If a pitch perfect YA romance is like Sweet Frog frozen yogurt and a social justice issue intrinsic to the plot is like the just right toppings then Goldy Moldavsky's Just Say Yes is the whole scrumptious sundae. (And you know I love me some Sweet Frog).
"My mom is deathly afraid of cops, in the same way most people are afraid of bugs or rodents. If she sees one, she will let out a little startled yelp, grip her purse close to her chest, and cross the street immediately. I don't get it. It's not like she ever does anything to get on the police's bad side."
On the eve of her senior year Jimena learns the source of her mother's fear. She's thrown a party involving illegal fireworks 🎆. The police 🚔 have escorted her home. When they leave after giving her a warning her mother explains that they both are undocumented.
"This explains why it always felt like we were hiding from the world. I thought my mom was just paranoid, but now I know she had reason to be. Avoiding cops, avoiding government buildings. The never getting a better job, never getting a car. The fear of me ever needing to go to a hospital."
Jimena sees the normal next steps in her life--college, learning to drive, even a senior trip to Canada--as suddenly out of reach. As her classmates progress into bright futures she'll be trapped in a shadow world. Worse, if she's deported, having come to America as a young child, she'll be trapped in a strange land in which she doesn't even speak the language.
When she discovers that marriage is a sure fire path to a green card she starts looking for a potential mate. Love, compatibility, common interests--none of that matters. It's purely performative--to get her life out of jeopardy and back on track.
So when she's found someone actually decent who will marry her why does she have such mixed feelings?
Just Say Yes is a truly engaging narrative served up with a side of enlightenment. And quite a ring of authenticity. Moldavsky herself was a Dreamer born in Peru like Jimena.
On a purrrsonal note, today on campus there's all kinds of fun stuff: First Friday Bagels, zen garden making, the Darlings ice cream 🍦 truck, free lunch and tee 👕 s...I decorated my graduation cap. Even with 🌧 on and off it was a fun 😁 day.
A great big shout out goes out to all the people responsible for the fun.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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