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erine 's review for:
Efrén Divided
by Ernesto Cisneros
Reading the jacket flap, this is very much what you see is what you get. Efren's family works darn hard to keep themselves afloat, and things are tight, but not desperate. Until Efren's mother, his Ama, is deported. Juggling his own mental distress, the practical realities of caring for his younger siblings, getting his schoolwork done, and navigating friendships are all portrayed in a realistic mixture of tragedy and normality.
My favorite moments were with supporting characters. Efren's English teacher has been going through his own personal issues and is not a very vibrant teacher. The first few days after Efren's Ama is deported, he struggles with school and this teacher is -- not mean, but very bureaucratically cold. This lasts until the teacher recognizes that Efren is not behaving normally and engages with him to see what is wrong. This entire sequence made me think of teachers who aren't able to, or don't bother to fully engage with their students, or what happens when a student is ALREADY dealing with so much stuff that their personality is dulled because of it, leaving the teacher no way to witness the change in behavior.
The second sequence is between Efren and his friend David. Some unnecessary friction takes place (Efren, just TELL him what's wrong!), but both friends take opportunities to mend fences, and the way the two boys support each other is quite touching.
What struck me most about this narrative is that there is no lengthy justification for why Efren's parents came to the U.S. It turns out it was a simple story of either going along with corruption or leaving their home. The focus of the story was on their current home (the U.S.) and the sundering of the family and the ripple of repercussions. This was an empathy-generating, not pity-generating story.
My favorite moments were with supporting characters. Efren's English teacher has been going through his own personal issues and is not a very vibrant teacher. The first few days after Efren's Ama is deported, he struggles with school and this teacher is -- not mean, but very bureaucratically cold. This lasts until the teacher recognizes that Efren is not behaving normally and engages with him to see what is wrong. This entire sequence made me think of teachers who aren't able to, or don't bother to fully engage with their students, or what happens when a student is ALREADY dealing with so much stuff that their personality is dulled because of it, leaving the teacher no way to witness the change in behavior.
The second sequence is between Efren and his friend David. Some unnecessary friction takes place (Efren, just TELL him what's wrong!), but both friends take opportunities to mend fences, and the way the two boys support each other is quite touching.
What struck me most about this narrative is that there is no lengthy justification for why Efren's parents came to the U.S. It turns out it was a simple story of either going along with corruption or leaving their home. The focus of the story was on their current home (the U.S.) and the sundering of the family and the ripple of repercussions. This was an empathy-generating, not pity-generating story.