#yamile saied mendez

[the-final-sentence]

‘One for all, all for one!’

Yamile Saied Méndez, from “All for One”

[biwifeenergia]

Yamile Saied Méndez.

[illustration-alcove]

Rachelle Baker’s illustrated book cover for Yamile Saied Méndez’s Furia.

[ya-world-challenge]

Book Review: Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez (🇦🇷 Argentina)

[image 1: book cover: a headshot illustration of a brown girl against an orange background, with flowing black hair in a ponytail, facing us with an expression of solemn quiet strength. Tagline says ‘a spark will ignite her’. image 2: map showing Argentina; image 3: members of the Argentine women’s national football team celebrate in 2019, source: unknown]

Furia

YA World Challenge read for  🇦🇷 Argentina

Author: Yamile Saied Méndez

Category: YA

So, given the recent World Cup news, it seems like perfect timing to get this review up. Congratulations, Argentina!!  ⚽🏆

Review

First thing, if you passed over this book because you’re “not into sports media”, don’t! I almost made that mistake and only picked this up on a Kindle flash sale. This is such a masterfully crafted story of adolescence and feminism, passion for pursuing what you love, girl against society. Mendez weaves tough topics of sexism, missing girls, teen pregnancy, and domestic violence, alongside themes of first loves, sport, and friendship into a truly enjoyable story.

17-year-old Camila Hassan lives and breathes soccer - sorry, I mean fútbol. Her local girls team is on the way to the championship, and Camila, nicknamed Furia, is a star player. The problem is, her parents don’t know - she’s been playing for a year in secret. She’s got other secrets, too, like being in love with hometown hero Diego Ferrari who just got a contract to play in Italy. Her super sexist father doesn’t approve of girls playing fútbol, like much of Argentinian society.

Camila is determined not to let prejudice trample her dreams of playing pro in the US. She sees the girls around her and how they are all affected by the misogyny in their society. But she also finds herself caught between love and sport, and the expectation that a woman should give up her ambitions to support her man’s.

Lies are a big theme of the book, as the first line indicates, but I like that Méndez doesn’t completely take the old fashioned moral approach. Lies protect a woman from domestic violence, they allow a girl to enjoy sport without repression, they keep you safe from the shaming and stereotyping of the media. Lies are necessary in this society, but they are still oppressive and sometimes hurtful. And being able to be your true self without secrets is true freedom.

I loved this story and thought it was expertly written and more mature in tone than I had expected from the cover. Definitely recommend!

Other reps: #straight #catholic (a little)

Genre: #contemporary #sports #romance #activism

★  ★  ★  ★   ★    5 stars

Read it at  Bookshop.org  |  Amazon

[readtilyoudie]

"Death is a labor of love. A mother receives you into the world. A godmother ushers you out.”

Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories: La Madrina by Yamile Saied Méndez

[pipperoni32-blog]

Furia

by Yamile Saied Méndez / 4 stars

I definitely wouldn't have found this if not for the "Oregon Battle of the Books", and my mom starting the program up at the school library. The culture and language barrier was definitely strong, keeping me from fully getting a lot of references, or understanding parts of the book. Listening to the audiobook was a great choice, as it kept me from stumbling over Spanish sentences, and kept the listening experience smooth and fluid.

Having the book set in Argentina made such an impact. It's also somehow stealing my words to describe just how powerful the challenges that Camila faced were. While this book didn't always keep a tight grip on my attention, I still felt strongly throughout it. As the ending neared, I was sucked in and hoping that everything would work out.

Definitely a book to give a try! It may not be a popular enough choice to make it a common name, but what a strong, beautiful story.

[randomreferencesandquotes]

hmm you know, I don't think it works like that. just a hunch

[alexisrosemullens]

Rules: Answer and tag 9 people you want to get to know better and/or catch up with!

Thanks for the tag @jddryder!

Favourite colour: blue, purple, and pink

Last song listened to: My Kink is Karma by Chappell Roan

Currently reading: The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford which I HIGHLY recommend. And Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez

Currently watching: 9-1-1, waiting for The Bear s2 and Bridgerton part 2. I need a show for the summer hiatus so suggestions please!

Currently craving: Cake that's in my fridge waiting for me

Coffee or Tea: Coffee

tagging: @fallowtail @buckleydiaz @noah-price @ginnxtonic @church-of-lilith @singinprincess @maygrantgf @swearphil @ghostlyheart

[richincolor]

We have three books on our radar this week! Which ones are you interested in?

Forty Words for Love by Aisha Saeed Kokila

In this luminous young adult novel by New York Times bestselling author Aisha Saeed, two teen protagonists grow from friends to something more in the aftermath of a tragedy in their magical town. Moonlight Bay is a magical place—or it was once. After a tragic death mars the town, the pink and lavender waters in the bay turn gray, and the forest that was a refuge for newcomers becomes a scourge to the townspeople. Almost overnight, the entire town seems devoid of life and energy. The tourists have stopped coming. And the people in the town are struggling. This includes the two teens at the heart of our story: Yasmine and Rafay. Yasmine is a child of the town, and her parents are trying and failing to make ends meet. Rafay is an immigrant, a child of Willow Forest. The forest of Moonlight Bay was where people from Rafay’s community relocated when their home was destroyed. Except Moonlight Bay is no longer a welcoming refuge, and tensions between the townspeople and his people are growing. Yasmine and Rafay have been friends since Rafay first arrived, nearly ten years ago. As they've gotten older, their friendship has blossomed. Not that they would ever act on these feelings. The forest elders have long warned that falling in love with "outsiders" will lead to devastating consequences for anyone from Willow Forest. But is this actually true? Can Yasmine and Rafay find a way to be together despite it all? -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Writing in Color: The Lessons We've Learned edited by Nafiza Azad and Melody Simpson Margaret K. McElderry Books

So, you’re thinking of writing a book. Or, maybe you’ve written one, and are wondering what to do with it. What does it take to publish a novel, or even a short story? If you’re a writer of color, these questions might multiply; after all, there’s a lot of writing advice out there, and it can be hard to know how much of it really applies to your own experiences. If any of this sounds like you, you’re in the right place: this collection of essays, written exclusively by authors of color, is here to encourage and empower writers of all ages and backgrounds to find their voice as they put pen to page. Perhaps you’re just getting started. Here you’ll find a whole toolkit of advice from bestselling and award-winning authors for focusing on an idea, landing on a point of view, and learning which rules were meant to be broken. Or perhaps you have questions about everything beyond the first draft: what is it really like being a published author? These writers demystify the process, sharing personal stories as they forged their own path to publication, and specifically from their perspectives as author of color. Every writer has a different journey. Maybe yours has already started. Or maybe it begins right here. Contributors include: Julie C. Dao, Chloe Gong, Joan He, Kosoko Jackson, Adiba Jaigirdar, Darcie Little Badger, Yamile Saied Mendez, Axie Oh, Laura Pohl, Cindy Pon, Karuna Riazi, Gail D. Villanueva, Julian Winters, and Kat Zhang. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Actually Super by Adi Alsaid Knopf Books for Young Readers

A globetrotting novel that takes a determined teen from Japan to Australia and to Argentina and Mexico on a quest to prove that humanity is more good than bad from the author of Let’s Get Lost and Before Takeoff. Isabel is having an existential crisis. She’s three years into high school, and everything she’s learned has only shaken her faith in humanity. Late one night, she finds herself drawn to a niche corner of the internet—a forum whose members believe firmly in one that there are indeed people out in the world quietly performing impossible acts of heroism. You might even call them supers . No, not in the comic book sense—these are real people, just like each of us, but who happen to have a power or two. If Isabel can find them, she reasons, she might be able to prove to herself that humanity is more good than bad. So, the day she turns 18, she sets off on a journey that will take her from Japan to Australia, and from Argentina to Mexico, with many stops along the way. She longs to prove one— just one— super exists to restore her hope for the future. Will she find what she’s looking for? And how will she know when—if—she does? -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

[michellesargentinianlitblog]

Most Important Quote

" Now I have to tell my parent "

-Yamile Saied Mendez, Furia (29)

[ksfoxwald]

2022 in Books

My reading stats for this year are so weird because I started reading a lot of children's chapter books and graphic novels. According to Storygraph I've read 292 books this year, and I know I didn't include everything.

Since it's hard to really compare all the things I've read, I've made 3 different top ten lists based on the sorts of things I read this year.

Top Five Books 1. The Wolf Among the Wild Hunt by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor 2. Gryphon Ranger: Crossline Plains by Roz Gibson 3. Flames of Hope by Tui T. Sutherland 4. I Hope We Choose Love by Kai Cheng Thom 5. By the Silver Wind by Jess Owen

Top Graphic Novels 1. Magical Boy by The Kao 2. Dog Man by Dav Pilkey 3. Wingbearer by Marjorie M. Liu 4. Manu! by Kelly Fernandez 5. Space Story by Fiona Ostby

Top Chapter Books Series 1. The Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin 2. Animorphs by KA Applegate 3. Horse Country by Yamile Saied Mendez 4. Unicorn Academy by Julie Sykes 5. Secrets of Droon by Tony Abbott

Additional commentary below the Read More, but I'm not the author of any of these books and I don't owe you a Real Summary.

Top Five Books 1. The Wolf Among the Wild Hunt by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor -I'm not usually into spooky stuff, but I am into platonic ride-or-die friendships between people who are convinced they're monsters 2. Gryphon Ranger: Crossline Plains by Roz Gibson -The past couple years have been a revelation in discovery that actually a lot of people feel that gryphons are the best mythical creature and that Redwall was great but Adult talking animals with swords is even better. It seems it is my fate to become a furry. 3. Flames of Hope by Tui T. Sutherland -I still do love dragons, and this was a very satisfying season finale for Wings of Fire. Tui has done several variations on subverting the Chosen One and it's a unique and interesting take each time. 4. I Hope We Choose Love by Kai Cheng Thom -Everything that is wrong with Internet Queer Culture and how to fix it. Well, sort of. It's a good read for recentering oneself, I think. 5. By the Silver Wind by Jess Owen -Speaking of gryphons, I'm not sure how long it took me to finish this series, but I am slowly working my way through the canon of Gryphon fantasy.

Top Graphic Novels 1. Magical Boy by The Kao -A trans boy finds out that he's inherited his mother's magical girl powers - including her outfit! A loving parody of the magical girl genre that also expresses how frustrating it is for queer and trans folks. 2. Dog Man by Dav Pilkey -Come for the poop jokes, stay for the generational trauma and moral philosophy. Dav Pilkey is a genius and I will die on this hill. 3. Wingbearer by Marjorie M. Liu -No this one isn't about gryphons, they just show up briefly. It's just so pretty... 4. Manu! by Kelly Fernandez -What if a magical school was a girl's Catholic school? And one of the kids may or may not be a demon, but is definitely an adorable chaos queerling? 5. Space Story by Fiona Ostby -three timelines - one of a woman on a space station waiting for her family, one of her wife and child building a ship to join her, and one of how the two of them met. Slow and sweet and hopeful in the face of a bleak future and a really good use of multiple timelines.

Top Chapter Books Series 1. The Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin -I would have hated these as a tween, but as an adult they're bomb. I'm only like 20 in but they're a masterclass in character development and episodic storytelling. 2. Animorphs by KA Applegate -I never actually finished the series as a kid, and was hoping to do so this year, but that will probably take until January. Anyway it's way more intense than I remember. 3. Horse Country by Yamile Saied Mendez -Just another horse girl series, but this one stars girls of color who are flawed and interesting characters. 4. Unicorn Academy by Julie Sykes -It's trash. Absolute trash. Girls in a boarding school who get paired with a unicorn and need to unlock their magical talent with Power of Friendship while going on somewhat contrived G-rated adventures. Absolute garbage writing and worldbuilding. But it's my kind of trash and I fucking love it. 5. Secrets of Droon by Tony Abbott -Another masterclass in episodic storytelling, and how to balance standalone adventures with longform plot. Early volumes are a bit twee but the stakes get raised as the series goes on. I want to co-author this but with kids of color exploring a fantasyland that is less colonialist.

[read-alert]

September TBR! Full titles under the cut!

Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex ed by Nat Smith and Eric A Stanley

King of the Rising by Kacen Callender

Dawn by Octavia Butler

The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice

Self Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by AM McLemore

Dreaming of You by Melissa Lozada-Olivia

Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano

The Immortals by Makenzy Orcel trans by Nathan H Dize

Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories ed by Sandra Proudman

BDS: Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights by Omar Barghouti

The Name-Bearer by Natalia Hernandez

Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldanado

Hestia Strikes a Match by Christine Grillo

King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender

Speculative Fiction for Dreamers: A Latinx Anthology ed by Sarah Rafael García, Matthew David Goodwin, and Alex Hernandez

Ghost Squad by Claribel A Ortega

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bacteria trans by Sarah Moses

Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue trans by Natasha Wimmer

Ander and Santi Were Here by Johnny Garza Villa

Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories ed by Amparo Ortiz and Yamile Saied Mendez

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology ed by Shane Hawk and Theodore C Van Alst Jr

The Art of Star Trek by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens

Teen Titans vol 2: Family Lost by Geoff Johns et al

Batman: Gates of Gotham by Scott Snyder et al

The Old Guard Book Three: Tales Through Time by Greg Rucka et al

[biwifeenergia]

Yamile Saied Méndez.

[winningthesweepstakes]

Calling the Moon edited by Aida Salazar and Yamile Saied Mendez

Calling the Moon: 16 Period Stories from BIPOC Authors edited by Aida Salazar and Yamile Saied Mendez. Candlewick Press, 2023. 9781536216349 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4.5 Format: Hardcover Genre: Realistic fiction What did you like about the book? Sometimes getting your period is a pleasant surprise. Sometimes it comes as a horrifying shock. Sometimes it even appears…

[saraishortcake]

Books I've Read This Year

The Inheritance Games- Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Hawthorne Legacy- Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Dear Martin- Nic Stone

This is My America- Kim Johnson

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Zora Neale Hurston

Party of Two- Jasmine Guillory

Furia- Yamile Saied Mendez

Blackout- Nic Stone, Nicola Yoon, etc.

[che-michelle]

Twice the Quinceanera Is a Joy!

Book Review Book: Twice The Quinceanera Author: Yamile Saied Mendez Published: July 26th, 2022 Wine Choice:  Elisa Saugivigon Blanc Stand Alone, Series, or Other: Stand Alone Type of book: Novel Genre: Rom-Com; Fiction How long did it take me to read this book:   5 days Overall rating: Wonderful, Citrusy, and Empowering By the time you read this review, it will either be the end of…