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evelynpinacolada 's review for:
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces
by Isabel Quintero
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces is a game-changer, and while I'm annoyed I hadn't heard of it sooner, I'm grateful that I'm finally aware of it's existence.
I've read a few YA books by Latino authors [some here], and while I loved most of them, none of them addressed serious issues quite like this one did. From what I've seen, when creators try to balance too many topics at once, they end up failing and not doing (most of) the issues justice--not Isabel Quintero. She writes about Gabi Hernandez's life and knows just how to juggle the dilemmas she and her family/friends encounter by fleshing each of them out in an appropriate way. [I'd list some examples, but I don't want to spoil everything.]
Not only did Quintero do an honorable job with the way she handled particular topics, she also made Gabi sound incredible authentic. Like someone I want to be friends with, but not in an impossible way, where you know this kind of person does not exist irl. Gabi made me laugh and cry, but there's more to her than just these two extremes. Her views on life didn't always resemble mine, and that was okay; she made me think deeper about my own thoughts on particular subjects. At times I got frustrated when she didn't fight people on their sexist views and hypocrisy, but I understood her struggle when it came to finding her own voice while still trying to be respectful of her relatives' opinions.
All in all, I was very pleased with this book and would highly recommend it to:
- Mexican-Americans
- young, budding poets
- people that didn't relate to American media they consumed as children
- food-lovers
- teenagers trying to figure "it" out
- everyone
I've read a few YA books by Latino authors [some here], and while I loved most of them, none of them addressed serious issues quite like this one did. From what I've seen, when creators try to balance too many topics at once, they end up failing and not doing (most of) the issues justice--not Isabel Quintero. She writes about Gabi Hernandez's life and knows just how to juggle the dilemmas she and her family/friends encounter by fleshing each of them out in an appropriate way. [I'd list some examples, but I don't want to spoil everything.]
Not only did Quintero do an honorable job with the way she handled particular topics, she also made Gabi sound incredible authentic. Like someone I want to be friends with, but not in an impossible way, where you know this kind of person does not exist irl. Gabi made me laugh and cry, but there's more to her than just these two extremes. Her views on life didn't always resemble mine, and that was okay; she made me think deeper about my own thoughts on particular subjects. At times I got frustrated when she didn't fight people on their sexist views and hypocrisy, but I understood her struggle when it came to finding her own voice while still trying to be respectful of her relatives' opinions.
All in all, I was very pleased with this book and would highly recommend it to:
- Mexican-Americans
- young, budding poets
- people that didn't relate to American media they consumed as children
- food-lovers
- teenagers trying to figure "it" out
- everyone