A vivid depiction of a lesser-known chapter in U.S history.
Despair and hope mingle in this free-verse novel set in the Angel Island detention center in 1924.
The destruction of birth records as a result of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake meant that immigrants from China could attempt to elude the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act by claiming to be related to Chinese residents already in the U.S. Seventeen-year-old T.G., who’s arrived with his father and grandfather, is one of many people shuffled off to the barracks. There, he waits for his interview with an immigration officer who will scrutinize his “paper story.” The living conditions are unpleasant: The men sleep in cramped rooms, consume tasteless meals, and suffer at the hands of callous guards. Carved into the walls around them are poems composed by those who came before, expressing the same longing and misery felt by T.G. and his fellow immigrants. Day after day, T.G.’s father exhorts him to “jab the awl,” a phrase that evokes focus and self-discipline. But when T.G. stumbles upon a clandestine meeting of the Resistance—men seeking to effect change in the barracks—he decides to join their cause despite the risks of upsetting the status quo. The limited setting and the repetitive nature of each day in the barracks establish a distinct sense of place with a restrictive atmosphere. Moments of levity and genuine human connection ease the often bleak mood.
A vivid depiction of a lesser-known chapter in U.S history. (historical note, resources) (Verse historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9781665948593
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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