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This eighth novel in Velásquez’s Roosevelt High School Series tells the stories of two Hispanic grandmothers who are experiencing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and the grief and mixed feelings that their progressive dementia causes to their families. Both abuelas are named María, and their individual journeys are narrated from the perspectives of two close family members. One of them is Rudy, a senior, who sees how his home is falling apart when his confused grandmother comes to live with them at a very small house. Rudy’s voice is compassionate and gives readers a glimpse into the life and traditions of a working-class family. The other voice is Sonia Gonzalez, a teacher at Rudy’s school, who is reluctant to accept her mother’s mental illness and refuses to put her in a nursing home. Gonzalez’s internal battle depicts an inspirational and positive portrayal of the families affected by Alzheimer’s. Educational and at the same time compelling, the novel raises teenagers’ awareness on a topic considered taboo among Latinos. (glossary) (Fiction. YA)
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NonePub Date: Oct. 31, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-55885-593-9
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2009
Takes readers on an unforgettable emotional journey.
Seniors Salahudin and Noor, both 18, are caught in the throes of life in the small California desert town of Juniper, where being a working-class person of color means being treated differently.
With pervasive racism coming from everyone from classmates to police officers and doctors, Juniper is a sinkhole that the estranged best friends are desperate to leave. But instead of worrying about college and his future career prospects, Salahudin is preoccupied with his mother’s kidney failure, his father’s alcoholism, his family’s deteriorating motel, and Noor, who hasn’t spoken to him in months. Orphaned Noor’s dreams of college are slowly waning; her malicious Pakistani immigrant uncle, who hates all things Pakistani, has made it clear that Noor’s future involves working behind the counter of his liquor store. Life was easier when she had Salahudin and his kind mother, Misbah, in her life, but a fight has left her unable to forgive him, at least for now. Chapters alternate between Noor’s and Salahudin’s perspectives, with snippets of Misbah’s past sprinkled throughout. This novel confronts head on the complicated realities of life in a world that is not designed for the oppressed to thrive in. Tahir brilliantly shows how interconnected societal forces shape communities and people’s lives through the accumulated impact of circumstances beyond their control: Substance abuse, debt, racism, trauma, and poverty are intricately woven together to tell a deeply moving, intergenerational story.
Takes readers on an unforgettable emotional journey. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-20234-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
Entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable.
A Seattle teen fake dates his way into saving a family business.
Seventeen-year-old River Langston-Lee opens by informing readers that he’s sure he’s about to embark on the “Worst Day of My Life So Far”…but as he later ruefully reflects, it in fact turns out to be the “Worst Day of My Life Ever.” After suddenly dumping his girlfriend, Cecelia, the night before, he walks out of his SATs and heads to his part-time job at Cafe Gong, his family’s coffee shop “turned corporate caffeine hell.” Making things even more awkward, he and Cecelia are co-managers at the newest location, where most of River’s co-workers already hate him (it’s mutual). The day becomes even more disastrous when River pours a bag of coffee beans down the shirt of a rude customer, a green-haired goth girl, then impulsively quits. His best friend helps him find a new job at Bingsu for Two, a struggling Korean cafe where he meets a new co-worker, owner’s daughter Sarang Cho, aka Coffee Bean Girl. After River accidentally catapults Bingsu for Two into viral video fame, he and Sarang realize that fake dating for social media could save her family’s business—if they don’t strangle each other first. Unsurprisingly, River’s family and Cecelia aren’t happy about these developments. The strong narrative voice and amusing banter shine in this deeply heartwarming, laugh-out-loud rom-com that’s equal parts coming-of-age story. River is Korean American and white; Sarang is Korean American.
Entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781454954026
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
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