Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez

by Alan Sitomer

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 three Social Security numbers, her mother is pregnant (again), and neither of them speaks English. Sonia's mother spends most of her time in bed, watching soap operas, and letting Sonia clean up after her brothers. Sonia's father works dutifully to support his family, but he knows that his daughter's dreams are bigger than making tamales for family get-togethers. When Sonia attempts to put school work before her familia, her mother decides that it's time for Sonia to visit her grandmother in Mexico to learn "the ways of the old world." While in Mexico, Sonia gets to know her wise grandmother and her cousin Maria, who teach her that while familia is important, the most important thing is to follow your heart. Sonia returns to the States determined to succeed in school, but the birth of her new twin siblings, inappropriate advances from her drunk uncle (Drunkle), and a forbidden relationship with an El Salvadorian boy push school to the back burner. If only Sonia can find the time to cook dinner, secretly meet with her boyfriend, avoid her Drunkle, AND finish her homework, she just might be able to graduate from high school. . . .

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Family, Cultural, Coming Of Age, Teen

319 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2008

About the author

Alan Lawrence Sitomer is a California Teacher of the Year award winner and the founder of The Writer’s Success Academy. In addition to having been an inner-city high school English teacher and former professor in the Graduate School Of Education at Loyola Marymount University, Mr. Sitomer is a nationally renowned keynote speaker who specializes in engaging underperforming students. To date, Mr. Sitomer has authored 16 books with works ranging from hard-hitting YA novels like CAGED WARRIOR, HOMEBOYZ, THE HOOPSTER and HIP-HOP HIGH SCHOOL to humorous and warm children’s picture books such as DADDIES DO IT DIFFERENT and DADDY’S ZIGZAGGING BEDTIME STORY. Alan lives in Los Angeles where he just finished writing the movie script adaptation for his novel CAGED WARRIOR.

Reviews

[Camille Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this book on a playaway.

I think in an attempt to inform the reader about Mexican-American culture, Sitomer did way too much telling and not enough showing. Sonia says many times, "En mi cultura..." and "then I realized..." Her constant explanation of culture and revelations about her ancestral country made her voice seem inauthentic. In the beginning she also lists stereotypes about Mexicans and says how much she hates them but then goes on to explain how her family fits many of the stereotypes, which I found strange.

*spoiler below*
The other major issue I had with the book was that there is a sexual assault scene in the end in which Sonia cannot find the strength even to scream for help. Instead of showing how she'd grown by allowing her to fight back against her attacker, she ends up being rescued first by her boyfriend, and then by her father in a violent manner. I thought this was totally counter to the changes Sonia had gone through during the book-- she became stronger and I think she would have had the strength to stand up for herself.

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sonia is a Mexican American whose parents came to the United States illegally for the American dream. Sonia is like any ordinary Hispanic teenager who has to do all the chores and cook, her mom expects her to do everything especially now since she is pregnant with twins. Sonia has a hard working dad who works two jobs just to get the bills paid and gets home until late at night. To Sonia’s family “familia es todo” family is everything no matter what. She has an uncle who is always drunk and takes advantage of her family but they deal with him because he is family. Sonia like any teenager falls in love with a boy named Geraldo but breaks up with him because of her family. Soon she is sent to Mexico because of her Tia Luna who says she has the devil inside as she arrives she meets her cousin who has a death baby. She thinks that probably the father had left once he knew that she was pregnant but she was wrong he had died crossing the border trying to go earn some money for his baby’s illness just because he refused to pay the immigration police so they could let him pass. She returned to her home missing her cousin and the baby Isabella. She had dropped school but decided to go back n she tried home school, being so determined to graduate with her senior class she did all the paper work as she was finishing the work she hears the door thinking its her dad but she was wrong it was her uncle who saw no one was home and started to take advantage of her but soon Geraldo tried to stop him but could and was left unconscious in the floor but soon her dad came in and started to beat him up he almost killed him and told him if he returned he would die. After that her brother stopped selling marijuana and got a job her younger brothers did better in school and her mom started to help around the house. Soon she had graduated from high school and went to community college and then transferred to a four year university to become a family therapist and she would support her beautiful death baby niece Isabella. I would recommend reading this book it talks a lot of the reality that a Hispanic faces in their everyday life.

[Medeia]

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 ama is outraged. Consequently, Sonia is shipped back to Mexico to learn some life lessons from her grandmother.

The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez was engaging and enjoyable. Sonia is one of those characters that you really care about. When Sonia chooses to go back to school despite the strain this decision puts on her already exhausting life, I just wanted to give a "WOOT!"... I'm pretty sure I did, actually. And the chili-eating contest was -- well, you'll see. The only thing that seemed out of place was Sonia's secret romance with Geraldo. It just felt superfluous.

I give The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez 5 out of 7 *crrrracklecracklekaBOOM* lightning bolts.

Craving salsa,

Medeia Senka

[BookNightOwl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Fast and enjoyable read.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sonia Rodriguez is the character of our book who we see struggle through her whole life and, give up many opportunities for her family. Sonia gives us background of the "stereotypical" Mexican girl. Her mother and father both illegal but, she's legal since she was born in the United States. Sonia's father works really hard and, throughout the book we see Sonia taking after her father since she is responsible for everything around the house. Sonia, cooks, cleans, takes care of siblings, goes grocery shopping, runs errands, tends to everyone's needs and, goes to school while still taking care of herself. Sonia's family looks down on her if she doesn't complete something to a T. Her aunt will say the devil has already gotten her when Sonia is really trying her best and, she has so many obstacles in her way such as her "drunkle" her drunk uncle who always is drunk or, peeing himself from all the alcohol he always asks her to make him food and, tries to sexually pressure her which Sonia feels no way out of because it's "familia". She found a boy at a pet store which had her favorite kitten he was her favorite because he had a floppy ear.
Sonia has problems with school since she misses so much of it because her family needs so much work, Sonia has to miss all of her finals because her parents are sending her and, her brother to Mexico for the whole summer because the whole family doesn't think Sonia knows how she is supposed to behave. The way there was bumpy since her brother made her spend her money on his drinks and, sitting in the back of a truck to her grandmothers home. There she is critisized because she didn't want to eat the chicken she witnessed being slaughtered everyone is skeptical of Sonia until her and her cousin finally connected when Sonia offered to babysit her daughter so she could sleep and do other things she needed to do. Sonia grew very fond of life in Mexico and, was very sad when it came to an end.
When Sonia goes back to America she walks in the door and already is put back to work, her lover Geraldo which had been trying to be with Sonia for months now, He finally convinced Sonia to a few dates. Sonia was going to quit high school but, started at home school which she followed through with. Sonia ended up getting touched by her drunkle and he tried to blame it on Geraldo but, her dad knew he was lying and, he was beating up her uncle for what he was doint and, when he got back to the house he put everyone in there place making this easier for Sonia. Sonia ended up

[Mr.G · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 his best friend, a white guy. The publication of his column has dramatic implications and changes his life forever.

In Hip Hop High School, we meet Andre's little sister Theresa. Theresa (or Tee-ay) is a more ordinary high school girl, dealing with peer pressure, relationship drama, difficult classes, and a secret dream of attending USC. The books follows Theresa's life and development as a person from her sophomore to her senior year.

Homeboyz is about Andre and Theresa's little brother Teddy. This story is perhaps the most "hardcore" of the three as it deals with the gritty realities of gangbanging and gang culture in Los Angeles.

Which brings me to Sitomer's fourth book, The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez. Sonia is a marginal character from Hip Hop High School in which she serves as Theresa's best friend (and sole hispanic character.) Remarkably, Secret Life follows the exact timeline as Hip Hop High School, casting many of the same events but through the eyes of Sonia.

Sonia's life seems incredibly hard to understate the case, yet is probably pretty common. As she is painfully aware, her family exemplifies every stereotype of the Mexican family out there: too many kids, dad working 18 hour days, lazy pot-smoking brothers with criminal tendencies, oppressive gender roles, etc. Sonia is astonishingly focused on being "La Primera", the first person in the family to graduate high school. But the obstacles in her life make it seem impossible. While reading this book, I at times wanted to kill every member of her family. When she is forced to visit her grandmother in Mexico in order "to get her mind right," Sonia makes some deep realizations about her own identity and true responsibilities. This was hard to read, but harder to put down.

[Priscilla Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 tired sometimes thinking about how much had happened & how many pages were left to go.
I took some issues with Sonia's rescues at the end of the novel, but I really enjoyed the voice & character of Sonia. Just like Tee-Ay in HHHS, Sonia's the reason you keep reading, despite the length & the stereotypical plot points/supporting cast. Sitomer has also really grown as a writer, although he still has the annoying habit of alluding to a significant event, that clearly occurred over a long period of time, in a single sentence. I think my favorite thing about Sitomer's writing here is the way that he gives Sonia's internal thoughts a realistic "raunchy" angle. Rather than portraying her inner monologue as one of primness & sugar & spice, or even solely 'boys are treated better than girls in my culture' angst, Sitomer allows her to think about her bodily functions, or sex, & to use words like "tits" or comment on a dog obsessed with licking its own balls. That other characters may feel these things are unladylike or inappropriate is portrayed as ridiculous in the book, & I think that's an important message many YA authors neglect to convey about their female characters, while never failing to play up the less sophisticated sides of their male characters.

[Brenda Granados · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 that she could finish her school but the story dramatically changes when sonias mom decides to send her to mexico to visit her grandmother but also to see how the olddays were while sonia is in mexico she mets her cousion sofia which teach her many things but the most important thing was to follow her heart.When sonia comes back to from mexico she meets this boy grom el salvador, when she thinks she could leave some of her house chores to the side and focous more on school sonia is totaly wrong when she see that she is going to have more work after her 2 twin brothers. Sonias trys to find time for here school work and her boyfriend but just seems that she cant.Things get worst for sonia when her uncle starts to sexual harass and her mother wont believe her but as things start to get worst for her the only person that stood up for her is her hardworking father and her romantic and loving boyfriend. Well sonia ever find time for her? I really like and recommand this book, it has strong diction a good set of imagery and very good theme.

[Alejandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 frijolito, but she thinks all the guys are the same that they just wanna have sex so she leaves. her mom tells her dat she bought some tickets for her brother and her to go to Mexico. when they arrive their she thinks its the worst place on earth that she could be in. but she gets used to the place, his brother is always downtown parting and drinking. when they hav to com back to the united states she would rather stay in mexico. when she arrives her mom is asking her to always do this and that she get mad cause she bearly has time to study and focus on schools because she want to be the first one to graduate school. she has a uncle she calls him druckle because his always drunk he is a pervert who is always checking her out. one day it was 5 de mayo her family decides to go outside and party sonia decided to stay, a couple of minutes later her uncle walks in and nodest dat she is alone. if you want to know wat happens next i recommend you read this book.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 stay above the fight. Sonia does. She works hard, having to do all of the cooking, cleaning, laundry plus caring for her mother as the pregnancy moves along. There is a scene where Sonia's mother and aunt perceive that Sonia does not care for her so she is sent to Mexico to learn the old ways from her grandmother. And while there is work to do there too, more hands make lighter work, and Sonia returns to California with a renewed spirit. She is crushed eventually as her mother's pregnancy puts her on bed rest, and Sonia eventually drops out of school.

Sonia's strength and intelligence result in some positive twists at the end.

[Britney · Rating 5 out of 5]

In some cases friends can bring you down. Sometimes one's friends can keep you from graduating. But what happens when your own family is your greatest obstacle from graduating? This is the story of Sonia Rodriguez. Sonia Rodriguez is a Mexican American teenage girl whose dream of being the first of the family to graduate from high school has been crushed due to the fact she has to do all the work in the house. Sonia has to cook, clean the house, fix the beds for her mother who is pregnant with twins and takes her pregnancy as a privilege to stay in bed all day watching her "Telenovelas". Sonia also has to do all the work for her two lazy and messy brothers, her religious and ungrateful aunt who is always complaining about Sonia's actions and her drunkle (alcoholic uncle). She barely has time to do her homework. Tragically, Sonia gets raped by her druncle. Her Father, who is always working to provide for the family and the only person who supports Sonia, is barely home to protect her. In addition, throughout the book Sonia falls madly in love with a handsome boy but her love is not corresponded due to the boy's race.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 graduate, like the book says. "We need more latina girls walking in the school halls than pregnant woman coming to drop out of school." :) I am going to be the first, and defiantly going to a university and get my scholarship :). YOU should read this book.

[Oscar dont worry about it · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 real.

[Christy Espinoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sonia's mother had her babies already but she still has to do the work around the house. She had a boyfriend until her uncle caught her and told her mom, so she broke up with him but he acts like a stalker and creeps through her window and throws pebbles to her window. She started getting bad grades and decided to give up and drop out of her senior year. Later on she went to community college and graduated with A bachelor of arts.

[Nelly Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an amazing book. (:

[Daritza Suero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing Wow, this book help me to became a better student. For example, she teach me that If you don't want to make minimum wages you have to educated yourself.

[Aileen Enriquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a big fan of books, but I really liked this one. It caught my attention because of what the author, Alan Lawrence Sitomer, has to say about the Latino community. He speaks about the truth behind Latino families, the parents having to work hard to provide for their children. Some parents even have to work more than one job to make money. And also how the women in the family are expected to be "housewives", cooking and cleaning instead of working on their education.

This book explains a lot of problems that immigrants face when living in the United States. Sonia was born, here, in the USA. But her parents were born in Mexico and are immigrants. Sonia does all the cooking and cleaning in the house because her mom is pregnant and she doesn't want to do anything, except watch her telenovelas. And she doesn't show any gratitude towards her daughter. Sonia is very unappreciated in her household. Her father is very supportive of her academic success. He works hard so that he can make enough money to send her to college. Her mom even pulled her out of school because she was focusing more on her academics and not on her chores anymore, and that's not right. If she wants to have a good education she should be allowed to. She somehow manages to keep up with her classwork and gets her degree by working on a homeschooling curriculum. Her mother later sends Sonia and her brothers so they can learn domestic skills from their grandmother. When she returns to the U.S., something terrible almost happened but her father prevented it. From then on, he decides he needs to change things in his house.

[Maresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review is on The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez. The book is about a Mexican teen girl, who lives with her family that relies on her for everything. All she wants is to get a good education and be the first in her family to go to college. The genre of this book is Urban Fiction. I don't know anything about the author, because I have never heard of him or read any of his books. The protagonist, the main character, Sonia, is a smart, hardworking girl who is kind and woke about her situation. The antagonist is people in her family, like her mom, uncle, and aunt, who all expect too much of her and don't want the best for her. I think this book is very well written, its engaging, relatable, and inspiring. It had some unexpected parts which is what made it so good but there was some parts I had expected. I highly recommend this because I feel a lot of teens can relate to this lifestyle.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 three Social Security numbers, her mother is pregnant (again), and neither of them speaks English. Sonia's mother spends most of her time in bed, watching soap operas, and letting Sonia clean up after her brothers. Sonia's father works dutifully to support his family, but he knows that his daughter's dreams are bigger than making tamales for family get-togethers. When Sonia attempts to put schoolwork before her familia, her mother decides that it's time for Sonia to visit her grandmother in Mexico to learn "the ways of the old world." While in Mexico, Sonia gets to know her wise grandmother and her cousin Maria, who teach her that while familia is important, the most important thing is to follow your heart. Sonia returns to the States determined to succeed in school, but the birth of her new twin siblings, inappropriate advances from her drunk uncle (Drunkle), and a forbidden relationship with an El Salvadorian boy push school to the back burner. If only Sonia can find the time to cook dinner, secretly meet with her boyfriend, avoid her Drunkle, AND finish her homework, she just might be able to graduate from high school. I absolutely loved this book. Its humour and billingual text made it even better. Perfect for getting out of a reading slump.

[Yaret Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez: Its about a girl named Sonia she's Mexican American. She's a teen. She was born in California but the rest of the family were born in mexico. She lives with her father,mother, younger brother and drunkle (uncle). Her family of course is a big believer in women cleaning and cooking. But as much as she likes to help that meant she didn't have time for her homework all the time. So that sometimes means that she had to pull off nighters. Since her dream is to graduate and go to college. Her father is the only one who is understanding, and hes a very hard working man. Her mother is expecting twins and is always helping for Sonia's help. But when Sonia has the audacity to put her homework first, her mother sent her to her grandmas in mexico to make her remember the old ways.
I really like this book because its somewhat accurate. I recommend this book who likes different books and likes to read about different culture.

[Jacqueline Villegas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very personal. Sonia Rodriguez goes deep into her life growing up and being a mother to her siblings. It was the very first book that hooked me into it. I read it in Middle School, and years later I read it again. I don't think many people many have heard about this book, but it's actually very interesting! It's inspiring to see that a young girl never gives up on her dreams no matter how hard life gets. It doesn't say it's a memoir but it sure feels like it because it's all about I statements and explains her own life. I really recommend this book!

[carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character sounds inauthentic because the author is constantly trying to explain Sonia's culture rather than showing it through interactions, plot, or character development. It's also trope after trope incorporating elements from a Cinderella story (the daughter who has to do everything) to the kid who goes to her family's country of origin and is wowed by the experience. Evidently the author gets a lot of feedback from students to have it feel authentic, so perhaps this worked well there.
Super fast read - I blew through this in a couple hours.

[Monica Soto · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are so many stereotypical parts in this book. As a Hispanic female, they were funny but also disheartening. There were times I wanted to punch Sonia through the pages. But then I remember, there are families like this still. There are girls just like Sonia who grow up like this. Makes me sad. Makes me mad. Makes me want to show all the girls out there that there is more to life than that. I am glad Sonia found her way through all the obstacles in her way.

[Juan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a Cinderella type story which draws on stereotypes with embellishments and exaggerations for dramatic effect and to make it's point. I read it on loan. I found the central message about working hard for meaningful change in ones life to be very good. Otherwise, literary devices employed for message delivery were distracting. It is written for readers who will identify with the main character which undoubtedly is a worthy heroine.

[Frances Ohanenye · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very moving story of coming of age, staying relevant, and trying to trying to keep eyes on the prize: graduation. No matter what Sonya has been or been through, she is one determined young woman whether she is in the U..S. or in Mexico. She does not lose focus. A very useful book for every teenager regardless of race.

[Rachel Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I loved about this book is that it helped to develop and expand my empathy for experiences that I will never have. My critique for this book would be that while I greatly enjoyed the ending, I found it to be rather unrealistic for the real Sonias of the world. I wish everyone had the same ending she had, but I know that is tragically not the case.

[Camila Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago, but until this day I still think of this story. It felt realistic about what a person who is the child of immigrants without documents goes through. This book touches so many topics and is so well written. I read it for a school assignment, and I am so thankful for that assignment because otherwise I would not have found this masterpiece.

[Roxie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sitomer does it again with this brilliant novel that captures your interest from the first page until the final page. Sonia, the main character, takes you through the highs and lows of being a first generation Mexican American. I found myself cringing during her low moments and celebrating her highs. A quick and easy must read.

[PJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know how to feel about this book, I didn't like how it handle the SA scene, and I found the formatting of the book off-putting. Overall, this book was interesting to read and I encourage others to form their opinion of it even if wasn't that great to me

[Emily C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a well written book. I have never related to a character more. Being a Mexican girl you are always expected to do so much and breaking family traditions can be tough. I enjoyed this book so much 🫶🏻