American Street Book Review by Ibi Zoboi

 

Written by Ibi Zoboi

Published by Balzer and Bray in 2017

ISBN: 978-0062473042

Plot Summary: Fabiola is a Haitian immigrant who moves back to the US where she was born. Immigration police take Fabiola's mother into custody as they think she is planning on staying here illegally. Fabiola is forced to move up north to Detroit where her aunt and cousins live. She doesn't like American school but her cousins are doing well so she spends her time with them. One of her cousin's boyfriend's name is Dray and he's a drug dealer. Fabiola is approached by a detective saying that he can help her mom if she can find evidence against him but as she is searching she finds out that her aunt and cousins are the ones that are into the illegal activities. Kasim is Fabiola's love interest and also the friend of Dray as well. Kasim shows up at the party where they are planning on busting Dray for selling drugs and when Fabiola hears this she tries to go to the party to stop it. Kasim is killed by the cops but because of her help, her mother is released and they go pick her up in New Jersey to reset their lives. 

Critical Analysis (Including Cultural Markers): This story goes into many pressing topics of today including immigration, drugs, and what it means to be a family. Fabiola learns what it means to be an immigrant and also what it means to stick up for your family no matter what. She tells the dectective that even though she could help, she won't be giving up her family. This story could be the "new" American Dream as people struggle to make ends meet and will do whatever they can to get ahead in life. There is a mighty struggle in Detroit and Fabiola and her aunt and cousins are doing what they can to get ahead in life. Fabiola never gives up on her heritage as she uses traditional Creole words like Matant instead of Aunt. There are many characteristics that help us know that this is a story that is true to their Haitian culture. Fabiola is divided in her heritage as she decides what she wants to do and be as an immigrant and is divided in her loyalty to family or to the law. This is a powerful story of making the hard choices and not knowing what you chose is correct or not. 

Reviews: Kirkus Review

Fabiola Toussaint is a black immigrant girl whose life is flipped upside down when she moves to Detroit, Michigan, from her homeland of Haiti and her mother is detained by ICE, leaving her to go on alone. Though Fabiola was born in the U.S., she has lived in Haiti since she was an infant, and that has now left her unprepared for life in America. In Detroit, she lives with her aunt Marjorie and her three thoroughly Americanized cousins, Chantal, Primadonna, and Princess. It’s not easy holding on to her heritage and identity in Detroit; Matant Jo fines Fabiola for speaking Creole (though even still “a bit of Haiti is peppered in her English words”), and the gritty streets of Detroit are very different from those of Port-au-Prince. Fabiola has her faith to help keep her grounded, which grows ever more important as she navigates her new school, American society, and a surprising romance—but especially when she is faced with a dangerous proposition that brings home to her the fact that freedom comes with a price. Fabiola’s perceptive, sensitive narration gives readers a keen, well-executed look into how the American dream can be a nightmare for so many. Filling her pages with magic, humanity, tragedy, and hope, Zoboi builds up, takes apart, and then rebuilds an unforgettable story.

This book will take root in readers’ hearts. (Fiction. 14-adult)

Connections: Students can learn more about immigration from Haiti and the Caribbean islands through the U.S. government website in order to learn how to advocate and help them. https://www.uscis.gov/CHNV

More books by Ibi Zoboi

Pride: A Pride and Prejudice Remix ISBN 978-0062564047

My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich ISBN: 978-0399187353

Punching the Air ISBN: 978-0062996480


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Free Lunch Book Review by Rex Ogle

Image
Written By Rex Ogle Published by Norton Young Readers in 2019 ISBN: 978-1324003601 Plot Summary: This is a memoir of Rex Ogle when he was in 6th grade. He was enrolled in the free lunch program at school as he was living in poverty at the time. The story begins with his mom Luciana in the grocery store as they are shopping for food but they only have so many dollars in food stamps that they can use. Rex remembers how angry he is that he never gets to choose food that he likes and both he and his mom are embarrassed as they didn't have enough money for the food that they chose so they only walk out with one bag of groceries even though they had chosen much more than that. Rex is anxious about going to school as he doesn't want the other kids to know that he was on the free lunch program and when he questions his mom she beats him and gives him a black eye which he has to explain away at the school. Rex has to announce that he has free lunch in the line which embarasses him even
Read more

Scythe by Neal Shusterman Book Review

Image
  Written By: Neal Shusterman Published By: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in 2017 ISBN: 978-1442472433 Plot Summary: The year is 2042 and artificial intelligence has become alive and thinks for itself and has created a network called the Thunderhead. As it knows all, it has figured out how to keep humans alive indefinitely. The problems of how to feed and shelter everyone is still an issue so a job is created called being a Scythe. They are required to kill a certain number of people to balance the scales. Two teenagers are training to be a Scythe and their names are Citra and Rowan. They are supposed to both be trained and then one is chosen while the other goes back to their normal life. Other Scythes decide though that whoever wins has to kill the other as their first kill. Their trainer pretends to kill himself so they are sent to train under other scythes. Citra finds out that their original trainer is still alive and creates a plan to make everything work out for h
Read more

The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle Book Rev

Image
   Written by Margarita Engle  Published by Square Fish in 2010  ISBN: 978-0312608712 Plot Summary: The book is based on Rosario Castellanos Castellanos who is a famous person in Cuban American history. She was a freed slave who works as a nurse for the rebels who are fighting against the Spanish in the mid to late 1800's in Cuba. The poems are free verse and are written from the perspective of 4 different people: Rosa, Jose her husband, a slave hunter named Lieutenant Death in the story, and a girl named Sylvia. The novel is written in 5 different parts that cover Rosa's story from childhood to adulthood.  The first part is titled "The Names of the Flowers" and is talks about how Rosa grows up in the field amd learns about the healing properties of different plants and herbs from the women. Rosa helps to heal runaway slaves who have been beaten after running away and this is where she meets Teniente Muerte otherwise known as Lieutenant Death. The Lieutenant doesn'
Read more