Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass in ENGL 596 / EDCI 551

Feb 11, 2015 Morgan rated it really liked it

I had a very personal reaction with this novel. I've never been bullied, never changed schools, never dealt with the majority of what PIddy goes through. So it took some introspection to understand why I made so strong of a connection with her. I know that high school is a tough time for everyone; for young women, it is even more difficult. If we are not exactly what society tells us we should look like or how we should act, we run the risk of becoming social outcasts. For Piddy, rumors and a bu I had a very personal reaction with this novel. I've never been bullied, never changed schools, never dealt with the majority of what PIddy goes through. So it took some introspection to understand why I made so strong of a connection with her. I know that high school is a tough time for everyone; for young women, it is even more difficult. If we are not exactly what society tells us we should look like or how we should act, we run the risk of becoming social outcasts. For Piddy, rumors and a bully change how she is viewed in society, how she is viewed at home, how her former friends view her, and basically turn her entire world on its head. Piddy cannot fit in because a bully ruined it for her. Piddy stands no chance at this school; as someone who had to fight and climb up some social ladders myself, I can see Piddy's despair and internalize it for myself.

My point is that this book can appeal to anyone, no matter their race/ethnicity, socioeconomic class, gender, whatever. If I, a privileged white girl from rural Indiana, can identify with a struggling Latina from Queens, then there is hardly any reason anyone could find something in this book that relates to their life. I would categorize this novel as part window, part mirror. I saw just enough of myself to form strong connections with Piddy; however, I learned a lot about the life of young women/men (specifically a young Latina) growing up in Queens. For my future students, this novel would be indispensable. The teachers never once guessed that Piddy was being bullied; how many students in our surrounding schools do the same thing? If I can offer them a connection, something that will prove that they don't have to lay down and take it, something that tells them that they CAN stand up and get out of the situation, then I will have succeeded at a portion of my job.

That was something that threw a grain of salt in my hopeful mind: bullying has no hard-and-fast solution. It has no way for the victim to win. If Piddy had chosen to remain at DJ, there is not shadow of doubt in my mind that she would have been bullied for the rest of her high school days. She couldn't even fight back, without forfeiting a part of herself in the process, or without getting into a world of trouble. Having a "safety transfer" feels like cheating; as Lila thought, it feels like running away. In some sense, PIddy let Yaqui win. However, PIddy escaped Yaqui. She can now live a productive and mostly happy life, a privileged life. No one should have to submit to a bully for the rest of their lives (of the rest of high school). As much as it irritated me that there was no miraculous ending where PIddy and Yaqui eventually saw eye-to-eye, Med Medina nailed it. She captured what actually happens in life and in real high schools. As she described, she was bullied, so she knows the facts of what truly happens. She wrote an insightful novel that opened my eyes. ...more

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Feb 08, 2015 Logan rated it really liked it

Medina's Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass offers a look at the darker sides of the adolescent experience, following fifteen-year-old Piddy Sanchez as she attempts to find her place in a new school. In addition to dealing with the typical difficulties of transferring schools (making new friends and adjusting to new teachers and policies), Piddy finds herself the focus of a school bully's wrath. Medina's book tracks Piddy as she finds ways to cope with the changes in her life, following the ch ...more

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Feb 12, 2015 Hannah Alexander rated it it was amazing

They tell you to “never judge a book by the cover,” but I will openly admit to judging this book by the cover. I thought “this is what I get for taking a young adult literature class;” something seemingly immature. I began this book with a mindset that maybe middle school readers would enjoy this and I immediately start looking for pedagogical value. Within the first few pages I felt myself eating my thoughts and words as I began to connect with a character that I thought would be extremely juve ...more

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Feb 12, 2015 Mykala rated it really liked it

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina tells the story of young Latino girl Piddy as she faces some of life’s hardest obstacles. Her best friend has moved away, she still hasn’t found answers about her absent father, and she finds herself the target of a bully at her new school. The narrative follows Piddy as she struggles with an aggressive bully and the aftermath that threatens to ruin everything she has worked hard for. This story brings to life the trauma and emotional damage tha ...more

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Feb 12, 2015 Michelle Parsons rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-lit

When I saw the title of this novel, I admit I assumed some things about the book. First, I assumed that this would be a bully story, which it is. Second, I assumed it would become a comedy; mean girl converted into a friend by the caring and understanding of the protagonist. Meg Medina's novel was not what I expected. Warning: Spoiler alert- this review contains spoilers.
Piddy, the main character, is intelligent when it comes to school. However, when it comes to social situations, she really do When I saw the title of this novel, I admit I assumed some things about the book. First, I assumed that this would be a bully story, which it is. Second, I assumed it would become a comedy; mean girl converted into a friend by the caring and understanding of the protagonist. Meg Medina's novel was not what I expected. Warning: Spoiler alert- this review contains spoilers.
Piddy, the main character, is intelligent when it comes to school. However, when it comes to social situations, she really doesn't seem to know how to handle things. This, I felt, was probably one of the strengths of the novel. Despite the attempts of adult administration at schools and in other public institutions, there really is no way that any talk or instructions can prepare someone to deal with the realities of a bullying situation. The rules that are meant to protect students can hinder them when it comes to the social reality that a bully is rarely an isolated person; often they have friends who can take revenge or carry messages, so reporting one person is not enough. As far as Piddy's other social issues, she is a fatherless girl being raised by a proud but strict mother and fun-loving aunt, who seem to embody opposites on the range of women she can become. Her best friend has moved to another school. She is starting classes at a different new school. And on top of that, she has physically developed a woman's body. I remember that awkward stage- I developed, but didn't know how to deal with it. I was both ashamed and proud of my body; self-conscious for days if anyone mentioned anything fearing and hoping for attention.
Piddy, of course, does attract attention. She is unfortunate to gain the attentions of Yaqui Delgado's boyfriend on the first day at her new school. Piddy's intelligence sets her apart from most of the students of her own ethnicity at the school, as does her coloring; she reads as white, not as part- Cuban, part- Dominican. I thought this was an interesting choice on the part of the author. If Piddy were visually read as having the same ethnicity as Yaqui, would she be such a target? Also, I thought it made for an interesting conflict for Piddy; she can imagine interacting with Yaqui's group since they do share a cultural background in at least a general sense, as Latina young women. They seem like they should share a language. But instead, they never manage to communicate. Piddy cannot empathize with Yaqui; Yaqui's jealousy of Piddy is something Piddy never fully grasps.
In dealing with the threats, Piddy attempts to adopt several different personas. She tries to be non-reactive. She tries to be apologetic. She even tries to become like Yaqui, going so far as to change her eyebrows and makeup to more closely resemble her antagonist. As she discovers that non-reaction and apology makes her a victim, she tries to become a tough girl. But instead, she is beat up and the experience is posted online. Her attempts at avoidance finally cannot help her; she has to face the truth and own up to it with her mother.
One of the things I thought was most interesting about the novel was the ending. Yaqui is not removed from the system and she has no parents who will interfere. Piddy does not report her. Instead, it is a seeming bystander who files the report, which Piddy eventually acknowledges. She chooses to remove herself from her situation by changing schools again.
The book was largely well-written. The mother-daughter relationship was complex and felt realistic. Piddy's cultural background and Latin dancing and music were woven throughout the novel. Explorations of sexuality, romance, and changing physical appearance were all handled deftly. I felt like the story of her first romance was a little rushed. I also felt that we were not given enough information to deal adequately with Yaqui, probably because the reader is limited to Piddy's point of view. The importance of Piddy's education, her application to science school, and her interest in working with elephants felt very peripheral to the rest of the story. Overall, I liked it, but didn't love it. Meg Medina's style of writing is lyrical and interesting, but the story itself left me slightly unsatisfied. ...more

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Feb 12, 2015 Lauren H. rated it it was amazing

It’s the classic bully story… or is it? Meg Medina’s Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass puts a new spin on the typical “someone gets bullied, bully is punished” scenario that many of us (especially myself) have come to expect. After switching schools Piddy Sanchez quickly makes a very caustic and powerful enemy: Yaqui Delgado. Yaqui hates Piddy for a reason that never truly unfolds; all Piddy knows is that Yaqui is bad news. Through the support of the “bad boy,” her mom, and the family friend, It’s the classic bully story… or is it? Meg Medina’s Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass puts a new spin on the typical “someone gets bullied, bully is punished” scenario that many of us (especially myself) have come to expect. After switching schools Piddy Sanchez quickly makes a very caustic and powerful enemy: Yaqui Delgado. Yaqui hates Piddy for a reason that never truly unfolds; all Piddy knows is that Yaqui is bad news. Through the support of the “bad boy,” her mom, and the family friend, Piddy learns who she is and takes a new outlook on bullying and bullies.

One of the strengths of this book is the variety it portrays in people, especially in the Latina girls at school. Piddy is drastically different than Yaqui and Yaqui’s friends, even though they are of the same race and similar ethnicity. Piddy encounters someone who looks similar to her, and she still the victim of bullying. We don’t get a “this is what a Latina American looks like” stereotype in this novel, and I appreciated that. I also enjoyed the use of Spanish throughout the novel. The scattered Spanish words increased the believability of these characters and constantly brought me, the reader, back into their culture. What’s more, the English translations are not footnoted, which forces the reader to fully engage with the Spanish text, instead of simply dismissing it and reading the English translation.

Furthermore, I thought that the message at the end of the book is beautifully constructed. I related to this book as a victim of relentless bullying as a middle school and early high school student, and the words at the end practically mirrored what my parents told me. The book’s ending is empowering for victims of bullying; it defies the idea that the bully must be drastically punished in order for the victim to be empowered. It also reflects on the fact that a bully is typically not just the “bad guy” at heart, but that he/she probably has underlying hurt that manifests itself in hurting others. This is true in the real world as well. Medina has a keen understanding of bullying at school and the complexities of dealing with a bully, and it was refreshing to see her address those complexities while still offering hope to readers who struggle with bullies.

I really enjoyed this book, and I wish I had read it back in middle school. There are no major shortcomings of the book that I can pinpoint. I would strongly recommend this to young people who either struggle with bullying themselves or who witness bullying (or even those who are bullies themselves). This book offers a complicated perspective on issues that many, if not all, students encounter during the school hours.
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Jan 31, 2015 Jung Han rated it really liked it

This novel talks about how teenagers struggle with situations they face at school and the relationships they hold between their surroundings, such as friends and family. Piddy, who is transferred to a new school, is not much different from the normal kids. She associated with her friends well and has fitted in with the school environment without a problem while she was in her old school. But in this new and foreign school environment, she is welcomed by Yaqui and her gang who harasses Piddy with This novel talks about how teenagers struggle with situations they face at school and the relationships they hold between their surroundings, such as friends and family. Piddy, who is transferred to a new school, is not much different from the normal kids. She associated with her friends well and has fitted in with the school environment without a problem while she was in her old school. But in this new and foreign school environment, she is welcomed by Yaqui and her gang who harasses Piddy without a valid reason and damages her both physically and mentally.
The book depicts how teenagers struggle in response to their fears toward something. They are willing to hide themselves from what they fear of, but do not reveal their problems to their surroundings, afraid that things could possibly only become worse. The book warns and informs victims of bullying, which can most likely lead them to fail in school and their future. Piddy feels extremely fearful towards Yaqui after she jumps Piddy; Yaqui severely damages not only Piddiy’s body but also her self-image. Piddy feels herself as a “loser”, filled with shame, and says, “I took it like a sap, and now I can’t help but feel like I made a mistake.” Her fear is so dreadful; she believes that the way to school as the way to death.
The author describes how helpless the school is and how negligent the other students and neighbors are most of the times in these types of atrocious situations. People often tend to avoid getting involved in other’s situations. Even the school wishes Piddy to return to her old school at the end of the story, which means she should fend for herself. I felt extremely sorry when Piddy felt that there was nobody to trust and nowhere to belong to. She thinks Yaqui would treat her even worse the next time if she informs her situation to the school; this seems to be what teenagers most often believe when they face bullying and violence. It is not Piddy but Yaqui who has the problem that should be revised. She did not have a positive self-identity, which kept her destructive and to continue finding the victims. Lila, who is the best friend of Piddy’s mom in the story, encourages Piddy to overcome her situation by approaching it bravely. Like how Lila insists, there is always a Yaqui in every school, everywhere in the world.
At the end of the book, she returns to herself she used to be: stable and strong. However, I questioned if it was really the end of the story. As long as we neglect teenagers’ problems such as bullying, there will be another Piddy and Yaqui, who fails in their school and their future.
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Jan 29, 2015 Nancy C rated it really liked it

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick your Ass, by Meg Medina, is a book about two rather complicated girls. The
“new girl,” Piedad, also known as Piddy, moves to a school where she very quickly makes a new “friend,”
Yaqui. Yaqui is “hood” girl who makes Piddy’s life torture because Piddy isn’t “Latina enough.” Piddy
goes from being a straight-A student with a close relationship to her mother and Lila (her mother’s best
friend), to becoming a paranoid, unconfident, truant student whose only worry becomes Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick your Ass, by Meg Medina, is a book about two rather complicated girls. The
“new girl,” Piedad, also known as Piddy, moves to a school where she very quickly makes a new “friend,”
Yaqui. Yaqui is “hood” girl who makes Piddy’s life torture because Piddy isn’t “Latina enough.” Piddy
goes from being a straight-A student with a close relationship to her mother and Lila (her mother’s best
friend), to becoming a paranoid, unconfident, truant student whose only worry becomes trying to avoid
any and all confrontations with Yaqui inside and outside of school.
This YA book deals with many difficult issues—identity, social status, race, and bullying. These are just a
few of the more prominent issues of the ook. The characters’ pro lems and interactions are very
relatable—especially for a young adult Latina. The issues brought up in this book are applicable to the
lives of young women of the modern day, especially those who are of any minority ethnicity. Of
particular relevance are the issues concerning identity and what it means to be or not to be (“insert
adjective of race/culture/country here”) enough.
Piddy’s story and tribulations are, unfortunately, very real and relevant to teens in high school. This
novel also poses a rhetorical question which is eing asked more and more frequently—a question that
young people of mixed race or of minority ethnicities ask themselves as they are growing up in an
American environment or system, such as the pu lic school—“What does it mean to e or represent my
ackground and culture?” This ties closely with the equally important question of “Am I an American?”
While the two issues need not necessarily e conflictive, the divisory lines are often easier to distinguish
than the common ground. Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick your Ass accurately and credibly communicates
these important issues facing young Latinas, which in turns represents the struggles of all young adults
of minority groups. ...more

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Jan 23, 2015 Jawaria rated it really liked it

It was heart-breaking to read this book...
I had heard, seen, even experienced myself: verbal abuse / verbal bullying. I was shocked to read the extent of bullying described in this story and to learn of the brutal physical bullying that Piddy went through. Just the head smacking and tearing away her charm necklace was shocking and painful to read. I had never imagined that she would be beat up, attacked and humiliated in such a horrendous way. The first line 'Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass It was heart-breaking to read this book...
I had heard, seen, even experienced myself: verbal abuse / verbal bullying. I was shocked to read the extent of bullying described in this story and to learn of the brutal physical bullying that Piddy went through. Just the head smacking and tearing away her charm necklace was shocking and painful to read. I had never imagined that she would be beat up, attacked and humiliated in such a horrendous way. The first line 'Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass' did not translate in my head in its actual literal meaning when I read it. I was trembling after chapter 22. And the worst part is to think that this kind of 'bullying' actually does happen. It's not just a piece of fiction. Bullying is too soft of a word, too small of a term to label such horrific actions - those too by 'children' going to 'school'.

Since the first chocolate milk incident Piddy has put on a crumbling false shield. She hides, lies and covers up what has happened. She feels a strange shame, that she was 'vulnerable' or 'stupid' enough to get bullied. She wants only to 'fit in', another tainted ideology. This book helps empower young teenagers to hold their own and "find their own rhythm" with pride. Piddy wants to be strong and invincible trying to face the confused bullying in her own way. She feels no-one else will understand. Support is difficult to locate, and she feels she must weather her own storm. How silly it must be to 'let' herself be consumed by the 'monster' of Yaqui Delgado. Avoidance and missing school end up being some resorts. Everything is muddled, full of fear and supposed shame. She can't even figure out a clear reason for the hate and tyranny. Piddy doesn't even know Yaqui! And that's how things in life can be, often times people just can't stand the fact that you are you. They develop an intrinsic problem with You, in any aspect(s) you might be better and what they desire. Envy, jealousy, hate and following incorrect routes breeds demons of people in the most horrifying of ways. Even events like the parallels of Joey's mother's abuse and her silent endurance, shine light on Piddy's understanding of how to handle the situation. She starts to realise that staying silent and fearful empowers the bullies to continue to inflict pain. It broke my heart reading how she found simple comfort in her favourite snacks and a cream doughnut. How she looked around for safety and figures of safety. The adults in the novel play complex roles, both Lila and Ma (who is also an initial struggle), provide Piddy with the bigger picture in life.

Well-written, well-expressed and with short chapters that unfold the events in a fast pace. The emotions and deep turmoil of a victim of bullying are explored in a sensational manner in this book. I feel the author has hit the nail in addressing such an issue. She reaches out in a manner appropriate for teenagers to relate with and maps a way out for them. It has a strong message for all those innocent victims of senseless bullying. One should never have to put up with abuse of any sort. Stand Up/Speak Out (SUSO) is an excellent tool highlighted in the book. Almost always, victims feel ashamed and blame themselves for the bullying they are enduring. They begin to hate themselves and start believing or seeing themselves in the same distorted way as the bullies are trying to push onto them. Like Piddy they start thinking that being nice is weak, you have to toughen up and be bad to survive. But that false power and tyranny is short-lived, as Lila wisely explains, Yaqui may well remain in the dumps, but Piddy must salvage her future. Piddy reflects on her happier past and ambitions for a bright future and with support regains the strength to address the torture that has been inflicted upon her and seek help / solutions. ...more

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Feb 12, 2015 Michelle rated it it was ok

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass deals with a topic that seems to grow more and more relevant with each passing generation: bullying and the consequences of it. Its unbelievably sad how frequently now the news features stories on kids who have taken their lives because of bullying and not feeling accepted. While I myself have never experienced bullying of this extreme, I thought this novel did an excellent job portraying the situation realistically, especially in how Piddy refused to turn to Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass deals with a topic that seems to grow more and more relevant with each passing generation: bullying and the consequences of it. Its unbelievably sad how frequently now the news features stories on kids who have taken their lives because of bullying and not feeling accepted. While I myself have never experienced bullying of this extreme, I thought this novel did an excellent job portraying the situation realistically, especially in how Piddy refused to turn to any authority figures for help in her plight. High schoolers rarely want to involve adults in situations such as this, both because they don't want to look weak to their peers, but also because they are trying to prove to themselves that they are grown up and can handle their problems on their own.

Medina seamlessly weaves in the conflict of diversity and the struggles of being Latina with the 'main' focus of bullying. The bits of Spanish throughout the novel were beautifully in character for our protagonist, and even though I don't speak any of the language, I think that it further solidifies Piddy's connection to her family and her heritage in an authentic manner. I enjoy how Piddy's heritage is an important element in the novel (it might even be linked to why Yaqui hates her so much), but I did not get the sense that it the biggest element. To me, its a story of a Latina girl who gets bullied, not a story about a girl who gets bullied because she's Latina. There's a big difference between those two.

I thought the author did a wonderfully bringing her characters to life, from Joey to Lila, but I was particularly fascinated by the mystery surrounding Yaqui's character (who's important enough to get her name in the title) throughout the novel. I kept expecting her to play a bigger role in the story, that the reader might learn what made her so hard, or what the precise reasoning was for her distaste for Piddy. I was a little disappointed that her character remained a faraway figure for a majority of the story. But I was very happy that Piddy has a hopefully next chapter to her life! Its an important message to send to young adults that bullying can, indeed, be overcome.
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Feb 02, 2015 Jacob Mroczkiewicz rated it it was ok

Although this novel was not necessarily my style, I still immensely appreciated what Medina had to say through it about bullying, friendship, sexuality, and the innately endurable nature of the human self. Really, this is an age old story: one being seeks revenge over another, resulting in both external and internal conflicts to be resolved (if you think about it, that's the general plot of most American literature, right?). Thus, this is absolutely a worthwhile text for students, teachers, and Although this novel was not necessarily my style, I still immensely appreciated what Medina had to say through it about bullying, friendship, sexuality, and the innately endurable nature of the human self. Really, this is an age old story: one being seeks revenge over another, resulting in both external and internal conflicts to be resolved (if you think about it, that's the general plot of most American literature, right?). Thus, this is absolutely a worthwhile text for students, teachers, and your plain 'ole garden variety reader. (I obviously have many nice things to say about this text, but I don't just 4-star ratings at just any book.)

I also appreciated Medina's thoughtful choices in the structure of this novel. Juxtaposing an accessible form of bullying with a muddier, even uglier form. That is, Piddy's being bullied by Yaqui and the domestic violence in Joey's household. This was exceptionally clever, I thought, because it drew parallels between the two ongoing instances not only in the nature of the violence taking place, but because of the effects that such abuse has on the victims. The reader is trapped along with Medina's characters in their own cycles of suffering and subsequent loss of agency. In that sense, one could argue that the internal struggles at work in this novel are similar to the ones found in John Green's "Looking for Alaska." Does this mean that both are part of the modern YA canon? I don't know if there is such a thing, but if there is both texts should be included in it.

The aforementioned instances are not the only forms of bullying found in the novel. In one way or another, most of the characters are subjected to some sort suffering through the various power structures at play. I thought this to be an accurate portrayal of modern life, even though my knowledge of urban life leaves much to be desired.

There is a certain depth in the way this novel delves into this topic, one that truly brings to light the empowerment of human nature when such suffering is overcome. This is the reason why I would recommend this book not only to any adolescent reader I come across, but any reader at all for that matter. Certainly a mirror text for many readers, this may be the most accessible text not written by John Green that I have read in this genre. ...more

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