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crystal_reading's review
3.0
Memoirs have always been a favorite of mine. I enjoy seeing how people respond to the particular challenges that they face. Sonia shared the difficulties of living with domestic violence and her ways of coping and even achieving in spite of her home life.
I really enjoyed her novel, but this book was not as fluid. The stories seemed fragmented. Perhaps some of that is because childhood memories are often fragmented. I had a hard time staying focused even though many of the stories were interesting.
I really enjoyed her novel, but this book was not as fluid. The stories seemed fragmented. Perhaps some of that is because childhood memories are often fragmented. I had a hard time staying focused even though many of the stories were interesting.
heremireadz's review
5.0
I am so glad I picked up this book on a whim. It is one of the most well-written and heart-rendering memoirs I have read. Sonia expertly tells her sad but hopeful story from the perspective of a child in a style reminiscent of Cisneros' House on Mango Street. If you have ever felt caught between two worlds, or have ever wondered what that would be like, you should read this book.
sc104906's review
2.0
This is the biography of Sonia Manzano, who would eventually become a key cast member on Sesame Street. She grew up in abusive home with an alcoholic father. Her family was extremely poor, though not as poor as some of her relatives in Puerto Rico, and they lived in the Bronx. Sonia was not given as many opportunities as her peers, but she found a way to be successful and not take the negativity from others (including her father).
The audience for this book was hard to pinpoint. While it is marketed for teenagers, only about a third of the book is spent during her teen years. I felt that most of the book focused on her childhood, but it was not appropriate for children, though I think it could have been edited to fit that demographic. I felt that their wasn't an overarching narrative, which made it feel pointless as a story (though I am not calling the author pointless) I just wish their was an overarching message.
The audience for this book was hard to pinpoint. While it is marketed for teenagers, only about a third of the book is spent during her teen years. I felt that most of the book focused on her childhood, but it was not appropriate for children, though I think it could have been edited to fit that demographic. I felt that their wasn't an overarching narrative, which made it feel pointless as a story (though I am not calling the author pointless) I just wish their was an overarching message.
sonia_reppe's review
5.0
This coming-of-age memoir about Sonia's childhood and adolescence was released by Scholastic as a YA memoir, but it could just as well been released as an adult title, because there is a lot of mature content, and the writing is superbly, deeply satisfying. It is so good, just what I hoped for, which was to make me feel like I was experiencing life in the Bronx in the sixties and seventies. I went through so many emotions with this book, from disturbed to elated. There is wife-beating, crazy aunts and uncles, and a handicapped brother with terrible asthma; but on the flip side there are alguinaldos, and cousins, and riding on the handle-bars, and discovering one's strengths, and all those good things.
guessgreenleaf's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Sexual assault and Drug use
carolynf's review
2.0
A lot more chaos than love, and not much Maria at all. The book ends with her trying out for Sesame Street, so there is actually nothing about her role as an actress or writer or the development of the character of Maria. That is the main reason why I picked up the book, so that was a disappointment. The majority of the book jumps from childhood memory to childhood memory. Because I'm watching The Get-Down right now the setting is interesting, but this is the Bronx a good generation or so earlier than that show depicts. Everyone is really poor, there is very little sanitation (due to poor infrastructure), and all the men in the neighborhood beat up their wives and intentionally cut their daughters off from anything that might let them get some enjoyment out of life. It is all pretty grim. Why Sonia managed to escape is a bit of a mystery since she doesn't describe herself as especially bright or ambitious. Seeing West Side Story made an impression on her and woke her up, but she didn't take any actions as a direct result of it. If you are interested in the Bronx or stories of urban life in general you may find this interesting, but all in all I think this book has a limited appeal.
roseboogie's review
5.0
Best enjoyed via audiobook! Loved hearing her story in the voice we all grew up with.
laurab2125's review
3.0
Interesting, but a little slow. I would have liked to have read even a little something about her time as Maria on Sesame Street, but that's where the book ended.