Pilar’s mother has been extra vigilant about her fifteen-year-old daughter’s diet after she came home from school in tears. The truth is, Pilar wouldn’t mind losing some weight. She dreams of becoming an actor and wants to try out for the school production of “Our Town,” but she’s reminded constantly that she’s too ugly, too fat, too Mexican.
With the encouragement of some new friends and her feisty grandmother who thinks she’s perfect just the way she is, Pilar works up the nerve to try out for the play—in spite of continued harassment by Becca Barlowe and her posse. But when a handsome high school jock plays a mean trick on her that becomes a social media sensation, Pilar once again finds herself using food to anesthetize her pain.
This appealing novel for mature teens juxtaposes Pilar’s story with her grandmother’s when she was married to a male chauvinist years earlier in Laredo, Texas. Both women must struggle to find their own voice in a world where others insist on defining them as “less than.” Capturing the heartache of seeking—and accepting—one’s true self, Anna Garcia Schaper movingly explores the strength of family bonds and their importance in overcoming difficult and sometimes tragic circumstances.
“Pilar and Pili are two young women with a generation separating them and family secrets between them in this multigenerational family drama. While the structure keeps the pace brisk, the intertwined stories explore the family’s history through the facets of sisterhood, motherhood, and friendship, creating a character study in family dynamics. A family coming-of-age story of fierce females, at once broad and intimate in scope.”—Kirkus Reviews
“From 1970s Laredo to present-day Houston, teen readers witness a fourth-generation Mexican American family’s history unfold. Two appealing narrators and delightful descriptions of food create lightheartedness that balances some of the tragedy. This #OwnVoices debut novel renders visible a wealth of bicultural truth, and the intergenerational unraveling of machismo will resonate with young feminists. VERDICT Redeemable for its brave inquiry into a family, while short, brisk chapters invite readers to recover their own histories and develop self-acceptance and empathy.”—School Library Journal
“In dual timelines, Schaper presents a story of culture, love, and feminism that crosses generations. Short chapters with alternating narrators balance the story’s pace, and spare writing and the revelation of long-held secrets make for a compelling tale, with an ultimately empowering and satisfying conclusion. The familial bonds, the protagonists’ lively personalities, the whip-smart humor, and the cultural touchstones should appeal to fans of Isabel Quintero’s Gabi, a Girl in Pieces.”—Horn Book Magazine
ANNA GARCIA SCHAPER, a Texas native, is an adjunct professor at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, and a middle school teacher in Walkersville, Maryland. This is her first published novel.
ATOS Interest Level: Upper Levels
Category: Young Adult
Lexile: 810L
