I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read Romeo and Juliet long ago so I’m sure I missed many of the links in the story. I believe the last names of the characters were one link I missed. As a story, I thought their meeting in a chat room was a clever way to use technology in telling a story to today’s youth. As with YA books sliding in a message, the conversation of the different teens speaking about locker searches, and dog-sniffing encounters in school was enlightening more to parents than to teens.
The characters were vivid in their thinking and their desires. The sidekicks were as much a part of the story as were the main characters. I relished Romi’s best friend’s vitality and excitement about life and herself. Her exaggerated sense of self was so teen. Also Bob had a strong sense of self in his differentness. Neither character seem to suffer any teen angst at being so different from everyone else.
The distrust and displeasure of those around the two main characters is a stark duplication of society’s views of opposites attract. Whether painting all Blacks with the broad brush of one’s solitary experience with a Black person, or the inclusive thinking of all others being foreigners, the idea of difference is broadcasted loud and clear to demonstrate the falsehood of there being a true difference between each of us.
That is one reason I was surprised by the difference in the two sidekick characters, Romi’s best friend and Bob. In spite of being so different, they didn’t suffer any feelings-of-outsider consequences.
Most of my difficulty with this book was with the language used by the two main characters. I am aware of Ms. Draper expertise in writing YA books, yet it appeared to me that Romi and Julio were expressing thoughts and feelings way above their levels and many adult levels. Maybe I haven’t been hanging with enough teens lately, and I felt some of the declaration of love from Julio unlikely.
Also there is a big push to teach young girls to stand on their own and to look toward a future they can call their own. Yet Julio keeps announcing that he will never let anything bad happen to Romi. He said that he would take care of her no matter what. Yet every time he said that proclamation, they became enmeshed in worse trouble. As in the boat, tied up, Julio states again how he will take care of Romi. Seconds later, oops no spoilers, but she’s in trouble. All I can say is with the fact that every time Julio said he would protect Romi, and they were in worse shape than before, I would have said, “Enough. Take care of your own self because I’m not counting on your full-of-air-empty statements.”
The other big spot in the story that bothered me is when Romi’s best friend asks Romi for $45. Romi hands over the money like no big thing. Granted, maybe the author wanted to present her characters in a different social class and income level. Romi’s parents were successful in lucrative careers. However for a teen to have $45 handy in her pocket to hand out to a friend seems to me hard to believe.
Otherwise, the story was a good-feel piece that leaves everyone smiling on its last page. A good read for a lazy afternoon.
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<![CDATA[New Fanship update]]>
<![CDATA[Jo Ann added 'Just Another Hero']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70234963
to: Just Another Hero (Hardcover)bySharon M. Draper
Just Another Hero
Sharon M. Draper
Audiobook read by JD Jackson
Simon & Schuster Childrne’s Publishing 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4407-3880-7
I didn’t realize that this was the third book in a trilogy. I was some way into the book thinking why does the name November sound familiar to me. Then it hit me. This follows the life of Kofi, Arielle, Dana, November, and Jericho.
If you read what is written about this book you’ll think that the story is about someone taking a gun to school. Yeah that happens. But the real story is about friendship, ambition, hopes, desires, and family. The kind of friendships that you can depend on through tough times and good times.
November deals with coming back to school after having her baby. Arielle interacts with all those she disrespected in the previous year, and the unreal abusive situation she has at home with her stepfather. Only her mother can save her, but will she? Kofi is faced with challenges about his future.
I found myself worried most about Kofi because I thought for sure something bad was going to happen to him. I can’t tell you what because I don’t want to spoil the book for you. But I thought for sure there was going to be a funeral.
I was rooting for Kofi the most in the book. I think the issues he dealt with are something many teens face in their life. How do I improve myself, educate myself, get ahead in the world, and leave everyone I love behind. That’s a difficult choice to make for anyone.
The conclusion of the book is high tension. Just Another Hero is a story of how everyone is a hero in their own life story. There is no way around that. You have to show up for your life.
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<![CDATA[Jo Ann added 'White Bread Competition']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75711928
to: White Bread Competition (Paperback)byJo Ann Yolanda Hernandez
White Bread Competition
By Jo Ann Yolanda Hernández
Piñata Books, Houston, TX 1997
ISBN: 1-55885-210-7
Reviewed by Ruth J. Hartman, Author of "My Life in Mental Chains"
I felt honored to be invited into the world of a loving Latino family while reading White Bread Competition. The fourteen-year-old main character, Luz, has come in first place in her school’s spelling bee. This qualifies her to go on to the national spelling bee to represent her state of Texas. You’re given a peek into this event through the eyes of Justina, her younger sister, her mother and grandmother, and other friends and relatives. Each viewpoint is unique, while giving you a sense of their family and community bond by their actions and reactions to circumstances surrounding this event.
Luz has to deal with the jealousy from the girl at her school who came in second place in the spelling bee. Through this, you can see the definite dividing lines between race and culture among the children as well as the adults. Many a reviewer has accused Hernandez of “not liking” whites and painting them in uncharacteristic light, yet the author invites readers into the class structure and struggles that propels the girl’s mother’s reaction. When someone accuses Luz of cheating during the spelling bee, it’s apparent who’s on Luz’s side and who is hoping she’ll fail. The reasons varied dependent on the person’s life experiences.
While the focal point of the story is the spelling bee, the novel takes you back in time to when the story’s adults were younger, and how events in their lives shaped their personalities and beliefs. These events also come into play as you see each person’s reaction to Luz’s accomplishments. You’re drawn in to each individual’s thoughts and dreams for the future and whether or not these dreams came true for them later on.
Throughout the story, Hernández weaves wonderful Latino customs and heritage into their everyday lives. I could actually visualize Luz’s grandmother when, as a young woman, she stood over the blazing restaurant stove and made her delicious homemade tortillas for customers who couldn’t possibly appreciate how hard her job was, or the conditions in which she was forced to work. And I experienced fear along with this character when a frightening event temporarily took her away from her family. This chapter, standing alone, has won several first prizes.
You’ll cheer for Luz as she follows her dream of competing in the state bee, even as others try to talk her out of it, or in some cases, actually attempt to stop her. She perseveres even in the face of others’ jealousy and fear. Her bravery and confidence are good examples for young people and adults alike.
White Bread Competition won 2nd place winner for Best Collection of Short Stories at the Chicano/Latino Literary Prize at the University of California, Irving, Department of Portuguese and Spanish in 1996, should be on everyone’s reading list. I came away with a greater understanding of Latino heritage, and I am richer for the experience. Jo Ann Hernández is a terrific writer, drawing you into her wonderful world of love and family values, while weaving an intriguing tale of one young girl’s dream for the future.
Ruth J. Hartman
Author of "My Life in Mental Chains"
Contact: Rghartman@aol.com
Visit me at: www.ruthjhartman.blogspot.com
"My Life in Mental Chains": http://www.supamasu.co.uk/glos.html (scroll down to book)
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<![CDATA[Jo Ann added 'Confetti Girl']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70234896
to: Confetti Girl (Hardcover)byDiana Lopez
Confetti Girl
By Diana López
Little, Brown and Company, Books for Young Readers NY 2009
ISBN 978-0-316-02955-1
Apolonia Flores is the hero of this book. Her father says about her first name, “It’s the girl form of Apollo. He was the god of the sun. Get it? It’s my way of calling you a sunflower.” Parents! What can a teen do with them? Gratefully, everyone calls her Lina. Vanessa is her best friend, who lives across the street.
Thankfully this book is not about gangs, migrant farm workers, or crossing the border. It’s a regular book about a regular family in a regular neighborhood where the girls go to a regular school with regular problems. Do I seem a bit obsessed with regular? This is a beautiful story of a girl who has lost her mother and needs her father. Her father in his grief has immersed himself into books. How does she go about reaching through those books to her father, who holds them up in front of him? She thinks: “I see a body, a neck, and a book where his face should be.”
I enjoyed this book so much because the writing was good and the story was so real. Lina struggles with Vanessa’s breaking away from their best friend status to date a boy. The girls plot to help Vanessa’s mom. Lina grapples with how to approach a boy she likes and isn’t sure whether he likes her. The whole issue of losing a parent is dealt with in two ways: lost by death and lost by divorce. The plot of this story is the generational age dilemma of any teen and their parents: how do you reach each other to an understanding of what each needs. The ending is hilarious and would make any therapist proud.
I had read The secret blog of Raisin Rodriguez : a novel / by Judy Goldschmidt and was so disappointed. Because the books attempts to make Raisin, just like any other girl. Seems the author created a character with no ethnic roots. I’m not talking about being a Pocho or not knowing or hiding that she is Latina. I mean the things that she worries about are just too white. With Lina, the author, Diana López, did a sensational job of presenting Lina in her environment with everyday teen problems and yet embracing her culture background. Nothing in the story was too heavy or pushed on you about culture. Even the whole discussion about cascarones was more about the girls’ story than about the history of cascarones.
I believe that the community, any and all of us, are in dire need of more books like Confetti Girl by Diana López. Stories that portray us as people with hurts, joys and loves, just like everyone else in the world in any skin color. I encourage you to rush out and buy this book. Because buying this book would show the world how proud we are of being Latino/a, of how much we support our Latino/a authors, and of how much we need and want “real” stories about ourselves doing life. Read and enjoy!
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<![CDATA[Jo Ann added 'Gringolandia']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70234939
to: Gringolandia (Hardcover)byLyn Miller-Lachmann
Gringolandia
Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Curbstone Press 2009
ISBN: 978-1-931896-49-8
You know all those stories that end with “They lived happily ever after”? Gringolandia begins after the “ever after.”
Lyn Miller-Lachmann researched and wrote a heartfull story about a man’s life after having lived with torture for so many years and the effect this had on his family. His wife worked with others, wrote letters, and waited for her husband to return. Brother, Daniel, and sister, Tina, face different issues in accepting the dad that was so different from their recollection. After the father, Marcelo, was imprisoned, the mother and children moved to America to be safe. As with most moves, the family’s life was changed and their customs adjusted to their environment. When the father returns, his hold as the family head of household was shaken.
The jist of the story is that the father wants to return to Chile and continue his fighting the revolution. However, the family was not so sure about the idea. Yet everyone wanted to support him.
The father, Marcelo, can appear as rude or obnoxious, yet all his actions and discontentment are integrated with the history of his torture. The author doesn’t do a heavy analysis of what reactions are normal for a person recovering from torture. I’m sure she had to do tremendous research on the subject. However, she does an excellent job of showing and not telling us what was going on for the man: the confusion in his intentions combined with the confusions of the rest of the family’s expectations.
The story is told from Daniel’s point-of-view. He is a teen in high school, who plays a guitar and has a white girlfriend. The introduction of Courtney is a bit of a mystery to me. Probably because I am not smart enough to figure out the undertones. Courtney’s history with her own family is revealed, and we can understand her zeal in wanting to work with Daniel’s father. She takes upon herself to set in action things that Daniel is afraid will hurt his father more than he already is. I’m not sure why so many people let her get away with what she did. I think that the assertion all of us, people of color, grew up with was the essential factor in that decision. We know better than to call a white person on their actions in spite of their motives. Many times because the white person believes their intentions are noble. Too hard to explain to them the difference.
One finds it difficult to say they enjoyed this book because of the emotional upheaval everyone experience. Yet Gringolandia is an excellent read to see family dynamics at work, and the consequences of one’s belief in an unfair system. Or is it world? Get to know this family for they will stay in your memory teasing you with I wonder what happened to….