Lila Quintero WeaverRezensionen

This was a really enjoyable reading experience. For one, I loved the illustration style of Weaver's panels, and I love that she went the Spiegelman route and gave us a lot of person background so we'd understand how to read her and her family's reactions to historical events. Four stars because I wish there had been more actual writing - the story had a lot of potential to branch out, especially when paired with such detailed illustrations. Missed opportunity there to give us a lot of depth.

In all, great read and I'd absolutely recommend it!

It is spring 1970 in Alabama, and in spite of the racial tensions that come along with integration and the upcoming race for governor, sixth-grader Lu Olivera can’t stop thinking about running—or more importantly, the discovery that she can run.

It’s hotter than Hades the day Lu first runs in preparation for Field Day. She flies “like the blue blazes” and barely squeaks past classmate Belinda at the finish line for the win. As they mill about catching their breath and each other’s eyes, Belinda gives a nod of respect. Lu nods back, but not without a bit of trepidation upon reminding herself that “around here, black and white kids don’t mix. No siree bob.” You see, being from Argentina, Lu is one of the “middle” kids in the class. White kids sit on one side of the room, black kids, including Belinda, on the other, and those that are left occupy no man’s land. Readers will follow Lu through the spring of her sixth-grade year as she discovers not just the extent of her running ability, but how much gumption one tiny immigrant girl can have. It’s not always easy standing up for what is right, but sometimes, you just can’t stay in the middle. While Red Grove, Alabama, is a fictional town, the story is inspired by the author’s very real experiences growing up in Alabama. Young readers will relate to Lu as she navigates friendships, first love, and politics, cheering her on to the finish line.

An important and relevant story that will make kids stop and take a look at the world around them. (Historical fiction. 9-13)

-Kirkus Review

Excellent own voices fictionalized memoir set in Alabama in 1970, just after desegregation. The more the book goes on, the more Lu discovers that the middle is a very uncomfortable place to be. This is the year where she discovers her love of running, finds new friends and loses old ones, starts to think about boys and finds, in the end, that she needs to make a stand. It's an eventful 6th grade year. I like that most of her battles are social ones, and that while she is hesitant in deciding how to handle them, she learns a lot about being true to herself. The pacing is steady, and Lu's somewhat neutral social status (identifying as neither white nor black, with parents who view themselves as foreigners, outside the local politics) gives her an interesting perspective. The book is also chock-a-block with 1970s slang and music, something I think both kids and adults will find entertaining.

The one thing I wish had been handled differently -- Lu goes to a gubernatorial rally that ends up being full of anti-integration rhetoric. She very quickly realizes that she went there for the wrong reasons, and that she regrets going. When the fact that she went is found out and causes a ruction with her friend, she makes it clear that she hated being there, and later gives up a good grade on an extra credit assignment that talks about the rally, because she feels so bad about going. I think this whole situation is a missed opportunity -- to say hey, I made a mistake, but I learned from it. I listened to someone that I didn't think I would agree with, and I confirmed that I don't believe those things. I heard for myself what the opposition is saying, and I made up my own mind. -- none of those things (all of which happened) are things to feel guilty and ashamed about. That's what intelligent, critical thinkers do -- they go directly to the source and they make up their own minds. We're a country of people who have shut the door on listening to one another, and I simply wish that the positive effects of this experience had been teased out more.

The author recounts her childhood as an Argentinian immigrant in Marion, Alabama, in the 1960s, hitching her story onto the Civil Rights Movement by the happenstance that her family lived a block away from the protest that resulted in the murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson by an Alabama state trooper, a catalyst for the marches from Selma to Montgomery.

There is an interesting comparison/contrast of her experience as a person of Spanish and indigenous descent in the Deep South versus that of the Black people she knew, but there is also a bit of a muddle in her narrative. While often living in the blissfully ignorant fog of being a child, she does eventually strive to be an ally in the struggle, but admits that one Black acquaintance rebuked her for overstepping. She sometimes presents what she hoped her late father did in certain situations she did not witness, but also includes a less idealized moment when he got angry at her for endangering his teaching job when rumors flew about her fraternizing with a Black male classmate. (Since she was only nine in 1965, she relies on the memories of her older siblings as well as historical sources for large portions of the book.)

There are some heavy-handed attempts to use photography and home movies as literary devices in the prologue and epilogue that didn't really work for me, but the majority of the book is pretty straightforward. With only one to five panels per page, it is also a quick read despite its thickness.

I liked the potential for this story--growing up Argentinian in 1960s Alabama--but it didn't prove as striking of a perspective as I expected it to be.

A middle grade story about racism in the 1970s United States, from an unusual perspective. A little simplistic, but it is for younger readers.½

Lila and her family have emigrated from Argentina to the United States in 1961. They end up in Marion, Alabama at a time with racial tension and changes. The author is a brown-skin Latina in a word defined by black and white. The art is beautiful (it's a graphic novel), the setting is exciting, but the book doesn't capitalize on its great potential. It is, at times, hard to follow (members of the family go back and forth to Argentina) The language is sometimes stilted. Recountings of local uprisings are blunted by her narrow perspective (she was often confined to the house) and the high drama is ... meh... (being called a " n-lover" e.g.) There are some fine moments: the first black student, her black librarian (sadly, not a warm person)... her verbatim recounting of the AL history book). This memoir could have been so much more...!... I wish she'd wait a few years and add more detail/reflection.½

It's 1970 in Red Grove, Alabama, and Lu Olivera is one of the few "middle rowers" in her newly integrated school: the back kids sit on one side of the classroom and the white kids sit on the other. Lu, whose family came to the U.S. from Argentina, has always been friends with the white kids, but now she's making new friends - especially with Belinda, as the two of them discover a shared passion for running track. But it's never easy when old friendships crumble, especially when politics make things nasty: an election for governor is coming up, and while Lu and her family are for desegregationist Brewer, it seems like Lu's best friend Abigail doesn't think the segregationist Wallace is that bad. After a misstep, Lu finds the courage to stand up for what is right and make new friends who share her beliefs in equality. (And she might just have a crush on middle-rower Sam...and he might just like her too.)

See also: Stella By Starlight½

“My Year in the Middle” by Lilia Quintero Weaver is about an Argentinian girl growing up during the time when schools had just been desegregated in a small town in Alabama. She goes through the issues in schools that have come up because of different people in her town having beliefs for and against desegregation. While all this is happening she goes through the classic middle school struggles and finds out that she is good at running. In the end she shows us that any of us have the power to do and say what is right and if we practice and try hard enough we can become anyone and do anything that we want to do.
This book is a good middle grade read or for any fifth graders in the spring or summer of their fifth grade year. The book design shows a girl sitting at a desk in the middle of a black and white book cover. Once you read the book you will be able to understand the importance of the book cover and the connection that it has to the book.

Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Very Good
Recommended: Highly Recommended
Level: Middle Grade

In a safe, tween-appropriate story, Weaver brings 1970's Alabama to life as her plucky protagonist, Lu, navigates racism in the post-segregation South. A Latina in a classroom divided between black and white students, Lu sits in the middle of the class, not truly belonging to either group. As her friendship with a black girl, Belinda, grows, her friendship with her white friends is tested. When she attends a rally for a pro-segregation gubernatorial candidate, she finds herself judged for her implicit support even though she doesn't share the candidate's beliefs. In an important and necessary book that feels especially timely today, Weaver provides insight into this critical moment in American history, delivering a perfect primer on racism and segregation for interested tween students. Lu's quest to become the fastest sixth-grader in Alabama provides levity and drive for our heroine, and small, well-crafted details add true depth to Lu, her friends, and her family. A true pleasure to read.

My Year in the Middle provides the reader a look at segregation in the south, during the 1970’s, from the view of a sixth grader. As a child it is hard not to be influenced by the political views of your parents. Author, Lila Quintero Weaver, does a great job of showcasing this parental influence while also introducing us to Lu’s classmates and their political and racial opinions.

Lu Olivera is particularly confused, she is not black, and not white, but rather a girl from Argentina. She’s literally stuck in the middle as her classroom is divided by black and white. Lu doesn’t see color though, she sees her dreams, dreams to be the fastest female track star at her school. She befriends her African American challenger and together they train to dominate the track. But, others aren’t as friendly to Lu’s new best friend, as Lu sees firsthand the prejudices African Americans are up against as the senate elections heat up.

My Year in the Middle maintains the childhood innocence while exposing the reader to segregation of the 70’s. Throughout the book, you cannot help but feel like you are living through the prejudicial events yourself as Lu loses friends to her new alliance, classmates transfer to the all-white public schools and TV’s are tuned to the election results. Weaver has detailed it all, even down to the campaign volunteering and election rallies in this mild, young adult, politically charged read.

For the full review, visit: https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordpress.com/

*A review copy of this book was provided to me via the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

So I have a vague memory of requesting this after reading a review of it before I went on vacation. When I came back and saw it waiting for me I kind of had a huh? moment. I'm actually very glad that I requested it. It is the memoir of a hispanic woman growing up in a small town in Alabama during the Civil Rights movement. At the time as the author puts it, there were no slurs for them in Alabama yet. She talks a little about feeling like she never quite fit in but a majority of the book is about what happened and how both she and her family dealt with it and sometimes to the towns reaction to the way they dealt with it.

She also talks about how her family kept their ties with family in Argentina which is something that really interests me having just visited my family in Spain for the first time in 7 years. She talks about trying to keep family life and home life separate. Immigrant children and the children of immigrants will be able to relate in addition to anyone who has ever been a race or ethnicity that people just didn't know what to do with. The back drop of the civil rights movement just makes the whole story more interesting. She flat out talks about what she did notice growing up and what she didn't, which I think about a lot now. Things that were going on that I did and did not notice but probably should have when I was growing up.

So I have a vague memory of requesting this after reading a review of it before I went on vacation. When I came back and saw it waiting for me I kind of had a huh? moment. I'm actually very glad that I requested it. It is the memoir of a hispanic woman growing up in a small town in Alabama during the Civil Rights movement. At the time as the author puts it, there were no slurs for them in Alabama yet. She talks a little about feeling like she never quite fit in but a majority of the book is about what happened and how both she and her family dealt with it and sometimes to the towns reaction to the way they dealt with it.

She also talks about how her family kept their ties with family in Argentina which is something that really interests me having just visited my family in Spain for the first time in 7 years. She talks about trying to keep family life and home life separate. Immigrant children and the children of immigrants will be able to relate in addition to anyone who has ever been a race or ethnicity that people just didn't know what to do with. The back drop of the civil rights movement just makes the whole story more interesting. She flat out talks about what she did notice growing up and what she didn't, which I think about a lot now. Things that were going on that I did and did not notice but probably should have when I was growing up.

So I have a vague memory of requesting this after reading a review of it before I went on vacation. When I came back and saw it waiting for me I kind of had a huh? moment. I'm actually very glad that I requested it. It is the memoir of a hispanic woman growing up in a small town in Alabama during the Civil Rights movement. At the time as the author puts it, there were no slurs for them in Alabama yet. She talks a little about feeling like she never quite fit in but a majority of the book is about what happened and how both she and her family dealt with it and sometimes to the towns reaction to the way they dealt with it.

She also talks about how her family kept their ties with family in Argentina which is something that really interests me having just visited my family in Spain for the first time in 7 years. She talks about trying to keep family life and home life separate. Immigrant children and the children of immigrants will be able to relate in addition to anyone who has ever been a race or ethnicity that people just didn't know what to do with. The back drop of the civil rights movement just makes the whole story more interesting. She flat out talks about what she did notice growing up and what she didn't, which I think about a lot now. Things that were going on that I did and did not notice but probably should have when I was growing up.

So I have a vague memory of requesting this after reading a review of it before I went on vacation. When I came back and saw it waiting for me I kind of had a huh? moment. I'm actually very glad that I requested it. It is the memoir of a hispanic woman growing up in a small town in Alabama during the Civil Rights movement. At the time as the author puts it, there were no slurs for them in Alabama yet. She talks a little about feeling like she never quite fit in but a majority of the book is about what happened and how both she and her family dealt with it and sometimes to the towns reaction to the way they dealt with it.

She also talks about how her family kept their ties with family in Argentina which is something that really interests me having just visited my family in Spain for the first time in 7 years. She talks about trying to keep family life and home life separate. Immigrant children and the children of immigrants will be able to relate in addition to anyone who has ever been a race or ethnicity that people just didn't know what to do with. The back drop of the civil rights movement just makes the whole story more interesting. She flat out talks about what she did notice growing up and what she didn't, which I think about a lot now. Things that were going on that I did and did not notice but probably should have when I was growing up.

I absolutely loved this coming-of-age story about a Latina girl growing up in the midst of the civil rights movement. As a graphic novel, it did a fantastic job of providing visuals of this important time.

An exceptional graphic memoir. Lila Quintero was a young girl when she immigrated from Argentia to Marion, Alabama with her family in the 1960s where she witnessed segregation and racial violence. A personal story that offers wonderful insights into the immigrant experience and the Civil Rights Movement from a unique perspective.