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belle2008's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Colonisation, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Racism
Minor: Abortion and Vomit
bookwormenthusiast's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.0
I absolutely loved everything about this book and I'm so glad I finally got the chance to read it. While I realize I was not the target audience for this book, it was refreshing to read a perspective so different from my own. If anything, this story was eye-opening and allowed me to see just how different teenagers can be in both experiences and hardships. This is an important book, it tackles some hard experiences that aren't talked about enough and I'm glad to see it represented in such a true way for those who have had these experiences. My one complaint was that I felt a lot of things were left unanswered at the end of the book, and I would have liked some of the plot points to go more in-depth. Otherwise, the writing style was straight to the point and concise, allowing for a book that was quick to read, but still full of information.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Gun violence, and Abortion
lectrixnoctis's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Elizabeth Acevedo, the author of "With the Fire on High" and "The Poet X", won the "National Book Award for Young People's Literature" plus many more awards. She is a National Poetry Slam titleholder and carries an MFA in creative writing from Maryland.
In "With the Fire on High", we follow the story of Emoni Santiago, a 17-year old Afor-Latina teen mum whose passion is to cook wonders in the kitchen. Whenever people taste Emoni's food, some deep insides move them deeply. She is an aspiring chef and dreams of attending a culinary school to improve on her already high skills. However, she has to work things out before von thinking about following her passion. Her grades are not bad, but she could improve in school.
Moreover, she works at a fast food place to earn someone to help her grandmother out, who has been raising her after her mum dies in a childbed. Furthermore, she is a teen mum of a two-year-old girl called Emma, as already mentioned. This is not always easy, and Emoni always tries to be her best self and even if she cannot afford to go to culinary school, she is determined to give her Babygirl a better life.
When her school annoyed a new culinary class with a weeklong apprenticeship in Spain, she feels she has at least tried to get in. Emoni has the chance to participate, but she does not understand yet how much responsibility she has taken on; however, she stays hopeful until the end. Additionally, a new student has transferred to Emoni's high school at the beginning of the year. His name is Malachi who is quite a sensitive boy despite his sometimes dirty jokes. After a while, the pair become friends, but it will happen more and what about Tyrone, the dad of little Emma and Emoni's ex?
The story is written in the limited third-person perspective, and almost the whole plot is set in Philadelphia beside the week trip in Spain. Additionally, the novel was written in the present beside the recurring back flashes. The story was also parted into three parts with a recipe at the being of each component.
The central theme is the struggle of ten motherhood and how it can and will affect your everyday life. Emoni got pregnant at age 14 and gave birth to Emma at 15. Her boyfriend at the time, Tyrone, was only 18 years old. This situation is super complicated, and it weighs heavily on one's shoulders. Despite your body still in development, it is cratering another human being right at the same time. The author has writing The storyline of the protagonist motherhood exquisite and realistic. We follow her feelings thought the pregnancy due to flashbacks and her struggles. It is hard to be pregnant, and I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to still be in high school and Ben going to Sumer school to gain the lost credit back. Not even mention how your fellow pupils will react. This storyline was extraordinary and deserved all its praise.
However, the romance between Emoni and Malachi fell a little bit flat. I enjoyed that they were taking things slow and that Tyrone was all up in Emoni's business. Still, for me, the author could have put more emphasises on that, especially since Emoni is a mum. It was lovely to read that Malachi did not have anything against that, but it just felt a bit too quick solved in the end. Furthermore, his tragic backstory was not discussed in this book, and I found it hard to believe it was realistic.
At the end of the book, the drama between Pretty Lesley and Emoni felt a bit childish since Emoni has dealt with a lot worse, and it felt weird to over drag this little fight so much. The book was sometimes a bit dragged out.
I loved the presentation of this book: The main characters being all BIPOC and even Emoni's best friend, Angelica, being a lesbian and deeply in love with her girlfriend Laura, was just too cute. Furthermore, I enjoyed that the book touched on heavy subjects like racism or death very caring and informative.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a light and humourless story with darker tones. I found that the book was traced to a slightly younger audience and that some plotlines were more vital than others.
In "With the Fire on High", we follow the story of Emoni Santiago, a 17-year old Afor-Latina teen mum whose passion is to cook wonders in the kitchen. Whenever people taste Emoni's food, some deep insides move them deeply. She is an aspiring chef and dreams of attending a culinary school to improve on her already high skills. However, she has to work things out before von thinking about following her passion. Her grades are not bad, but she could improve in school.
Moreover, she works at a fast food place to earn someone to help her grandmother out, who has been raising her after her mum dies in a childbed. Furthermore, she is a teen mum of a two-year-old girl called Emma, as already mentioned. This is not always easy, and Emoni always tries to be her best self and even if she cannot afford to go to culinary school, she is determined to give her Babygirl a better life.
When her school annoyed a new culinary class with a weeklong apprenticeship in Spain, she feels she has at least tried to get in. Emoni has the chance to participate, but she does not understand yet how much responsibility she has taken on; however, she stays hopeful until the end. Additionally, a new student has transferred to Emoni's high school at the beginning of the year. His name is Malachi who is quite a sensitive boy despite his sometimes dirty jokes. After a while, the pair become friends, but it will happen more and what about Tyrone, the dad of little Emma and Emoni's ex?
The story is written in the limited third-person perspective, and almost the whole plot is set in Philadelphia beside the week trip in Spain. Additionally, the novel was written in the present beside the recurring back flashes. The story was also parted into three parts with a recipe at the being of each component.
The central theme is the struggle of ten motherhood and how it can and will affect your everyday life. Emoni got pregnant at age 14 and gave birth to Emma at 15. Her boyfriend at the time, Tyrone, was only 18 years old. This situation is super complicated, and it weighs heavily on one's shoulders. Despite your body still in development, it is cratering another human being right at the same time. The author has writing The storyline of the protagonist motherhood exquisite and realistic. We follow her feelings thought the pregnancy due to flashbacks and her struggles. It is hard to be pregnant, and I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to still be in high school and Ben going to Sumer school to gain the lost credit back. Not even mention how your fellow pupils will react. This storyline was extraordinary and deserved all its praise.
However, the romance between Emoni and Malachi fell a little bit flat. I enjoyed that they were taking things slow and that Tyrone was all up in Emoni's business. Still, for me, the author could have put more emphasises on that, especially since Emoni is a mum. It was lovely to read that Malachi did not have anything against that, but it just felt a bit too quick solved in the end. Furthermore, his tragic backstory was not discussed in this book, and I found it hard to believe it was realistic.
At the end of the book, the drama between Pretty Lesley and Emoni felt a bit childish since Emoni has dealt with a lot worse, and it felt weird to over drag this little fight so much. The book was sometimes a bit dragged out.
I loved the presentation of this book: The main characters being all BIPOC and even Emoni's best friend, Angelica, being a lesbian and deeply in love with her girlfriend Laura, was just too cute. Furthermore, I enjoyed that the book touched on heavy subjects like racism or death very caring and informative.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a light and humourless story with darker tones. I found that the book was traced to a slightly younger audience and that some plotlines were more vital than others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, and Abortion
venetiana's review against another edition
Nothing wrong with the book. It was a gift and not my jam. :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Abortion
librariangeorgia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Cursing
Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, and Abortion
bookworm247's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion
brendaxxo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
4.0
And like a map I've been following without the exact destination, I know now I've been equipping myself with tools from the journey to help me survive when I arrive. Although I don't have all the answers for what is coming next, I can finally see a glimpse of where I, Emoni Santiago, am going.
with the fire on high is the first book i've bought since i began my adult reading journey. wanting to support a fellow dominicana and falling in love with the cover, i picked this up at the nearest barnes and noble and read it in a single sitting. this was one of the best decisions i've made recently.
no, but seriously. i was expecting a gritty tale about a teen mom's heartbreak and suffering (which i was not in the right headspace for) and instead found a fun, heartwarming gem. everything about this book hit the right note for me. i love that despite all of her obstacles, being a teenage mother is not the end of emoni's life and she actively pursues her dreams. a small but powerful support system keeps emoni and babygirl on the right track: angelica is the best friend a girl could ask for and buela carefully straddles the line between being there for emoni and emma and finding her own happiness. emoni's relationship with an absentee father hit closer to home than i'd like to admit.
but above all, I loved how important food and cooking was to emoni and the characters around her. while cooking is her passion, she still has a lot to learn and works her ass off. her food, a fusion or a "remix" of puerto rican and african-american dishes, is so good that it calls forth memories of people, places, and emotions. you can't help but root for someone so talented and earnest. i literally cried because i was so proud of how far emoni came along in the face of adversity. four stars.
*my only critique is acevedo's use of the "i let go of the breath i didn't know i was holding" line three times, but that doesn't take away from the story overall.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abortion, Gun violence, and Sexual content
teen pregnancylectora21's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Bullying, Death of parent, Racism, Sexual content, and Vomit
nxclx's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-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
This book helped me realize that I enjoy books with teen moms, so that made it even more enjoyable. The whole story read as a slice of life, coming of age story. I liked that the main climax wasn't a prom or some big romantic thing, it was more so about Emoni and her life and decisions. She's also a mature young adult rather than an annoying still developing teen, although she is still developing and growing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Vomit
Minor: Abortion, Blood, Grief, Gun violence, and Racism
magsapt's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Acevedo always writes about deep, uncomfortable subjects that most YA authors try to steer away of. She takes the bull by the horns and does not hesitate: no taboo topics, no smoothing things over and no awkwardness. Acevedo writes unapologetically about whatever it is she wants to talk about.
On 'With The Fire On High', it is mostly race, parenthood and feminism, subjects that are also the main focus of 'Clap When You Land' (one of my favourite books of 2021).
Our main character, Emoni, is the daughter of a Puerto Rican man and an African American woman, raised by her boricua grandmother. Since her father is absent and her mother has died during childbirth, Emoni is constantly searching for her roots, which she mainly achieves with cooking, a gift she had since being a toddler.
Acevedo addresses the issues mixed kids have fitting into a world so obsessed with labels, while at the same time declaring that all that should matter is how they view themselves and want to be viewed by others. One person doesn't belong to a single box - one is multiple and must find comfort in thal multiplicity. If there's no box for you, you must create one for yourself instead of forcing yourself to fit into something that doesn't entirely fulfil you.
Cue the expectations society has for women and how we force ourselves to have those too instead of being and doing whatever we want.
When she got pregnant, Emoni wanted to have her baby even though she was just sixteen. She had to deal with her colleagues' stares and snickers while at the same time dealing with her fears towards her future. Acevedo shows us the tip of the iceberg that is being a teenage mom and having to put your dreams on hold to raise your child because women can't still have it all. They must always sacrifice something of themselves for other people. The perfect example is 'Buela, who raised her child, her granddaughter and now her great-granddaughter, leaving her happiness to last.
What mechanisms does society have in place to help these women? What happens to women less enthusiastic than Emoni? Does society let those women's dreams to rot?
And how do men keep on getting away with everything? When will we attribute them responsibility and ask them what is demanded of us? Or better yet, when will they stop asking us to do things none of them would be willing to do?
The only trouble I had with this book was the pace. Sometimes things happened too quickly, other times too slowly. I also found it more predictable than 'Clap When You Land'.
It's still a 4-star read and I can't wait to try the recipes Acevedo shared with us!
On 'With The Fire On High', it is mostly race, parenthood and feminism, subjects that are also the main focus of 'Clap When You Land' (one of my favourite books of 2021).
Our main character, Emoni, is the daughter of a Puerto Rican man and an African American woman, raised by her boricua grandmother. Since her father is absent and her mother has died during childbirth, Emoni is constantly searching for her roots, which she mainly achieves with cooking, a gift she had since being a toddler.
Acevedo addresses the issues mixed kids have fitting into a world so obsessed with labels, while at the same time declaring that all that should matter is how they view themselves and want to be viewed by others. One person doesn't belong to a single box - one is multiple and must find comfort in thal multiplicity. If there's no box for you, you must create one for yourself instead of forcing yourself to fit into something that doesn't entirely fulfil you.
Cue the expectations society has for women and how we force ourselves to have those too instead of being and doing whatever we want.
When she got pregnant, Emoni wanted to have her baby even though she was just sixteen. She had to deal with her colleagues' stares and snickers while at the same time dealing with her fears towards her future. Acevedo shows us the tip of the iceberg that is being a teenage mom and having to put your dreams on hold to raise your child because women can't still have it all. They must always sacrifice something of themselves for other people. The perfect example is 'Buela, who raised her child, her granddaughter and now her great-granddaughter, leaving her happiness to last.
What mechanisms does society have in place to help these women? What happens to women less enthusiastic than Emoni? Does society let those women's dreams to rot?
And how do men keep on getting away with everything? When will we attribute them responsibility and ask them what is demanded of us? Or better yet, when will they stop asking us to do things none of them would be willing to do?
The only trouble I had with this book was the pace. Sometimes things happened too quickly, other times too slowly. I also found it more predictable than 'Clap When You Land'.
It's still a 4-star read and I can't wait to try the recipes Acevedo shared with us!
Content Warnings
Minor: Abortion, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Bullying