Yamile Saied Mendez

#ReadAroundTheWorld #Argentina

This is a YA novel about soccer, family and love by Argentinian author Yamile Saied Méndez. Camila Hassan is a 17 year old living with her strict family in Rosario, Argentina and sneaking out to secretly play on a women’s soccer team without her parent’s approval.

Keeping this secret is a pressure on Camila, but she cannot give up the exhilaration she feels when she plays her beloved fútbol and becomes the talented and passionate La Furia. She has to negotiate the high standards and expectations set by her mother, the difficulty of living in her footballer brother Pablo’s shadow, and the toxic masochistic behaviour of her father. Lastly there is another big secret she carries, a deep feeling towards an old friend and now famous footballer Diego, currently playing for Juventus in Italy. Will he still feel the same towards her despite his fame and success? And will she be able to achieve her own dream of playing fútbol with all the obstacles she faces?

This was an enjoyable story that gives insight into the culture of Argentina, particularly that involving fútbol. The romance is sweet. The most unsettling part of the story is the behaviour and attitudes of her father. The fact that Camila needs to put a lock and chain on her bedroom door to give herself a sense of safety speaks volumes. This is a fairly simple story but does speak to young women about having the courage to stand up for yourself, for other women, and to pursue your goals even in the fact of opposition and sexism.… (more)

I used this for the "a character on the run" part of my 2021 reading challenge. I thought it was really well done, the characters were lively and realistic and the location was really easy to visualize. I was really proud of her for standing up for what she wanted and standing up to Diego, it's great to see a woman focused on her goals and not caving or settling. I'm not a sports fan but I didn't find the soccer focus to take away from the story at all, it was easy for me to fall into even without common interests.… (more)