This is the story of eleven-year old Mexican-American Marcia Cruz of San Lorenzo, California. She has a younger sister Corin and loves her Grandma Flor very much. Her mom is no longer affectionate to her and often scolds her in Spanish, but her dad is downright abusive, often beating her with a belt when he is drunk or has another excuse to do so.

Marcia wants to be a boy and is especially attracted to her 16-year-old neighbor Raquel. This is story as only a preteen can tell it. At first, I was not sure I’d like this book, but slowly I allowed the young voice of Marcia to prevail and found her worming her way into my heart as she and her younger sister tried to navigate the emotional turmoil her parents were causing them.

I found this story surprisingly interesting, always wanting to know what would happen next. I also found the frequent interjection of Spanish phrases fun and learned quite a bit of off-color Mexican slang in the process. ( )

diverse teen/adult fiction (Latinx, LGBTQ interest)
11 y.o. Chicana, tomboyish girl (her Catholic family includes a physically and vindictively abusive dad, a mother that refuses to leave him, a younger 9 y.o. sister, a closeted gay uncle and his wife who live next door, a cousin recently come back from Vietnam with mental health and drug addiction problems, and a kickass grandma who escaped from her own abusive husband by stabbing him) identifies as a girl but also knows she is attracted to girls. She tries to make sense of it on her own (without having anyone really to talk to) and eventually (after she and her sister escape the never-ending peril that is their angry dad) makes friends with another girl her age who also likes girls.

Because of the time period, this would resonate more with an adult audience, but a queer teen would be able to appreciate the themes nonetheless. Marci's voice is smart and true and honest, and her character is easy to like. ( )

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"Dad loved paydays, and after a beer or two, he play-wrestled with me and Corin, then tickled us till we screamed. But the problem was you never knew what would make him mad. One minute he was laughing and playing. Next thing you know, bam! He's lashing across our legs with a doubled belt. I don't even remember what started it." p. 11

"Mom wanted to drive once, but she was scared. Plus, every time she got behind the wheel my dad would start yelling: 'Ponga la pata on the clutch! The clutch! Not the goddamn brake! Pendeja!' I told her later that maybe she should hitchhike. At least there wouldn't be anyone yelling at her." p. 16

"Sister 'Lizabeth said 'Catholics aren't supposed to divorce. It's what the Pope says.' I told her that if the Pope had to live with my dad, he'd change that rule fast." p. 38

"I was hungry, not only because I'd been running around, but because we ate beans for supper and I don't eat a lot since I don't like the way my mom fixes them. 'Frijoles guisados,' she called them, which means she fries oil with flour, and then adds bean juice and onions. This makes the beans thicker, but makes them taste awful. Mom fixes them this way because the king of the castle likes them like that. Since the king says, 'I pay the bills,' I have to eat them the way he likes them." p. 57

Set in the Bay Area of the 1960s, this novel is narrated by Marci Cruz, an eleven-year-old Latina who fervently wishes for two things. The first is for God to turn her into a boy, because she has something of a crush on Raquel, her teenaged neighbor; the second is for Eddie, her father, to disappear.

A couple of times a week, Eddie beats Marci, and Corin, her younger sister, for some infraction, usually with his leather belt. It always occurs when Delia, their mother, isn’t home. Eddie always accuses the girls of lying, or says that he had to break up their fight, and Delia always believes him. During an argument, Eddie leaves the house, and doesn’t return. Delia is forced to get a job at the local Woolworth’s, and things settle down at home. Several months later, during which time he has been living with a woman named Wanda, Delia takes Eddie back, despite the girls’ pleading with her not to do so. The beatings resume.

Marci and Corin disown Eddie as their father, refusing to call him "Daddy" or "Father." With help from a neighbor, they tie him up and threaten him with a switchblade. Marci gets a book on karate from the local library, intending to learn some moves to use on Eddie. He resumes his relationship with Wanda; Delia will accept a lot of things, but she will not tolerate Eddie even looking at another woman. Marci borrows a camera from her Uncle Tommy, and sits across the street from a local bar, intending to get pictures of Eddie and Wanda together. Unintentionally, the pictures get into Delia’s hands, and then comes the "final" confrontation with Eddie.

This book is not just about domestic violence. Marci nearly gets thrown out of catechism class, for asking too many questions that eleven-year-olds shouldn’t ask. Her teacher, Miss Beauchamp, insists on speaking with a French accent, even though she is from Wisconsin. One day, at church, she sees Uncle Tommy and Father Chacon, the parish priest, come out of the same door in the confessional.

In a way, this book is not pleasant reading, but it is very good reading. The author does a fine job at "doing" a pre-teen Latina. This book could easily take place in any part of America. All in all, it’s very much worth reading. ( )