El baile de octavo y otros recuerdos / The Eighth Grade Dance and Other Memories

by Ada De Jesús, Nicolás translator

Overview

Eleven-year-old Ada De Jesús was on the cusp of her teens when she moved to the United States from Puerto Rico. Hurricane Hugo had just decimated the island and her father couldn’t find a job. In Chicago, the white dress she arrived in didn’t protect her from the snow and frigid temperatures! Constantly exposed to new things, she developed a resilience that served her well. “From one place to another, like riding a bike, if you keep pedaling, you won’t fall.” Ada discovered that students in the United States were frequently disrespectful to their teachers. At school she often felt like a two-year-old as she grappled with a completely new language. In addition to navigating a different culture, she had to deal with all the issues familiar to teenage girls: the growth of body hair, pimples, menstruation and burgeoning feelings for the opposite sex. Her memories of first intimate encounters, fending off unwanted advances and fear of pregnancy will strike a chord with readers. In these short vignettes recollecting her middle-school years, Ada De Jesús shares her poignant and often funny experiences as a newcomer and an adolescent. Young readers will relate to—and laugh at—her experiences; some may take heart that they too will overcome the difficulties common at this age.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781518505829
Publisher:	Arte Publico Press
Publication date:	04/10/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	11 - 16 Years

About the Author

ADA DE JESÚS, a Spanish high-school teacher in Vineland, New Jersey, obtained her undergraduate degree from Rowan University and her Masters of Instructional Technology from Grand Canyon University. She lives in Hammonton, New Jersey. This is her first published book.

Editorial Reviews

2019-05-12
Navigating eighth grade is hard enough without having to learn a new language.

Debut author De Jesús allows readers a glimpse into her childhood as she shares the memories and lessons learned following her family's move from Puerto Rico to the United States' mainland. Sometimes feeling like a stranger in her own country, relocating made it hard for De Jesús' mother to adjust. However, De Jesús knew that this time, unlike the case with a previous short stay, they wouldn't return to Puerto Rico soon because the family had bought one-way tickets, and her grandmother back home had rented out their house and sold all their belongings. It is through a different surprise at the end of each chapter that De Jesús shares lessons learned through her experiences. These glimpses into her life highlight the struggles and culture shock that many Puerto Ricans face when moving within their own country, expressed through descriptions of the challenges of learning to spell in English, the realization that teachers were not respected, and even the feeling of being overdressed for a school dance. Noting that "surprises can be wonderful or unfortunate," De Jesús offers honest, emotional, insightful, and sometimes-distressful vignettes in small, digestible chapters. She presents the Spanish version of the text first in the volume instead of having the Spanish and English side by side. The translation by Kanellos stays true to the original.

Short, yet packing a punch. (Memoir. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews