Jasminne Mendez

In this novel in verse, Aniana lives in Galveston, Texas, with a Coast Guard father, an overprotective Dominican mother, and a little brother. She is a swimming champion - a fact her father keeps secret from her mother, because Mami is afraid of the water since her twin brother Mateo died in a hurricane and she feels guilty she couldn't save him. Aniana doesn't like keeping secrets, and when her joints start to swell with heat and pain, she wonders if it's the result of keeping her swimming show more a secret from her mother - but eventually it's so bad she has to tell, and eventually she sees a doctor, who refers her to another doctor, etc. Tests keep coming back inconclusive until at last she's diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). Her mom forbids her to swim, even when her physical therapist says it would be good for her. Ani has the support of her mom's best friend, Madrina, and Madrina's daughter, Ani's best friend Maria Tere. She comes to understand that it isn't the water, precisely, her mother is afraid of, but of not being able to protect her children. After Ani saves her little brother from drowning at the beach, she is allowed to participate in her parents' discussions about her physical activity, and maybe swim again.

See also: Starfish by Lisa Fipps, Breathe and Count Back From Ten by Natalia Sylvester, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Quotes

...maybe...
she believes
saying something
out loud makes it real... (34)

And remember, when we hold things inside -
things that don't belong there -
the body will always find a way
to spit them back out. (80)

Can a secret make
you sick? (112)

I'm learning that it's hard
for people to understand things
they can't see, or hear, or touch
for themselves. (148)

I don't want to be strong.
I want to be allowed to be
sad and weak and maybe
even give up. (220)

...I just don't think it's fair
that I have to be so understanding of their feelings
when it seems like they're not understanding of mine. (239) show less

exas high schooler Yulieta Lopez learns to channel her anger into activism.

Yuli, a Black, second-generation Dominican American junior, experiences racism in her school’s drama program. Her beloved Ethnic Studies teacher, Mr. Gonzalez, who’s Mexican American, faces censorship of his curriculum and classroom library. Yuli often feels that her rage is impossible to contain. Although initially unsure about speaking out—“I’m an actor…not an activist…”—she’s angered by the show more injustices she endures and witnesses and is further galvanized by her family’s revolutionary spirit and past. Encouraged by her brother, Yunior, who reminds her that “Art IS activism,” Yuli organizes guerilla theater resistance protests with her friends, supported by Mr. G., who becomes the faculty sponsor for their club, A.C.T. NOW, or “Activism. Collaboration. Transformation. Now!” Although they face setbacks, Yuli’s story demonstrates the power of persistence and tapping into your passion to make change. Mendez fluidly and creatively tells Yuli’s story through a variety of formats, including a play script, group text chats, and verse. A powerful love letter to finding and using your voice, this story will resonate deeply with those who struggle to feel seen and nurtured, particularly young women of color. Fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Amber McBride will devour and delight in Mendez’s latest, which centers on a racially diverse cast and explores timely topics like racism, book banning, and censorship in schools.

A compelling drama with a firecracker protagonist that stuns with its strikingly beautiful writing. (author’s note) (Verse fiction. 13-18)

-Kirkus Review show less

Yuli "didn't want to play the part of the angry Black girl," but things are happening at her Texas high school that are fueling a simmering flame within. Despite a great audition, Yuli doesn't get the lead role in "Our Town" because Ms. Hoffman says Lana (who is white and blonde) is a "true better fit." Yuli's beloved teacher Mr. G is suspended for his "controversial curriculum" and his classroom library of books is taken away by the school district, books that feature diverse characters. show more And Yuli doesn't want to upset her mother because stress will affect her lupus. Despite creating guerilla theater to bring attention to the book banning, it all comes to a head when Yuli punches Lana in the nose for writing a racist comment on Mr. G's whiteboard and Yuli gets suspended. When brother Yunior tells Yuli she's magic and "you gotta find a way to cast spells, not curses," Yuli is inspired to bring her passion for diverse books and her acting skills to a presentation at the school board meeting. Yuli is a fierce literary hero for Black girls who are told they are too much. show less

Atalented Dominican American swimmer fights to keep doing what she loves.

Twelve-year-old Aniana del Mar lives up to her name: Living on the island of Galveston, Texas, the water feels like home. But that’s a secret she keeps with her easygoing Papi, who sneaks her to the YMCA for swim practice and meets. Mami discourages Ani from swimming; after witnessing her own brother’s drowning during a hurricane, Mami is terrified of losing Ani and her 4-year-old brother, Matti, too. When Ani can show more no longer hide the joint swelling that plagues her when she overexerts herself, however, her secret’s out. Mami, who belongs to a strict Christian church, is furious, insisting that Ani’s juvenile idiopathic arthritis is God’s punishment for lying. Though Ani’s physical therapist endorses swimming, Mami bans Ani from the water she craves. As her family’s bonds fray, Ani grapples with the challenges of invisible illness, including loss of bodily autonomy and others’ lack of understanding. Incorporating concrete poems, haiku, and tanka, Ani’s aching, determined verse narration weaves English and Spanish words into striking imagery as she navigates tumultuous emotions and her loving but stifling relationship with Mami. Mendez, also disabled and Dominican American, explores post-traumatic stress and its effects with both compassion and honesty, respecting Mami’s trauma without diminishing the pain her overprotectiveness causes Ani. Religious belief is similarly represented with nuance. Supportive, diverse secondary characters add warmth.

A painful yet hopeful exploration of family, trauma, faith, and healing. (author’s note) (Fiction. 9-13)

-Kirkus Review show less