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jwinchell's review
4.0
Despite the author’s note about her desire to show young people that college can be about community college and not big name universities. Also going to college amidst the backdrop of the Vietnam War and that young people today do not know life without war. I’m not convinced young people will find this memoir sequel interesting.
sarah_grey's review
3.0
Quick read that deals with a ton of heavy issues and real historical events during her lifetime. While I enjoyed it, I feel as though it was too brief. The events and people mentioned are familiar to adults, but so quickly mentioned and then moves on that it requires a teenager to do a lot of research on their own.
beths0103's review
3.0
While I didn't enjoy this companion to Enchanted Air nearly as much as the first book, I really respect the message that Engle was trying to convey: a fancy university education isn't necessarily for everyone and there is much learning and no shame in a community college education.
raeanne's review
2.0
Read for free on RivetedLit.com.
I'm sorry, I couldn't get into this one. Maybe written too young for me at this time. Could tell this was written as an older person looking backwards and rather forced, while Enchanted Air didn't.
I'm sorry, I couldn't get into this one. Maybe written too young for me at this time. Could tell this was written as an older person looking backwards and rather forced, while Enchanted Air didn't.
creolelitbelle's review
4.0
I cannot imagine living during the initial US-Cuba tensions or the Vietnam War. Reading about how Engle was directing affected by those historical events was a great experience. Her story of her teenage years and college life are a true testament to how we do not always know the path we should take, and that is perfectly okay.
catladyreba's review
5.0
What an amazing book. Engle is spectacular, and her memoirs should not be missed. Even though Soaring Earth is set in the 60-70's, it still reads as fresh and relevant.
yapha's review
3.0
This was an interesting and poignant look into Margarita Engle's high school and college years. Recommended for grades 8 & up.
eARC provided by Edeleweiss
eARC provided by Edeleweiss
abigailbat's review
Enchanted Air is a favorite of mine and this companion memoir, dealing with Margarita Engle's high school and young adulthood years, is an excellent follow up. In her signature verse, rife with imagery, Engle shares her struggles as a high school and college student to take risks and follow her dreams. She dreamed of exploring the world, but felt that she lacked the courage to actually do it. Once she started her college career at UC Berkeley, she found the campus and city too violent with protests and demonstrations and she dropped out of college to drift and try to find another path.
I really appreciate a memoir about the different paths teens can take to find their future career and happiness. In her author's note, Engle says that one reason she wrote this book is so that teens can see that the "dream" experience of attending a prestigious university doesn't work for everyone and that other paths are just as valid. And even that it's valid to not get it right on your first try and to switch and try something different until you find a path that fits you.
Where Enchanted Air is solidly middle grade, I'm purchasing this one for our teen shelves because the story is an important one for high schoolers and young adults to discover. Highly recommended for teens who enjoy memoir, verse, or who are beginning to plan for their futures.
I really appreciate a memoir about the different paths teens can take to find their future career and happiness. In her author's note, Engle says that one reason she wrote this book is so that teens can see that the "dream" experience of attending a prestigious university doesn't work for everyone and that other paths are just as valid. And even that it's valid to not get it right on your first try and to switch and try something different until you find a path that fits you.
Where Enchanted Air is solidly middle grade, I'm purchasing this one for our teen shelves because the story is an important one for high schoolers and young adults to discover. Highly recommended for teens who enjoy memoir, verse, or who are beginning to plan for their futures.
alsc17's review
5.0
Title: Soaring Earth
Author: Margarita Engle
Release Date: February 26, 2019
Genre: Poetry, YA, Memoir
People of Color?: Yes
Bechdel Test: Yes
Trigger Warning:s: No explicit violence.
Disclaimer: I received Soaring Earth in exchange for an honest review. Visit here at FierceFemaleReads for more.
Margarita loves living in the paradise of Cuba, but her family unexpectedly moves to dark and lonely Los Angeles. The Cuban Revolution has restricted all travel to Cuba and she must make peace with her American home. She wants to travel and find new paradises, but the realities of being a high school student keep her grounded. She is distracted by first love and other new experiences. The poetry paints such a vivid and emotional pictural that I feel as if I've stepped into Engle's world. I love her journey of empowerment through education. She struggles with huge concepts, such as war, peace, and love while the Vietnam War hits close to home. We leave her as a young adult. I hope there will be a third installment where we follow Engle's young adult life!
The work is suitable for teens and up and I would recommend it for anyone who loves poetry or just the memoir genre in general!
Author: Margarita Engle
Release Date: February 26, 2019
Genre: Poetry, YA, Memoir
People of Color?: Yes
Bechdel Test: Yes
Trigger Warning:s: No explicit violence.
Disclaimer: I received Soaring Earth in exchange for an honest review. Visit here at FierceFemaleReads for more.
Margarita loves living in the paradise of Cuba, but her family unexpectedly moves to dark and lonely Los Angeles. The Cuban Revolution has restricted all travel to Cuba and she must make peace with her American home. She wants to travel and find new paradises, but the realities of being a high school student keep her grounded. She is distracted by first love and other new experiences. The poetry paints such a vivid and emotional pictural that I feel as if I've stepped into Engle's world. I love her journey of empowerment through education. She struggles with huge concepts, such as war, peace, and love while the Vietnam War hits close to home. We leave her as a young adult. I hope there will be a third installment where we follow Engle's young adult life!
The work is suitable for teens and up and I would recommend it for anyone who loves poetry or just the memoir genre in general!