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shelvedthoughts's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Reader’s Notes:
– this is told from Iggy’s point of view
– this occurs during the 2016 election/beginning of the school year (so there is some talk of politics – specifically about Donald Trump & Hillary Clinton, as well as how the resulting vote affected/would affect the Latino community)
– there is one Spanish curse word used a few times (maybe 5 uses?)
Review:
I had kinda thought that this would be mainly focusing on Iggy’s developing romance, and while it is a big part of the storyline, I was actually happily surprised that something else was a bigger part of this story. I loved learning more about Iggy’s heritage through his abuelito, as well as the struggles some Latinos in America face/have faced. I really enjoyed abuelito’s commentary on the things others would say or do around Iggy. Some of the things he said made me laugh. I really liked that this was a quick and enjoyable read!
Summary:
Iggy is starting his freshman year of high school, but is off to a rough start. Between being placed in Spanish instead of French, accidentally running into a girl causing coffee to spill on both of them, and dealing with his older brother things aren’t the best. But with the issues comes opportunities. By being placed in Spanish, Iggy has a chance to talk to his crush and have conversations with her, but with his limited knowledge of his ancestor’s language he doesn’t have a great time keeping her interest. Until one day, Iggy accidentally finds his grandfather’s ashes and meets his ghost. His abuelito wants to learn about his grandson’s life in America and help him with his daily struggles. Only, Iggy will find that his abuelito isn’t as all knowing as he seemed, and maybe there’s more to life than Iggy once thought…
tawfek's review against another edition
5.0
If you've seen one dictator, you've seen em all.
First of all thanks eternally to Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado and First Second books, And finally NetGalley for the opportunity to read this beautiful Graphic Novel.
I Delayed this because i was a little tired of reading ARCs, i still am, and will probably not ask for any for the rest of the year, So Nothing wrong with the Graphic Novel, i actually read it quite fast for someone who is supposedly in a slump!
if you are Latino this is for you, if you think your ancestors watch over you this is for you it has many beautiful ancestry scenes, if you are interested to see how Trump America hit Latino families who were scared of getting deported this is for you, and more much more, it's a beautiful story i loved it!
Regarding the first sentence Abuelito was awesome, and it doesn't seem that he was bad at giving love advice either, he was way more preceptive than Iggy, and i think it's really important to be preceptive in your relationship, or entering one, preceptive of will the relationship even have a chance to work, preceptive of who might be interested in you and you both can make a way better couple, i honestly think (and this is probably an unpopular opinion) that if it's too much work probably it's not a good idea, if you are going above and beyond just to make someone even notice you or be interested in you, it's probably not a good idea, i love my relationships more when the interest is mutual, our minds align, and i don't care at all if our activities align because i think that would be asking for way too much lol
i saw many of my Egyptian friends saying "we need to marry someone who reads" no you don't, people change, you need way more than sharing a recreational activity with the person you love, because something could happen that make them not even think about it anymore, and not only love honestly friendship too, while it's way easier to make friends with people who do the same activities that you do, friends who shared life with you are way more probable to survive the years, and the winds of change.
And Yeah believe it or not, the above paragraph is coming from reading this Novel, and more actually much more.
- Ugh, wish i was old enough, to vote against that idiot.
- Don't worry, Iggy, Trump will never, ever win.
Famous last words, I don't live in America, i wasn't really interested in American Politics at the time, i am actually still not, but i am watching specially the American/Chinese/Russian situation because it's world ending situation, and more recently, The American/Israeli situation as well because it's close to home and how it's being handled is quite literally catastrophic, There is Suffering in our collective futures for letting this situation go as long as this, and reach a new low after a new low, I Just hope the innocents lost on both sides are in peace right now, or in a better place if there is one.
And i got a little far, because i don't live in America, i didn't see how Trump winning really affected the people he was racist and obnoxious towards, Trump is quiet literally a demagogue, he uses hate to surround himself with ordinary people by catering to their prejudices and desires, Kind of like The Prophet of Islam Muhammad (I am really sorry i can't pass an opportunity without busting that guy's nuts, he lead us all into deep shit, that we can't get out of to this day)
Trump will live a happy life surrounded by his supporters, people who are attracted to his success and so on, What Trump and demagogues like him don't get to see is their effect on people they are verbally harming, and lighting the fires of hate in people's hearts against them, he doesn't get to see it, he doesn't get to see Latino Kids being bullied in school by kids who bought into his bullshit, he doesn't see the genuine fear these people had of getting deported losing their jobs and the lives they made, he doesn't see all the effects the hatred he is sowing is going to have on this country for years, just to be a president, and i am honestly not sure if this guy is just smart and knows what buttons to click to get what he wants, or if he is really that horrible.
But Guess what Trump America is most probably going to happen again, the way Biden is dealing with all this Israeli aggression he lost support of The Muslim community in two states who tipped the scales in his favor in the first place (divine comedy) But here is the Thing, i don't think Trump is even anti-isreal he is just a smart guy who saw a situation to shit on his adversary by taking the opposite side and he took it, and if he does get elected again he will give even more leeway to Israel to kill however many people it wants, America is in the palm of AIPAC, and Israel is in the palm of the far right party, and we are in for a lot of ugliness as long as this continues sadly.
Okay i gave you love advice, i spoke my opinion on current political scene, i ll just say Rafael Rosado did an amazing job in illustrating this Graphic novel, artists are more often than not forgotten from our praise sadly, and on to the last quote and the last rant lol
There aren't any Colombians in Columbus Ohio, they named it wrong.
The Latino culture is present and vibrant in this Graphic novel, there was a lot of Spanish i learned gringo amigo novio? i mean i always knew amigo so let's just i learned two new words that i ll forget in 3 days working time!
Spanish is the language of love, Abuelito kept repeating this a few times, and i really love that, i love when a language is synonymous with a certain beautiful thing, the language of art, the language of music, the language of love and so on.
We explored our deep connection to our culture, how going far from it could effect you and your children who might be more interested to going back to their roots, which is the opposite actually of what happened in the Graphic Novel [b:Carole: What We Leave Behind|195460791|Carole What We Leave Behind|Clément C. Fabre|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1693038441l/195460791._SX50_.jpg|147387580] where the grandparents stayed true to their roots, and it benefited their grand children when they wanted to explore their culture better.
Overall amazing experience, glad this was my last ARC, and adios from Tawfek de ARC, or was it ARCade Master? ARCtic storm? ARChitect? i had so many goofy names ready for you all, it's really sad i stopped changing my name all the time
theofficialzhang's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest, spoiler-free review!
Themes: Family, Culture, Politics
Representation: Columbian MC and SCs, Mexican SC
Content Warnings: Racism
PERSONAL COMMENTS
I flew through this book. It was a short and lighthearted story that still touched on larger issues. I liked how the author formatted this book. I liked the pacing, and I especially loved the art. I have no complaints about this book. However, although I liked this book, I didn’t love it.
CHARACTERS
I think that the characters in this book are well-written.
Iggy is an Ohio-born Columbian teen. He decides that he wants to know more about his culture. Although he is clueless at first, he gradually starts to learn more about his heritage. I think that the author does a good job of trying to capture the essence of a Columbian character that is born in America. Someone who is American but doesn’t feel American enough.
Marisol is pretty well-written. I liked her and Iggy’s friendship. I also liked how her character helped to give Iggy a different perspective on things. Finally, I liked that Marisol also has her backstory as well which gives depth to her characters.
As for Iggy’s friends and family. I would say that his friendships and crushes are respective to that of a typical teenage boy. However, I would say that some of his friends are ignorant and I wish some more accountability was taken. As for his family, I liked that Iggy had a generally positive relationship with them. I loved Abeulito and his backstory. I also liked how the author dealt with the dad’s backstory. However, I felt like there could’ve been more depth and focus on Iggy’s friends' and family’s backstories.
PLOT
Overall, this book had a fast pace since it is a graphic novel. So if you’re looking for something that you can read in about two hours or less, then this is the book for you!
In terms of plot, it starts with a bit of backstory (which will be relevant to the book). Then, it quickly jumps into things. There’s enough conflict and tension to keep the story going and keep it interesting in my opinion. It’s not repetitive, and the main characters learn a lot.
Finally, the ending of the book was quite sweet.
OTHER
For the art, I thought that the art was beautiful. The artist drew with clean lines and a typical cartoon style which fits this YA book.
As for the themes of the book, I appreciated how the author addressed the issue of racism in America, especially regarding Latin Americans during the 2016 elections. It is a fundamental part of the book, and I think that author tackled it in a way that was realistic but still hopeful, focusing on things such as family, and community.
It’s always important to focus on social issues such as these so if you’re looking for a YA comic book that has humour, focuses more on family and friendship rather than romance, and tackles political issues, then this is the book for you!
RATINGS
Personal Rating: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Formatting: 5/5
Final Rating: 4.5/5 (round to 5 stars)
Themes: Family, Culture, Politics
Representation: Columbian MC and SCs, Mexican SC
Content Warnings: Racism
PERSONAL COMMENTS
I flew through this book. It was a short and lighthearted story that still touched on larger issues. I liked how the author formatted this book. I liked the pacing, and I especially loved the art. I have no complaints about this book. However, although I liked this book, I didn’t love it.
CHARACTERS
I think that the characters in this book are well-written.
Iggy is an Ohio-born Columbian teen. He decides that he wants to know more about his culture. Although he is clueless at first, he gradually starts to learn more about his heritage. I think that the author does a good job of trying to capture the essence of a Columbian character that is born in America. Someone who is American but doesn’t feel American enough.
Marisol is pretty well-written. I liked her and Iggy’s friendship. I also liked how her character helped to give Iggy a different perspective on things. Finally, I liked that Marisol also has her backstory as well which gives depth to her characters.
As for Iggy’s friends and family. I would say that his friendships and crushes are respective to that of a typical teenage boy. However, I would say that some of his friends are ignorant and I wish some more accountability was taken. As for his family, I liked that Iggy had a generally positive relationship with them. I loved Abeulito and his backstory. I also liked how the author dealt with the dad’s backstory. However, I felt like there could’ve been more depth and focus on Iggy’s friends' and family’s backstories.
PLOT
Overall, this book had a fast pace since it is a graphic novel. So if you’re looking for something that you can read in about two hours or less, then this is the book for you!
In terms of plot, it starts with a bit of backstory (which will be relevant to the book). Then, it quickly jumps into things. There’s enough conflict and tension to keep the story going and keep it interesting in my opinion. It’s not repetitive, and the main characters learn a lot.
Finally, the ending of the book was quite sweet.
OTHER
For the art, I thought that the art was beautiful. The artist drew with clean lines and a typical cartoon style which fits this YA book.
As for the themes of the book, I appreciated how the author addressed the issue of racism in America, especially regarding Latin Americans during the 2016 elections. It is a fundamental part of the book, and I think that author tackled it in a way that was realistic but still hopeful, focusing on things such as family, and community.
It’s always important to focus on social issues such as these so if you’re looking for a YA comic book that has humour, focuses more on family and friendship rather than romance, and tackles political issues, then this is the book for you!
RATINGS
Personal Rating: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Formatting: 5/5
Final Rating: 4.5/5 (round to 5 stars)
littles_librarian's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kgourd's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
sharpiemyshoe's review
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
melodyriggs's review
challenging
emotional
5.0
So good, I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting! I like how Aguirre shows Iggy's conflicting emotions as an American born kid with his immigrant father. Using 2016 as the backdrop was really effective in showing differing view on that contentious election even within the immigrant community. This one is well-done and a must-read.
msvtheadoptee's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Adding to the list of books that have made me cry! I love love loved this sweet graphic novel story about Iggy, a freshman in high school living in Columbus, Ohio. Iggy is a Colombian American teenager and after accidentally knocking over his abuelos ashes his abuelos ghost visits him to teach him Spanish and help him learn some love lessons. Along the way Iggy reckons with his values, identity, and embraces a more authentic version of himself. A great read for all middle school + !