Jennifer De Leon

"Liliana Cruz does what it takes to fit in at her new nearly all-white school, but when family secrets come out and racism at school gets worse than ever, she must decide what she believes in and take a stand"--

Don't Ask Me Where I'm From

“A funny, perceptive, and much-needed book telling a much-needed story.” —Celeste Ng, author of the New York Times bestseller Little Fires Everywhere “Written with humor and grace, with intimacy and empathy, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From is the perfect coming of age novel for our time.” —Matt Mendez, author of Barely Missing Everything and Twitching Heart First-generation American LatinX Liliana Cruz does what it takes to fit in at her new nearly all-white school. But when family secrets spill out and racism at school ramps up, she must decide what she believes in and take a stand. Liliana Cruz is a hitting a wall—or rather, walls. There’s the wall her mom has put up ever since Liliana’s dad left—again. There’s the wall that delineates Liliana’s diverse inner-city Boston neighborhood from Westburg, the wealthy—and white—suburban high school she’s just been accepted into. And there’s the wall Liliana creates within herself, because to survive at Westburg, she can’t just lighten up, she has to whiten up. So what if she changes her name? So what if she changes the way she talks? So what if she’s seeing her neighborhood in a different way? But then light is shed on some hard truths: It isn’t that her father doesn’t want to come home—he can’t…and her whole family is in jeopardy. And when racial tensions at school reach a fever pitch, the walls that divide feel insurmountable. But a wall isn’t always a barrier. It can be a foundation for something better. And Liliana must choose: Use this foundation as a platform to speak her truth, or risk crumbling under its weight.

Emily C Peterson

Katie

I wish the tone was more consistent in this. I felt like I was in a weird land between Middle Grade and Young Adult, crossing into YA when the characters cuss and falling back into Middle Grade when they say "Gahhh!"

Don't Ask Me Where I'm From was overall an enjoyable read and I would recommend it. I particularly liked Lili as a main character, as well as her family dynamic.

Belle Ellrich

*I WAS PROVIDED A PHYSICAL GALLEY BY THE PUBLISHER FOR THE PURPOSES OF A TOUR. THIS DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION*

Fair warning when reading this book: it will absolutely gut you emotionally.

Jennifer De Leon did not come to mess around when giving us this book to read. There were so many parts of this book that spoke volumes about not only the main character but the real-world situations De Leon was referencing as well.

Liliana is a very headstrong girl. We don't often see that in teen books nowadays, and I really enjoyed seeing it in her here. Her character was very complex, and the author highlighted every bit of big and small information she wanted us to gather. I was blown away by the sheer amount of character development we were provided for Lili and all of the side characters De Leon created and evolved.

I loved, especially, how she'd created this mindset for Lili to have upon transferring schools. Instead of forcing naivety on the MC like most authors do, Lili was granted time to grow and learn from experience. This was a welcome addition to the book and one that really got me hooked.

The author made it feel as though we were able to live through Liliana's shoes while reading. It was magical, getting to experience that. And I have to say, it's been a long, long time since a book has been able to provide that.

One thing I was really excited to see was that there was no lack of detail between the two different settings. De Leon crafted for us Boston as she knows it and Westburg as we could imagine. She pits the two together in a way that fully describes and details their similarities and differences. Boston is the place Lili lives, where there's constant description of it being a bit darker but more lively and active. Westburg is where Lili goes to school, and it's described as brighter but quieter and stiller.

By doing this, it made me realize some other things that De Leon also wrote about. Something that's always kind of been a known fact to me is that "American culture" isn't actually what it's depicted to be. American culture has pulled from so many other people's cultures and claimed them as their own. In this book, while not focused on as heavily as the other aspects, this fact is also included.

DAMWIF does deal with the topics of deportation and racism in society and in our schools, and I really loved how the author crafted them into the story. This book wrapped up on a happier note, but it also left some ends loose (in a good way). I found myself being able to compare my own school--from a town much like Westburg--to Lili's school. Where Lili had to face racism and adversity in an atmosphere that's supposed to be safe and welcoming, we also had that happen and still have happen at my own.

Something I feel is important to point out about this book is that it doesn't shy away from anything. Lili is forced to deal with situations no teenager, let alone a human being, should ever have to experience or face. The author made a point of disallowing a pretty-bow tied ending in terms of the racism Lili endures, but I think that was a better-suited ending for this story.

The author made sure to bring these issues to light in this novel, and I really do have to applaud her for her beautiful writing style, among her talent to perfectly depict a story in such vibrant and solid images. Though, in the beginning, I was wary due to the unusual time-skips, I soon after fell in love with the novel and De Leon's writing as a whole.

For that, I rate this novel 4.25 stars. I can happily say I really enjoyed reading this novel, which I seem to have been lacking in most books lately. It helped pull me out of a book slump, and it also left me with some questions on what I can do to help change my community to be more inclusive. It also helped me recognize some things about my privilege that I can use to help those without it.

I look forward to reading more from Jennifer De Leon in the future, and I can't wait for y'all to be able to read this outstanding book.

Don't Ask Me Where I'm From

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