ivanainthecity 's review for:

The Truth Is by NoNieqa Ramos

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I can be a fickle reader & get outraged or roll my eyes when a narrator says something that is clearly problematic. & I’m not talking about characters who make poor life choices (cuz let’s be real: who doesn’t love a messy protagonist?). I’m talking about protagonists making comments that are just plain wrong. Sometimes I just set the book down & go, ~Nope!~ Is the author trying to be edgy & push buttons for shock value? 🙄 
 
Verdad, the narrator of THE TRUTH IS, really tested my limits 😂 . She’s a 15-year-old Puerto Rican who’s trying to figure out who she is after she loses her BFF & starts crushing on a boy who happens to be trans. Verdad is in denial about who she is & carries a lot of internalized oppression, esp when it comes to her own race (¿y tú abuela, adónde está?, an Afro-Latina classmate constantly asks her). She also has much to learn about the LGBTQ+ community, & while she speaks up on behalf of Latinos, she constantly makes ignorant comments about Asians like calling them all ~chinitos~ (something lots of Puerto Ricans still do). 
 
Lord knows human beings are flawed & say harmful things all the time. But is it ~acceptable~ for these things to be written out? I’ve had tons of convos w/bookstafriends & have come to believe that for me, it really boils down: Are the comments gratuitous, or is there a purpose behind them? 
 
I think that my frustrations with Verdad are a sign of good writing. Verdad is believable & proof that even if you are from a marginalized group you can still harm people from other marginalized groups. Verdad showed a lot of growth throughout the book. She schooled people on issues that affected her, but she was also willing to learn from others, esp when it came to issues of race & gender. Verdad’s willingness to listen and adapt makes her a great role model for teens & adults alike. As a teacher, I always tell my students that we should never feel like we’re fully ~done~ learning. I also think we should always question problematic comments in books while also remembering to give characters grace and room to improve.