A review by pikasqueaks
The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera
5.0
My initial review of this book wasn't nearly expressive and expansive enough to talk about everything I really, truly loved about this book. It's been a long, long time since I've read a YA novel that didn't piss me off, make me roll my eyes excessively, or bore me with repetitive stereotypes and recycled plots and stock characters.
The thing about this book is that it DOES use some recycled concepts: weird new girl tries to fit in with the Cool Kid Crowd, loses herself, and finds herself again through a serious of eye-opening events in her life. The obsession with Ivy Leagues schools. Boys from the wrong side of the tracks who are actually more delicate than you'd think.
But all of this comes through the lens of a flawed, unlikeable and loveable protagonist who truly meant the world to me to read. She reminded me so much of myself when I was a teenager: endlessly searching for what I deserved, while at the same time endlessly trying to fit myself into boxes that didn't accommodate me.
We see Margot's eyes opening to the greater injustices of the world while still holding onto her perceived rightful place. She's smart, she's inventive, but she's just as confused as anyone else, and she makes all of the right mistakes.
Moreover, the issues touched on in this book are still raw. Gentrification -- touched on by Renee Watson in THIS SIDE OF HOME and a small handful of other books -- family secrets, and, oh my goodness, the subtle takedown of machismo. But these issues aren't the story, they're just a part of the bigger picture, and it never becomes yet another Brown Girl Lives Through Torrid Life To Come Out On top.
Thanks for this book, Lilliam.
The thing about this book is that it DOES use some recycled concepts: weird new girl tries to fit in with the Cool Kid Crowd, loses herself, and finds herself again through a serious of eye-opening events in her life. The obsession with Ivy Leagues schools. Boys from the wrong side of the tracks who are actually more delicate than you'd think.
But all of this comes through the lens of a flawed, unlikeable and loveable protagonist who truly meant the world to me to read. She reminded me so much of myself when I was a teenager: endlessly searching for what I deserved, while at the same time endlessly trying to fit myself into boxes that didn't accommodate me.
We see Margot's eyes opening to the greater injustices of the world while still holding onto her perceived rightful place. She's smart, she's inventive, but she's just as confused as anyone else, and she makes all of the right mistakes.
Moreover, the issues touched on in this book are still raw. Gentrification -- touched on by Renee Watson in THIS SIDE OF HOME and a small handful of other books -- family secrets, and, oh my goodness, the subtle takedown of machismo. But these issues aren't the story, they're just a part of the bigger picture, and it never becomes yet another Brown Girl Lives Through Torrid Life To Come Out On top.
Thanks for this book, Lilliam.