One of Hamilton's deeply felt family stories, this contains a ghost, a time trip, a retarded brother's death, a case of child abuse, and a largely absent mother who turns up with a boyfriend and a car her children never knew of—but this is all integrated into a fully imagined novel that conforms to none of the obvious YA patterns such components would suggest. Brother Rush, the ghost, appears in the first paragraph. Dressed in a suit "good enough for a funeral or a wedding," he's "the stone finest dude Tree had ever seen in her short life of going-on fifteen years." Soon the ghost is transporting Tree into scenes involving himself, a young woman, and the woman's two children—the baby girl she dotes on and the boy, a little older, whom she ties to the bedpost and whips when annoyed. And Tree comes to realize that the baby is herself, Brother is her uncle who died young, the "poor sad little boy" is her older teenage brother Dab, whom she lives with and loves, and Viola, the woman, is her mother (Tree calls her Muh Vy, or M'Vy), who works as a practical nurse and comes home only on Saturdays to stock the pantry and say hello. Now Dab is sick and in pain, and Tree is worried. When M'Vy does show up, followed by her kind, solicitous boyfriend Silversmith (this too is short for his real full name), they rush Dab to the hospital where Vy, now all concern, reveals that he has porphyria, the disease that took her three brothers. This indelible scene is lit as if by the hospital's harsh glare—with Vy calling for a doctor and explaining Dab's case to the nurse (who is "crisp, like a cold head of lettuce"), the nurse insisting that forms must be filled out before a doctor or stretcher can be called, and Silversmith left to stand through it all with the unconscious Dab in his arms. When Dab dies a few days later, Tree goes a little berserk, tearing around the apartment and lashing out at her mother—but appeased by the fine funeral Vy provides—before settling down to accept what will undoubtedly be an easier life. Like other Hamilton novels this has its rough edges, but they are outweighed here by the blazing scenes, the intensity of Tree's feelings, the glimpses of Dab through her eyes, and the rounded characterization of Vy.
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1982
ISBN: 0380651939
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1982
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment.
A manifesto for budding feminists.
At the core of this engaging novel are besties Chelsea, who is Irish- and Italian-American and into fashion and beauty, and Jasmine, who is African-American, loves the theater, and pushes back against bias around size (“I don’t need your fake compliments, your pity. I know I’m beautiful. Inside and out”). They and their sidekicks, half-Japanese/half-Lebanese Nadine and Puerto Rican Isaac, grow into first-class activists—simultaneously educating their peers and readers. The year gets off to a rocky start at their progressive, social justice–oriented New York City high school: Along with the usual angst many students experience, Jasmine’s father is terminally ill with cancer, and after things go badly in both their clubs, Jasmine and Chelsea form a women’s rights club which becomes the catalyst for their growth as they explore gender inequality and opportunities for change. This is an inspiring look at two strong-willed teens growing into even stronger young women ready to use their voices and take on the world, imploring budding feminists everywhere to “join the revolution.” The book offers a poetic balance of dialogue among the main characters, their peers, and the adults in their lives. The exquisite pacing, which intersperses everyday teen conflicts with weightier issues, demonstrates how teens long to be heard and taken seriously.
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment. (resources for young activists, endnotes) (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0008-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2019
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