Jennifer De LeonRecensioni

Captivating. I was transported to Guatemala and Maya’s life. The writer was able to capture the flow and it never stopped. Respect, innocence, dreams, fear, drama, hate are all mixed together to bring this story to life. We stand at the crossroads of life with Maya and courageously see her make a choice which will alter her life forever. Great book loved it so much.

Beautifully done. Lili was such a boss character, and I loved the way she dealt with all the challenges that came her way. And her mom's cooking was so sweet. Did a great job of demonstrating the racism that Latinx peole go through, and how efforts to confront this can get absolutely stalled, and also had a really compleling story.

Grabbing and nicely-woven, this tale places a girl's inspiring determination against a harsh reality and allows fate to pull both in unexpected ways.

Maya is blessed and not about to give up on the gifts fate has given her. Living alone with her mother in a very small apartment, she attends a top-notch fashion school thanks to a scholarship her talents have earned her. When the school announces a fashion contest with a prize, which could launch Maya's career as a designer, she's determined to do her best and more. But just as she's chosen to enter the finals, her best friend introduces her to a cute and sweet guy. Maya does her best to balance her growing relationship with him and her preparations for the contest. That is, until the violence and gangs make the neighborhood increasingly dangerous. Maya's mother wants to move to another town before something terrible happens, but the contest isn't far away, and Maya does everything she can to convince her to stay just a few more days. And that works...until it doesn't. Now, Maya and her mother are on the run.

I read this book in one sitting and was surprised at how engaged I was and how quick the read flowed. The characters are easy to sink into (most of the time), the scenes flow with ease, and the plot never slows. If Maya isn't doing her best to solve another problem for the fashion contest, she's dealing with her mother's worries about the gangs, handling a changing relationship with her best friend, or figuring out her own new feelings for what may or may not be a nice guy. For every step she gets closer to her dream, an entirely different aspect of life...and not necessarily directly hers...causes things to shift in ways that threaten to destroy her hopes. Or she makes bad decisions herself...which weren't smart. But no matter what, all of this keeps the tension high.

While the blurb suggests that the story concentrates on the journey and escape across the US border, it actually spends most of the time in Guatemala City and Maya's increasingly complicated life. The journey to the border, crossing, and immigration problems once on the US side hit only in the last few chapters, coming across more as a quick wrap-up to an end. Plus, several strings were left open...which some readers will appreciate and others will be left wondering what happened to those characters. (Sebastian?) Either way, it works and leaves off with the open unknown, which Maya herself probably feels.

There is some romance, but this sits as a side-dish to the rest of the plot. There's also violence and death, which may trigger more sensitive readers. And then, there's perseverance, hope, and some food for thought. In other words, it's a packed and interesting read, which is worth picking up. I received a DRC and enjoyed the characters.

I loved this book! Liliana Cruz is offered a spot in a program which sends inner city students to high schools in the suburbs. She doesn’t want to go, but her immigrant parents insist she take advantage of every opportunity. At first Liliana tries to fit in, even changing her name to Lily, but it is almost impossible in a majority white school where she sticks out. When racist incidents increase, Liliana has to decide whether or not to speak up. Like The Hate U Give, this book highlights issues such as prejudice, racism, microaggressions, and white fragility, as well as immigration, undocumented immigrants, and deportation. Unlike some other reviewers I thought that Liliana's voice was authentic and accurate -she is only 15 years old and she sounds and acts like a high school student. I also thought the depiction of teachers who meant well but were clueless was well done. I think this book is a must read for everyone who deals with high school students.

"I'm just saying that yeah, you may feel annoyed having to press one for English or whatever. But imagine how annoyed you'd be if someone came and kicked you off your own land and told you that your language, food, culture, everything, was wrong. And you had to change it. Or die. That's messed up, right? That's annoying right?"

There was so much to love about this book. Lili was a fierce, well developed protagonist who found her voice throughout the story & found connection with her culture through her father's deportation & shaping her own identity in the METCO program. The story started off very focused but somewhere towards the end, too many side plots & social issues started to make the original story veer off track. I loved that the author was intentional in being intersectional but it made the ending feel rushed to provide a happy ending. For many facing these issues, happy endings are rare. I, also didn't buy in to the fact that Lili ignored obvious red flags about her love interest so easily and fell in love so quickly. Other than that this book is a must read because it depicted what BIPOC, especially latinx students face in an authentic way.

There was so much truth in this YA gem that I could relate to personally. The education system is supposed to level the playing field but for BIPOC children this is not the case. The author points out that:
◇ disparities in education exist
◇ schools are still segregated
◇ students of color face stereotypes and racism daily when bused to other schools
◇ teachers have biases & prejudices
◇ lotteries and charter schools are the only options for a fair education in some communities
◇ the immigration process in the U.S. is far more complicated and biased than people think
◇ undocumented communities are resilient, resourceful and beacons of hope
◇ white fragility is toxic & discounts the experiences of BIPOC

My biggest takeaway is that there is so much work that needs to be done. Staying silent about oppression is never the answer. Change starts with difficult conversations. Racism should be confronted head on. There are no illegal people on stolen land and the U.S. needs to reckon with this.

Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Are you looking for an #OwnVoices books with themes of racism, a protagonist born in the US to undocumented parents, but also a contemporary that you can curl up with and read in a day? Seriously, look no further than DON'T ASK ME WHERE I'M FROM. This book has such a fresh voice, and touches on so many important topics that we need to be educating ourselves on, and I would like to shout from the mountain tops to READ THIS BOOK!

The writing style was easy and drew you in, all the characters were intriguing and the diversity was honestly fantastic. De Leon dealt with uncomfortable themes expertly, as well as offering some level of realism to the situation. We have supporters (and non-supporters) of all shades. And yet, this isn't *just* a book about racism, because it's also a story about a family, about a teen finding her place in a new high school, about new friends and old friends, and about an aspiring writer. We touch upon different kinds of racism, yes, but also on immigration and mental health and successes and community resources.

It's just... it's good. It's *really* good.

And if you'd like to read a more extended review, head on over to The Literary Phoenix for more on this book and others.

15-year-old Liliana Cruz, has a lot on her plate. Here’s her laundry list: best friend troubles, keeping her little brothers in line, dealing with her dad who always seems to be traveling, and trying to fit in at Westburg. Westburg is the wealthy, suburban, majority-white high school where Liliana has just been accepted. It is quite different from her inner city Boston neighborhood.

Liliana, is half-Guatemalan and half-El Salvadorian. So, she wonders, if maybe it would benefit her to change her name and way she talks? Then some hard truths come to light. Is her father traveling more or does he just not want to come home. This fact has put her whole family in jeopardy.

On top of all this the racial tensions at school are reaching what seems to be insurmountable proportions.

This is a well written novel for the teen audience as the characters make their way through friendships and romantic relationships.

When Liliana Cruz finds out she’s been accepted into the METCO program and will have to switch from her inner-city high school to a wealthy suburban one she doesn’t want to go. Who would? But Liliana decides to make her recently missing dad proud and she rises to the challenge. Jennifer De Leon’s debut YA novel, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, takes on a lot of difficult but timely themes--race, class, bussing and undocumented immigrants. De Leon handles it all with realistic characters, a sense of humor and a clear style that keeps the reader eager to see what happens next. If certain plot points seem a bit contrived and others strangely skimmed over, the entire story is still compelling and well done. Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From tells a strong story about life as an outsider trying to fit in, and manages to show many views in a very real way. De Leon’s story will resonate with a lot of students and give others something to think about. A definite must-read in the vein of Angie Thomas, Ibi Zoboi and Elizabeth Acevedo.