Zakiya, a sophomore at Roosevelt High School, has settled into the new school year. She loves her friends, the volleyball team and her dance class. There’s even a cute guy she has her eye on. But her world falls apart when her dad dies unexpectedly. Zakiya had a special relationship with her father and is completely devastated by his death.
After the funeral, her friends and family try to console her, but Zakiya pushes them away. She just wants to be alone. She quits the volleyball team, shuts down the boy she once dreamed of dating and even skips school. When she experiences a frightening episode of anxiety, she discovers that cutting herself helps to relieve the pain. Will she ever learn how to deal with her grief and sense of loss?
Zakiya’s Enduring Wounds is the eleventh novel in Gloria L. Velásquez’s popular Roosevelt High School Series, which features a multiracial group of teenage students who must individually confront social and cultural issues (such as violence, sexuality and prejudice).
“The novel is commendable for its diverse cast and explicit approach to consequential, relatable issues. An earnest novel for reluctant readers about serious issues.”–Kirkus Reviews
“This novel [is] readable, culturally responsive and compassionate. VERDICT: Buy this and the entire series.”—School Library Journal on Forgiving Moses
“Velasquez has written an engaging story that will help teens, gay and straight, to better understand the consequences of homophobia.”—Booklist on Tommy Stands Alone
“Velásquez’s books are among the few in literature for young adults where the characters are multiracial; she shows African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Chicanos, and Chicanas developing strong friendships and supporting each other.”—Latina and Latino Voices in Literature
“The author does a nice job of giving readers a window into the culture and providing some positive role models.”—Booklist on Maya’s Divided World
“Informative and believable enough to aid readers in similar situations and well-written enough to entertain and enlist the compassion of those who aren’t.”—Kirkus Reviews on Rina’s Family Secret
“… the characters and situations are true to life … This book would be an excellent choice for classroom discussions and for reading groups.”—VOYA on Teen Angel
GLORIA L. VELÁSQUEZ is the author of the Roosevelt High School Series, which now comprises eleven novels; a bilingual novel, Toy Soldiers and Dolls / Soldaditos y muñecas (Ediciones EON, 2019); and two poetry collections: I Used to Be a Superwoman (Arte Público Press, 1997) and Xicana on the Run (Chusma House Publications, 2005). She lives in San Luis Obispo, where she is professor emeritus in the World Literatures and Cultures Department at California Polytechnic State University.
