Lilliam Rivera
Autor von The Education of Margot Sanchez
Über den Autor
Werke von Lilliam Rivera
Zugehörige Werke
From a Certain Point of View: 40 Stories Celebrating 40 Years of The Empire Strikes Back (2020) — Mitwirkender — 350 Exemplare
Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed: 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora (2021) — Mitwirkender — 110 Exemplare
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Wissenswertes
- Geburtstag
- 20th Century
- Geschlecht
- female
- Nationalität
- USA
- Geburtsort
- Bronx, New York, USA
- Wohnorte
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Preise und Auszeichnungen
- 2016 Pushcart Prize winner
2015 Clarion alumni with a Leonard Pung Memorial Scholarship - Agent
- Eddie Schneider (JABberwocky Literary Agency)
- Kurzbiographie
- Lilliam Rivera is an award-winning author of the young adult novels Never Look Back, a Pura Belpré Honor winner, Dealing In Dreams, The Education of Margot Sanchez, as well as the Goldie Vance series for middle grade readers, and the stand-alone middle grade novel Barely Floating. Her forthcoming works include a young adult science fiction novel, We Light Up the Sky, for Bloomsbury (Oct 5, 2021) and a graphic novel for DC Comics, Unearthed: A Jessica Cruz Story (September 14, 2021). Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, the New York Times, and Elle, to name a few. Lilliam lives in Los Angeles.
Mitglieder
Rezensionen
Gr 7 Up—Jessica has a lot going for her, but she and her family have a secret: They are undocumented immigrants.
ICE raids in her neighborhood cause her anxiety to escalate, and Aztec gods appear to her in dreams, guiding her
by turns toward constructive and destructive solutions. Colors radiate off the page and communicate each scene's
emotional tone in this work of self-discovery.
ICE raids in her neighborhood cause her anxiety to escalate, and Aztec gods appear to her in dreams, guiding her
by turns toward constructive and destructive solutions. Colors radiate off the page and communicate each scene's
emotional tone in this work of self-discovery.
Nat figures her summer will go according to plan: she and her best friend Joanne will hang out at the pool. Joanne will read manga, Nat will earn money by betting older kids that she can beat them in swimming races, and they'll make plans for the anime con they'll attend in the fall. But everything changes when Nat sees a demonstration by the L.A. Mermaids, an artistic (formerly called synchronized) swim team. The costumes, the glitter, the coordinated moves... Nat is immediately in love, but her parents are skeptical. They're of the opinion that synchronized swimming puts too much emphasis on appearances. Nat is confident in her body: she knows she's fat, strong, and fabulous. She's passed the audition for the Mermaids, and she has some money saved up. So, she decides to lie to her parents. With the help of an older cousin, she starts attending practice, and learns how much work goes into those effortless-looking moves. But she can't keep up the lie forever...
I really loved the character building here: Nat's a great lead, and the secondary characters are all well fleshed out, with their own lives and problems. I do think the scope and duration of the lie was a little hard to believe, since Nat's parents are cast as being involved and interested in Nat's life. However, I was willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of the story, and I found it well-plotted and paced. Recommended to readers of middle-grade realistic fiction.… (mehr)
I really loved the character building here: Nat's a great lead, and the secondary characters are all well fleshed out, with their own lives and problems. I do think the scope and duration of the lie was a little hard to believe, since Nat's parents are cast as being involved and interested in Nat's life. However, I was willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of the story, and I found it well-plotted and paced. Recommended to readers of middle-grade realistic fiction.… (mehr)
I enjoyed reading Never Look Back with its New York setting and fun characters. Now, I’m not familiar with most Greek mythology, so any parallels and references were lost to me. Some of the dialogue is the slightest bit corny, but it’s definitely New Yorker slang. I think it just sounds more natural when you hear it, y’know. Just curious, y’all New Yorkers, still saying homeboy?
Anyway, the story touches on a lot of things, but it didn’t feel clunky to me. Prince’s music and the evil (and beauty) of humans are both recurring themes. I thought it was an interesting, though strange, choice to keep capitalizing Black in place of African-American/black-American. I get it though because black can be a colloquial nickname for the ethnicity.
The narrative acknowledges hope and resilience can be a very powerful thing, especially as it relates to Puerto Rico as Eury feels untethered from her island. She’s seen the destruction and rebuilding that needs to take place, and she’s tired of people questioning why she and others haven’t done anything about it. I also, LOVE the conversations about balancing faith, therapy, and medication. Those could be a good trio, if you’re open to it.
When it comes to characters, I like when they aren’t just black and white. For example, Melaina was catty and #TooMuch but not evil. She had a bit more depth than just the jealous mean girl. Orpheus/Pheus was bland, just a charming dude with a voice of silk, until he started trying to protect Eury. One of my favorite characters was Pheus’s worldly and spiritual dad. He wasn’t the usual, hot Latin-dude stereotype, so I thought he was refreshing. His and Pheus’ father-son connection was heartwarming. “Be safe. Don’t be stupid.”
Every moment of the Ato conflict was great. I was questioning Ato’s existence and other things too. The second half of the story definitely amps up the supernatural. Now, there is an uncomfortable scene where a man has intent to sexually-harass and/or assault a character, but the majority of this book wasn’t dark. The story’s actually fast-paced, which is something I personally like.
Overall, the ending was fitting and ultimately subverted my expectations. I’m interested in reading more from this author.
3.5… (mehr)
Anyway, the story touches on a lot of things, but it didn’t feel clunky to me. Prince’s music and the evil (and beauty) of humans are both recurring themes. I thought it was an interesting, though strange, choice to keep capitalizing Black in place of African-American/black-American. I get it though because black can be a colloquial nickname for the ethnicity.
The narrative acknowledges hope and resilience can be a very powerful thing, especially as it relates to Puerto Rico as Eury feels untethered from her island. She’s seen the destruction and rebuilding that needs to take place, and she’s tired of people questioning why she and others haven’t done anything about it. I also, LOVE the conversations about balancing faith, therapy, and medication. Those could be a good trio, if you’re open to it.
When it comes to characters, I like when they aren’t just black and white. For example, Melaina was catty and #TooMuch but not evil. She had a bit more depth than just the jealous mean girl. Orpheus/Pheus was bland, just a charming dude with a voice of silk, until he started trying to protect Eury. One of my favorite characters was Pheus’s worldly and spiritual dad. He wasn’t the usual, hot Latin-dude stereotype, so I thought he was refreshing. His and Pheus’ father-son connection was heartwarming. “Be safe. Don’t be stupid.”
Every moment of the Ato conflict was great. I was questioning Ato’s existence and other things too. The second half of the story definitely amps up the supernatural. Now, there is an uncomfortable scene where a man has intent to sexually-harass and/or assault a character, but the majority of this book wasn’t dark. The story’s actually fast-paced, which is something I personally like.
Overall, the ending was fitting and ultimately subverted my expectations. I’m interested in reading more from this author.
3.5… (mehr)
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Whether it’s a fistfight with a boy who is disrespecting her cousin or a swimming race against a much older teen at the city pool, Nat’s confidence and tenacity compel her to finish anything she starts, no matter what the odds. Nat’s parents, a community activist and a college professor, have instilled a strong sense of justice in her and her three older brothers. When she becomes enchanted with Black-owned synchronized swimming team the L.A. Mermaids, she knows she needs to try out—even if her fat body and Latina heritage aren’t the norm for the sport. Her parents veto the idea, citing the dominance in elite synchronized swimming of thin, White girls. In an ill-conceived plan, headstrong Nat decides to join the team anyway and begins learning the sport in secret. Joining the L.A. Mermaids brings her new friends—Daniel, whose race is not specified and who is the sole boy in a female-dominated sport, and Ethiopian American Ayana, who struggles with an overzealous mom. In contrast to these blooming friendships, Nat’s connection with her best friend has frayed over the summer, and she isn’t sure why. She must tame her temper and learn to own her mistakes to keep her relationships with family and friends afloat. Nat’s radical self-acceptance is a beautiful example for readers: Her unapologetic self-love and empathy make her a compelling character.
A body-positive story of growing up that’s sure to make a splash. (Fiction. 9-13)
-Kirkus Review… (mehr)