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Title details for Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero - Available

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces

by Isabel Quintero
Gabriela Betancourt
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Gabi aún no entiende quién es. Escribir la ayudará a juntar sus pedazos.

Gabi Hernández está en su último año de la preparatoria. Para entretenerse, escribe todo lo que le pasa en su diario: las solicitudes a las universidades, el embarazo de Cindy, cuando Sebastián salió del clóset, los chicos guapos de su clase, la adicción de su padre a la metanfetamina, y toda la comida que se le antoja. Pero lo mejor de todo lo que escribe es la poesía que la ayuda a ser quien es.
 
24 de julio
Mi madre me llamó Gabriela en honor de mi abuela materna, quien, por cierto, no quiso conocerme cuando nací porque mi mamá no estaba casada, es decir, vivía en pecado. Mi mamá me contó muchas, muchas, muchas veces cómo mi abuela la golpeó cuando le confesó que estaba embarazada de mí. ¡Le dio una paliza! A los veinticinco años. Esa historia es la base de mi educación sexual. Cada vez que salgo con alguien, mi mamá dice, “Ojos abiertos, piernas cerradas”. Hasta ahí llega la conversación de las abejitas y las flores. Y por mí está bien, aun si no estoy enteramente de acuerdo con toda esa basura de “esperar hasta que te cases”. O sea, esto es Estados Unidos y es el siglo XXI, no México hace cien años. Pero, claro, no se lo puedo decir a mi mamá porque pensaría que soy mala. O peor: que intento ser blanca.
ENGLISH DESCRIPTION
Named to Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2014
Named to School Library Journal Best Books of 2014
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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 30, 2021

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593585894
      • File size: 208533 KB
      • Duration: 07:14:26

  • Languages

    • Spanish; Castilian

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Kyla Garcia moves easily between English and Spanish, establishing the cultural confusion of a 17-year-old Mexican-American high school senior. Gabi's diary entries are a lyrical mix of courage and frustration, confusing sex and honest friendship, shame and pride. Garcia's wide range of tones authentically expresses the thoughtful teenager's rapidly shifting feelings, which move from self-deprecation at being overweight to tearfulness as she writes a letter to her meth-addicted father and giddiness when she's asked out on a date. Gabi is eloquent and messy, smart in school but not wise enough to restrain her emotions amid conflict. Garcia's versatility and Quintero's vivid writing unite to show the strength and beauty of a complex young woman. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from September 29, 2014
      Quintero’s first novel quickly establishes a strong voice and Mexican-American cultural perspective through the journal of intelligent, self-deprecating, and funny Gabi. The 17-year-old is navigating considerable conflict both at home and in her social life: her father is addicted to meth, while Gabi’s strict mother pressures her to conform to her own views of their heritage and values. Gabi, who seeks comfort through binge eating, wants to grow up on her own terms, and she explores her awakening romantic and sexual feelings by writing poetry. Quintero unsentimentally confronts a gay teenager’s coming out, teen pregnancy, date rape, abortion, addiction, and other topics while sketching the contradictory pressures facing Gabi, who feels caught between two worlds (“Being Mexican-American is tough sometimes. Your allegiance is always questioned”). Gabi’s letters to her father are particularly moving, and her narration is fresh, self-aware, and reflective. The intimate journal structure of the novel is especially revealing as Gabi gains confidence in her own integrity and complexity: “I guess there is more to this fat girl than even this fat girl ever knew.” Ages 14–up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • Spanish; Castilian

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