Don't Ask Me Where I'm From by Jennifer De Leon
Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Publication Date: August 18, 2020
ISBN: 9781534438248
Life for Liliana Cruz is far from simple. She is 15 years old, American-born, and the daughter of two illegal immigrants. She goes to a not so great school, has an overprotective mother, and her father has been mysteriously absent for weeks. But wait, there’s more. Liliana is thrust into a fancy new...predominantly white… suburban school when she is accepted into their METCO program. As Liliana uncovers the truth about her father, and learns that METCO is an attempt to desegregate her new school, she is forced to juggle the emotional roller coaster that is her home life and the challenges of assimilating to a school when she is nothing like her classmates.
While the dialogue at the beginning of this novel is cringe-worthy at best, the story picks up as Liliana begins to adjust to her new school. If you can get past the first six chapters, the story picks up and becomes more enjoyable as you learn more about Liliana’s life and those around her. De Leon does, however, improve her dialogue as you learn more about Liliana; either that, or you get used to her writing style.
All in all, this is a great read that brings to light challenges in the Latinx community. You will feel empowered as you witness Liliana fighting to break the stereotypes that plague her, and you will get hooked in her quest to create her own identity. Despite the seriousness of the issues at hand, De Leon does a great job of putting it in a story that is easy to absorb.
If you enjoy Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, I recommend reading On the Come Up by Angie Thomas and Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro.
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