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A review by mariugonza
Lobizona by Romina Garber, Romina Russell
5.0
Lobizona is finally here, and I couldn’t be happier, not everyday you see a Latinx or Hispanic author being successful in the publishing industry.
This book was everything I wanted it to be: relatable, deep and entertaining. The story of Manu is one many of us immigrants know of have heard about (minus the magical world part, and if somehow you emigrated and got yourself into a fantasy world... well good luck): even when many immigrants have a legal status in this country, we might still live with fear, for example, people with pending asylum fear getting their cases denied and having to go back to a country where their lives are in danger, or how kids with student visas are at risk of not being able to stay in this country after they finish their studies.
What I mean is, when you leave your country, you are exposed to knew dangers. But even when people like me might live in fear of not being able to stay any longer in a country, or having to go back to a place where our lives are at risk, nothing is as terrible as being labeled as “illegal”, the stigma that comes with it, the inherent risks and the mere fact that your existence is considered a problem in another nation, that’s just hell.
Lobizona makes an incredible job at showing the small life Manu lives, the pressure, the fear and the hope of something better. The way this book is written is beautiful, the diversity of the main group of characters, the way the topics are treated, everything. I’m just so happy I got to read this.
Also... like the Spanglish in this book is on point, and the Miami experience. That scene where a Cuban says “Asere que bola?” And Manu is just confused and doesn’t know how to answer... such a mood omg. Plus thank you, Romina, for mentioning Venezuelans in the first pages, we are never mentioned in books and my heart fills with joy even when a Venezuelan thing is mentioned.
So yeah, go read the book, explore the amazing world of Argentinian folklore this amazing author created, and I hope you’ll like it as much as I did.
This book was everything I wanted it to be: relatable, deep and entertaining. The story of Manu is one many of us immigrants know of have heard about (minus the magical world part, and if somehow you emigrated and got yourself into a fantasy world... well good luck): even when many immigrants have a legal status in this country, we might still live with fear, for example, people with pending asylum fear getting their cases denied and having to go back to a country where their lives are in danger, or how kids with student visas are at risk of not being able to stay in this country after they finish their studies.
What I mean is, when you leave your country, you are exposed to knew dangers. But even when people like me might live in fear of not being able to stay any longer in a country, or having to go back to a place where our lives are at risk, nothing is as terrible as being labeled as “illegal”, the stigma that comes with it, the inherent risks and the mere fact that your existence is considered a problem in another nation, that’s just hell.
Lobizona makes an incredible job at showing the small life Manu lives, the pressure, the fear and the hope of something better. The way this book is written is beautiful, the diversity of the main group of characters, the way the topics are treated, everything. I’m just so happy I got to read this.
Also... like the Spanglish in this book is on point, and the Miami experience. That scene where a Cuban says “Asere que bola?” And Manu is just confused and doesn’t know how to answer... such a mood omg. Plus thank you, Romina, for mentioning Venezuelans in the first pages, we are never mentioned in books and my heart fills with joy even when a Venezuelan thing is mentioned.
So yeah, go read the book, explore the amazing world of Argentinian folklore this amazing author created, and I hope you’ll like it as much as I did.