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GABI

Isabel Quintero

A Girl In Pieces

Gabi Hernandez chronicles her last year in high school in her diary: college applications, Cindy's pregnancy, Sebastian's coming out, the cute boys, her father's meth habit, and the food she craves. And best of all, the poetry that helps forge her identity.

July 24

My mother named me Gabriella, after my grandmother who, coincidentally, didn't want to meet me when I was born because my mother was unmarried, and therefore living in sin. My mom has told me the story many, many, MANY, times of how, when she confessed to my grandmother that she was pregnant with me, her mother beat her. BEAT HER! She was twenty-five. That story is the basis of my sexual education and has reiterated why it's important to wait until you're married to give it up. So now, every time I go out with a guy, my mom says, "Ojos abiertos, piernas cerradas." Eyes open, legs closed. That's as far as the birds and the bees talk has gone. And I don't mind it. I don't necessarily agree with that whole wait until you're married crap, though. I mean, this is America and the 21st century; not Mexico one hundred years ago. But, of course, I can't tell my mom that because she will think I'm bad. Or worse: trying to be White.
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Published 2014-10-01 by Cinco Puntos Press

Comments

Winner, William C. Morris Award for YA Debut Fiction Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award Gold Medal Winner of the California Book Award for Young Adult Top Ten, Reluctant Readers Quick Picks Capitol Choices Amelia Bloomer Project List School Library Journal Best Book Award YALSA Best Ficition for Young Adults List Paterson Prize for Books for Young People

Named to School Library Journal Best Books of 2014

Readers won't soon forget Gabi, a young woman coming into her own in the face of intense pressure from her family, culture and society to fit someone else's idea of what it means to be a "good" girl. A fresh, authentic and honest exploration of contemporary Latina identity. -- Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

Film option by Anonymous Content.

Quintero is utterly confident, gifting us with a messy, complicated protagonist who isn't defined by ethnicity, class, weight, or lifestyle. Gabi is purely herself - and that's what makes her universal. - Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

Quintero's first novel quickly establishes a strong voice and Mexican--- American cultural perspective through the journal of intelligent, self-deprecating, and funny Gabi. - Publisher's Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

While reflecting the specific experiences of one overweight, Mexican-American teenager, Quintero's debut novel addresses a number of universal themes, from family relationships to sexual exploration. Gabi's voice, as expressed in her diary through poetry, prose, lists, and overheard conversations, is funny, smart, full of wonder, and brutally honest. -- VOYA Magazine, 4 stars

Named to Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2014

Believing she's not Mexican enough for her family and not white enough for Berkeley, Gabi still meets every challenge head-on with vulgar humor and raw honesty -- School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW