Elizabeth Acevedo

This is an illustrated collection of poems penned by various authors. I appreciated the diversity of subjects including empathy, activism, body positivity and stereotyping.

People of any race or cultural background could relate to some of the poems. One such piece titled What is an Intersection included the lines, "Intersectionality means we are all happening, we are all supporting each other. We are an ecosystem living and growing, depending on each other for survival, evolving and becoming whole." To me, that was probably the best message coming out of the various poems. There were a few 'misses' in the book, with the strong message overshadowing the actual crafting of the poem.

Four stars for a thoughtful collection of poems, accompanied by some lovely illustrations.… (more)

Entering her senior year of high school has Emoni questioning what she wants to do in terms of college and career choices, while trying to balance her already full schedule of schoolwork, part-time job, and motherhood to a 2-year-old child. Besides her family, the one thing she is most passionate about is cooking -- but can she realistically make that into anything more than a hobby?

You know you are getting into a good book when it starts with a recipe. This book has many threads to follow, from Emoni's strained relationship with her largely absent dad to her conflicted feelings about the potential for future romantic relationships to her desire to make an unforgettable meal for her queer best friend's anniversary with a partner to her concern about her grandmother's health, to name just a few. But the book generally keeps these multiple plotlines all contained without unraveling everywhere. Instead it feels like a realistic story where a teen has multiple aspects to her history and personality. The story is also able to tackle some substantial topics throughout all of this, including racial identity, community organizing, the long-lasting ramifications of colonization, and more.

There were a few times towards the middle/end of the book where it felt a little drawn out and simply re-treading thematic waters (e.g., flashing back again to Emoni's experiences while pregnant; Emoni's abuela once more saying how she has to be a person outside of her family obligations.) but overall the book reads quickly as the reader is invested in Emoni's story and wondering what she will do next. It does end optimistically with some arguably too-easy fixes, but it's not exactly a fairy tale ending either. You are aware that Emoni still has more work to do to reach her goals, and you almost wish you could spend some more time with her, her family, her friends, and her classmates/teachers to see what everyone does next.

The audiobook version is read by the author, who adds a layer of authenticity in her narration of the story, as though you are really hearing from Emoni herself, despite her being a fictional character.… (more)

This would have easily been a 3.5 stars! It was really interesting. The last few chapters had me hooked and i wanted to just keep on listening!
The story is narrated in verse, which was odd at first. But after a while it actually grew on me and I ended up liking it. Would love to see it as a movie, just to see if it would be exactly how i imagine it in my head.
I also loved the fact that it sounded like a true story..

Things i didn’t like, at first i didn’t know where it was going.… (more)