Name: Frida Kahlo's review of Call Me Athena by Colby Cedar Smith
Item: Call Me Athena
Rating: 3
Author: Frida Kahlo

Colby Cedar Smith

This enchanting novel in verse captures one young woman's struggle for independence, equality, and identity as the daughter of Greek and French immigrants in tumultuous 1930s Detroit. Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit is a beautifully written novel in verse loosely based on author Colby Cedar Smith's paternal grandmother. The story follows Mary as the American-born daughter of Greek and French immigrants living in Detroit in the 1930s, creating a historically accurate portrayal of life as an immigrant during the Great Depression, hunger strikes, and violent riots. Mary lives in a tiny apartment with her immigrant parents, her brothers, and her twin sister, and she questions why her parents ever came to America. She yearns for true love, to own her own business, and to be an independent, modern American woman--much to the chagrin of her parents, who want her to be a "good Greek girl." Mary's story is peppered with flashbacks to her parents' childhoods in Greece and northern France; their stories connect with Mary as they address issues of arranged marriage, learning about independence, and yearning to grow beyond one's own culture. Though Call Me Athena is written from the perspective of three profoundly different narrators, it has a wide-reaching message: It takes courage to fight for tradition and heritage, as well as freedom, love, and equality.

Girl from Detroit

Call Me Athena

Paula Narvaez

Frida Kahlo

I received an eARC copy from Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


  Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit
 follows three intertwined stories, three protagonists who get closely connected. We meet Mary, a young woman living in Detroit in the 1930s, the period of the Great Depression that hit the city like a tsunami. The city's development revolved around the, at that time, narrowed manufacturing of Ford automobiles, and many workers lost their jobs; Mary struggles for her right to work and choose for herself. And we meet Gio and Jeanne, who met in the wind of World War I, a soldier and a nurse depicting a tiny love seed planted in devastated soil. 

The reflection of the young love that sprouted in the middle of WWI, with all the struggles, uncertainties, death, and insecurities, is clearly visible in the yearning of young Mary to be independent, to have a right to work and a right to choose a life and a husband for herself, just like Jeanne had the opportunity to go for Gio. Her story is interspersed with learning about her background, tradition and heritage, identifying with them, and finding the courage to embrace them while at the same time building a modern life in modern society, balancing between two worlds.

This novel in verse is beautifully written, inviting us to dive into Mary's thoughts, doubts, insecurities, resolutions, sharing the WWI hardships and a small light in the tunnel, love that kept Jeanne and Gio going. From the first word, the novel felt heavy with feelings, heart wrenching words and exquisite writing. The historical references and the parallel drawn between two very different events that took place in two contrasting parts of the world with specific political and economic situations give a good background for deeper analysis and discussion. 

What caught my attention was the title and its reference to Athena. She was the warrior goddess who, with her wisdom and strength, represented the matriarchy, independence and overall power. My expectations on reading more about Greek mythology from the somewhat modern perspective came flat; I wish that that connection was more expressive and pointed out. 

Moreover, the comparison between Mary and Athena does not correlate. On the one hand, we have Athena, the goddess whose name, powers, strength, and deeds were well-known and respected. On the other hand, we have Mary, an American-born daughter of Greek and French immigrants who struggles to find her place in the society of 1930's Detroit. Mary's voice sounds muffled; she refuses to be a "Good Greek Girl" and tries to empower herself to break the patriarchy, all the social and political restrictions. These two are diametrically opposite. 

Very lyrical, gorgeous cover, heartbreaking story, but at the same time, it felt very distant, lacking spirit; perhaps the fact that it is written in verse took away some of the depth, the lack of text affected conveying of the story. Nevertheless, a truly touching tale lies between these pages and verses.


  Call Me Athena

The girl
who should have been born
a boy.

Stephanie Midolo

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an Advanced Readers Copy.
I finished Call Me Athena a few days ago, but I’m not sure how I feel about this one. Normally, I really like novels written in verse, but something about the narrative structure didn’t land with me. The writing some how communicated emotion, but didn’t elicit empathy. I didn’t feel connected to anyone, which is also strange for me, since I love family histories and immigration stories. This book was perfect on paper, but seemed to miss the mark.

Paula Narvaez &
Call Me Athena by Colby Cedar Smith

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Paula Narvaez &
Call Me Athena by Colby Cedar Smith