents.
They don't.
I speak English.
They don't.
I have a social security number, a passport, and a license to drive.
They don't. They don't. They don't.
Actually, mi papi does have a social security number. Three of them. You can buy More...
I was born in the United States of America. That makes me legal.
Pero mis padres jumped the border to get here. That makes them illegal.
I have documents.
They don't.
I speak English.
They don't.
I have a social security number, a passport, and a license to drive.
They don't. They don't. They don't.
Actually, mi papi does have a social security number. Three of them. You can buy More...
Jan 16, 2012
Wendy
rated it:
Wow. I've been wanting to read something by Sitomer. This one is VERY gritty. I crossed it off the summer reading list about 6 pages in. Still and all, it is an interesting look at the life of a Mexican American girl who is trying to get through high school, her demanding family life and the stereotypes that surround her. Much of the time I wanted to throw the book across the room. Most of the characters are horrible people who exploit Sonia for their own purposes. Thankfully, I held out
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Nov 19, 2010
Oscar
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i choose this book because is a story about a latina girl who is living a life full of mean people even in her own house. the genre is realistic fiction. this takes place in los angeles. sonia is a very smart girl who is trying to go to collage. this book is pretty good it was very real to a family that i know of. the problem was the uncle he was always drunk and he was trying to get with sonia. the dad beat him and kick him out forever. i think this book is great i really like it for me it felt
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Oct 27, 2011
Thalia
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AWSOME!
That is the only word I can thik of when I read this book. Sonia Rodriguez is the oldest daughter of mexican illegal immigrants. As she struggles to make sure her brothers are staying out of trouble and that she does her homework,her "drunkle"(drunk uncle) has suddenly taken am intrest in her(gross!). This is a really good YA novel that changes(and corrects) all the sterotypes against Mexicans. It is so well written and I recommend it to Everyone that wants a goodread.
That is the only word I can thik of when I read this book. Sonia Rodriguez is the oldest daughter of mexican illegal immigrants. As she struggles to make sure her brothers are staying out of trouble and that she does her homework,her "drunkle"(drunk uncle) has suddenly taken am intrest in her(gross!). This is a really good YA novel that changes(and corrects) all the sterotypes against Mexicans. It is so well written and I recommend it to Everyone that wants a goodread.
Apr 07, 2010
Diane
rated it:
First of all, this was the perfect example of an audio recording that diminishes the narrative of the book.
My reaction throughout was that it was overly-dramatic with confounding contradictions in the characters, especially Sonia, and a plot that was too unbelievable to be predictable. But it's still one of the few books that even tries to convey the life of a young Latina, so kudos for that. Let's hold out the real applause for a well-written novel by an actual Latina.
My reaction throughout was that it was overly-dramatic with confounding contradictions in the characters, especially Sonia, and a plot that was too unbelievable to be predictable. But it's still one of the few books that even tries to convey the life of a young Latina, so kudos for that. Let's hold out the real applause for a well-written novel by an actual Latina.
