This is not a Personal Statement

YA fiction 

     "Now that I think of it, if we lived in a world in which the Perfect Perezes weren't always on display, then maybe I wouldn't be in this mess.  Maybe I could've talked to them about getting rejected from Delmont or listened when our high school counselor suggested applying to more safety schools, ones that don't headline some published list but would still be good for me."

     Perla, protagonist of Tracy Badua's This is not a Personal Statement, has basically been raised in a pressure cooker.  She goes to not only a hyper competitive high school, but one in which she doesn't really get along with her peers--maybe because she's two years younger that her classmates.  The parents in her neighborhood are making sure their kids are the alphas.  Her mother and father are no exception.  They've been on her to achieve all her life, negating anything she enjoys that doesn't get her closer to the goal.

     The goal is becoming a doctor.  The first step on her higher educational path is to be pre med at prestigious, highly selective Delmont University...

     ...only she gets rejection letters from Delmont and every other school she applied to.  She can't exactly tell Mom and Dad.

     "A couple years ago, I heard the phrase utang na loob, a sort of debt of gratitude.  My grandparents and parents did everything to get me where I am today, so I have a cultural obligation to show my appreciation by being the smart, obedient, Perfect Perlie they want.

     Basically, I owe them."

     So Perla forges an acceptance letter.  She plans to spend fall semester on campus learning all she can about the school and what they're looking for in the students they accept.  Then she'll apply for spring semester acceptance.  

     Not really such a good idea.  Even basics like shelter and food are a serious challenge.  And there is always the danger of campus police catching on to her illicit status.

     This coming of age narrative is quite an indictment of the lengths to which parents too great expectations can drive young adults to.  It combines a riveting plot with a believable narrator to create a book that is pretty hard to put down.

On a purrrsonal note, today was the first day of Clean Sweep.  The crowds started gathering quite awhile before we opened.  Something like 250 people surged through the doors the first twenty minutes we were open.  I was in charge of clothes.  People were having fun sifting through the garments.  I'll be eager to learn what we take in this year.  (Jules)

Lots of loot.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to the Clean Sweep gang.  

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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