Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by librosycafe25
Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith
5.0
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.5 (but since there's no half star I gave a 5)
When Louise Wolfe’s boyfriend, the star jock, disrespects Native people in front of her, she breaks things off and dumps him over e-mail. She's a writer for her school newspaper and is paired up with Joey Kairouz. Together they have a story to cover. The school's musical director’s inclusive approach to casting The Wizard of Oz has been provoking a backlash in their mostly white, middle-class Kansas town.
The Parents Against Revisionist Theater (PART) is organized, Louise's family and non-white neighbors receive anonymous threats, and hostilities are spreading against teachers, parents, and students — especially the cast members at the center of the controversy, including Lou’s little brother, who’s playing the Tin Man.
These storylines make for an interesting and fast-paced read. Louise is smart, assertive and family focused. I liked her character and how the author showed how integral her family was to her self-identity.
What I found compelling was how Louise navigated what it means to be Native in a school and town which is predominately white while at the same time included how Louise also disrespects Joey's background. There are several examples of microaggressions in the story which are good examples of what many people of color live with daily.
There are a couple of minor issues (her quick sexual relationship with Joey and not much depth to her best friend) but overall this is a book worth reading. I'm going to read other books by this author because I enjoyed this novel.
I received an arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4.5 (but since there's no half star I gave a 5)
When Louise Wolfe’s boyfriend, the star jock, disrespects Native people in front of her, she breaks things off and dumps him over e-mail. She's a writer for her school newspaper and is paired up with Joey Kairouz. Together they have a story to cover. The school's musical director’s inclusive approach to casting The Wizard of Oz has been provoking a backlash in their mostly white, middle-class Kansas town.
The Parents Against Revisionist Theater (PART) is organized, Louise's family and non-white neighbors receive anonymous threats, and hostilities are spreading against teachers, parents, and students — especially the cast members at the center of the controversy, including Lou’s little brother, who’s playing the Tin Man.
These storylines make for an interesting and fast-paced read. Louise is smart, assertive and family focused. I liked her character and how the author showed how integral her family was to her self-identity.
What I found compelling was how Louise navigated what it means to be Native in a school and town which is predominately white while at the same time included how Louise also disrespects Joey's background. There are several examples of microaggressions in the story which are good examples of what many people of color live with daily.
There are a couple of minor issues (her quick sexual relationship with Joey and not much depth to her best friend) but overall this is a book worth reading. I'm going to read other books by this author because I enjoyed this novel.
I received an arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.