Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa

by Micol Ostow

Emily is a Jewish girl from the suburbs of New York. Her mother has family in Puerto Rico, but Emily has never had contact with them-- ever. Then Emily's grandmother dies and Emily is forced to go to the Caribbean for her funeral. Buttoned-up Emily wants nothing to do with her big, noisy Puerto Rican family, until a special person shows her that one dance can change the beat of your heart.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Latinx, Chick Lit, Realistic Fiction, Teen

212 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 2, 2006

About the author

Micol Ostow has been writing professionally since 2004, and in that time has written and/or ghostwritten over 40 published works for young readers. She started her reign of terror with Egmont with her novel FAMILY, which Elizabeth Burns named a favorite of 2012 on her School Library Journal-syndicated blog, A Chair, a Fireplace, a Tea Cozy. Micol's graphic novel, SO PUNK ROCK (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother), was named a 2009 Booklist Top Ten Arts Books for Youth Selection, a Booklist Top Ten Religion Books for Youth Selection, and a Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Teens. She received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Her young adult horror novel, AMITY, will release from Egmont in August 2014, and her first chapter book series, LOUISE TRAPEZE, will debut in Spring 2015 from Random House.

She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, alongside her Emmy Award-winning husband, their daughter, and a finicky French bulldog. Visit her at www.micolostow.com.

Reviews

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Dena Landon for TeensReadToo.com

It's the summer after her senior year, right before she and her friends split up for college, and Emily Goldberg has plans. A road trip across the country with her best friends, Izzy and Adrienne. Hanging out with her boyfriend, Nate, and maybe figuring out what they're going to do at the end of the summer. But whatever else they may have held, her plans definitely hadn't included standing in a hot, crowded funeral home in a country she'd never been in, at the funeral for a grandmother she'd never met. EMILY GOLDBERG LEARNS TO SALSA is a funny, heartwarming story about family and roots, and how learning about them can teach you about yourself.

Emily's mother is from Puerto Rico, but she'd left for college, met and married Emily's father, and never gone back. Emily's never met her grandmother, or her many aunts, uncles, and cousins, until she's forced to go down to Puerto Rico for the funeral. But at least it's only for a few days...until her mother has some sort of crisis and Emily is forced to stay with her.

Sharing a bedroom with her mother, stuck in a country where she barely speaks the language, and living in her ultra-religious Tia Rosa's house with an impossible set of rules, Emily is not looking forward to the rest of the summer. It doesn't help that her cousin Lucy thinks she's a pampered princess from the mainland, and that her boyfriend back home isn't returning her calls. But readers will laugh as she's thrust into one uncomfortable situation after another. Salsa dancing for a girl with two left feet? Cooking with lard? Driving in a country with no street signs? Emily faces them all, slowly getting dragged out of the safe world she's built for herself and connecting with the family she'd never known she'd missed.

Ostow writes with an authentic teenage voice, in clear and uncluttered prose. Her descriptions of a country unfamiliar to many of her readers will fascinate and intrigue them. Writing with respect for a culture different from that of the United States isn't easy, but Ostow pulls it off with style, drawing on her personal experiences. Recommended for readers looking for a fun and enjoyable read.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than some "fish out of water" books that I've read, but not earthshattering. Emily travels with her family to the funeral of her Puerto Rican grandmother - one that she has never known. In fact, her mother never talked about her family, so Emily is totally lost in this big Puerto Rican family scene. After the funeral, Emily's mother decides to stay for a while and asks that Emily stay as well. This throws Emily into a family situation that is totally unfamiliar to her and wrenches her from her plans to spend the summer with her best friends on a road trip across the US. We see the differences between Emily's upbringing and her "other" family through her eyes. She is usually more confused than condescending, but she is totally obtuse when it comes to her mother's grieving struggle.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried salsa dancing recently and was excited to stumble upon a fiction book with the word "salsa" in the title! The story was similar to "Monsoon Summer" by Mitali Perkins, but not quite as strong.

Emily Goldberg's mom is Puerto Rican and her Dad is American and Jewish. When her Puerto Rican grandmother dies, the Goldberg family goes to Puerto Rico for the funeral. It's her mom's first visit back since she left the island to go to college in the US. Emily knows nothing about her Puerto Rican family. Spending the entire summer in Puerto Rico is a surprise to Emily, but something her Mom truly wants to do. She gets to know her family, her culture, and learns quite a bit about her mom.

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, but doesn't invoke deep thoughts or anything. Emily is a Jewish Puerto Rican recent high school graduate who meets her mom's Puerto Rican family for the first time when her grandmother (whom she has never met) passes away, causing her family to travel from upstate NY to the Island of Enchantment. A weekend visit becomes six weeks much to Emily's dismay. She is missing a road trip with her girlfriends and is concerned about surving a long distance relationship with her boyfriend.

This offers a very brief, small look into Puerto Rican culture around the household. The rules, religion, food. It was cute and I had it read in two hours.

[Alison (Lady Coffin) S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

This is a very cute story, well worth a read for a whole lot of reasons. Family, personal growth, etc...

[Beth Rodgers · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa' by Micol Ostow is a story about a girl who finds out the grandmother she's never met has passed away in Puerto Rico. Her mother came to the United States and met her father years before, never returning to her home, and effectively breaking ties with her family. Ostow has written books in the Students Across the Seven Seas series of books, which are all set in different countries, and this one is most certainly along those lines.

Emily travels to Puerto Rico with her family for the funeral, not knowing quite what to expect. She has family she's never met, and her first cousin, Lucy, who is about the same age as her, is not welcoming in the least. When Emily's mom is having trouble coping with the loss of her mother, Emily is forced to stay in Puerto Rico for the summer, derailing her plans to road trip cross country with her two best friends, and keeping her from her boyfriend during their last summer together before college.

Making friends proves somewhat difficult since Lucy is not opening up to her, but Emily begins finding herself little by little, learning more of her history by visiting historic sites, taking part in family occasions, and dealing with issues that pop up with both her mother and Lucy. Her friendships and troubles help her grow and show her that even though she thought life would work out a certain way, sometimes there are bumps in the road that turn out to be blessings in disguise. Despite having had to travel to Puerto Rico for her grandmother's funeral, the experience is a transitional one for Emily, allowing her to cope with her own life in her own way. Even though she never learns to actually salsa, the metaphor of how she learns to deal with issues that pop up in her life is strong throughout the novel.

Beth Rodgers, Author of 'Freshman Fourteen,' A Young Adult Novel

[Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a nice read, and this is the type of book good for reading while you’re just out there, relaxing.

Emily was like a fish removed from the pond she’s been into all her life and hauled to a new place. She was awkward and confused. She didn’t know what to do, ironic, considering that she was with her family, and yet she feels like an outsider.

It’s a light-hearted, sometimes funny read which tackles some serious issues as well (Lucy and her pregnancy scare, Puerto Rico changing Emily, how to cope being away from friends, long distance relationships, and ultimately, accepting your family.), those are some solid points the author was able to convey in her writing.

I have to admit I got confused with the lines in Puerto Rican. I felt like they were crucial sentences that should have been said in English, or at least given the translation to, it felt like I missed something because I can’t understand what was written.

I wasn’t able to connect much to Emily’s character, and wished there could have been a lot more that was said about what happened, or what will eventually happen to her and Ricky. With the serious tone of the story, I think romance could have balanced it out a bit, and make it a more engaging read.

Overall, it’s a nice book. Micol Ostow drew out from her own experiences to write a very thoughtful story.

[Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a nice read, and this is the type of book good for reading while you’re just out there, relaxing.

Emily was like a fish removed from the pond she’s been into all her life and hauled to a new place. She was awkward and confused. She didn’t know what to do, ironic, considering that she was with her family, and yet she feels like an outsider.

I guess this story is more of Emily AND her mother, reconnecting with the world that should have been so familiar to them and yet so alien, which they can only get in touch with it now. Emily and her mother’s journey of rediscovering their roots, eventually, learning WHO you really are in the process, and appreciating yourself and the parts that made you up, may you be a Jewish, Puerto Rican girl raised in New York or a Puerto Rican girl who went to America to live more freely, is really heart warming.

It’s a light-hearted, sometimes funny read which tackles some serious issues as well (Lucy and her pregnancy scare, Puerto Rico changing Emily, how to cope being away from friends, long distance relationships, and ultimately, accepting your family.), those are some solid points the author was able to convey in her writing.

Overall, it’s a nice book. Micol Ostow drew out from her own experiences to write a very thoughtful story.

[Mel Raschke]

It's the summer after her senior year, right before she and her friends split up for college, and Emily Goldberg has plans. A road trip across the country with her best friends, Izzy and Adrienne. Hanging out with her boyfriend, Nate, and maybe figuring out what they're going to do at the end of the summer. But whatever else they may have held, her plans definitely hadn't included standing in a hot, crowded funeral home in a country she'd never been in, at the funeral for a grandmother she'd never met.This book is a funny, heartwarming story about family and roots, and how learning about them can teach you about yourself.

[Maggie V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very fun book about Emily going to Puerto Rico for the first time and connecting with her maternal family and her roots. I did laugh out loud a couple of times, and the story did touch on deep issues, but it still felt light.

I will mention that I read it for a paper and found some stereotypes, but I need to figure out whether the negative overpower the positive. It does show real aspects of Puerto Rico culture and life, but from a perspective of an outsider so some of the images seem to be absurd to Emily as an outsider instead of normal life.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emily Goldberg's grandmother just died. The "other" grandmother...the Puerto Rican grandmother that her mother never talks about.

Growing up Jewish in a New York City suburb, Emily's family has enjoyed a quiet life. But now that her family needs to go to Puerto Rico, her life suddenly changes. What was expected to be a few days on the island for a funeral, has transformed into spending the summer there to support her grieving mother.

[LFPL Teen Services · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emily Goldberg's grandmother just died. The "other" grandmother...the Puerto Rican grandmother that her mother never talks about.

Growing up Jewish in a New York City suburb, Emily's family has enjoyed a quiet life. But now that her family needs to go to Puerto Rico, her life suddenly changes. What was expected to be a few days on the island for a funeral, has transformed into spending the summer there to support her grieving mother.

~Lisa S.

[Jamilia]

great

[Don Savant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this was a pretty decent read. It was a story about finding your roots and getting to know people that you didn't even know existed. Pretty good read.