Customer Reviews

Among the Volcanoes

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Omar Castaneda's Among The Volcanoes is a wonderful read for grades 5-7. I have used it in my 7th grade language arts class for several years. The heroine Isabel Pacay finds herself torn between her aspirations to become a teacher and "fly" above the "volcanoes" surrounding her (both figuratively and literally) and her family's expectations that she fulfill her role of caretaker for her critically ill mother. Isabel's pain is evident throughout the novel, as is her strength. I found that several students could relate to her need for independence, as well as her struggle to please those she loves. I also found that my girls enjoyed this novel much more than my boys. I feel it would be a great selection for small group or book club reading. It is also ideal for learning more about the amazing traditions, geography, and culture of Guatemala. Enjoy!

This is a book with a good, believable story that helps give the reader an inside look at life in a Guatemalan village. However, the author spends a good deal of time and a good deal of figurative language attending to the setting and feelings of the character. Since it is set in a place that is unfamiliar to many U.S. readers, this may be necessary, but for my younger readers, it meant the story moved along a bit too slowly. For many of them, reading the book became a painful process.

Oh my god, this book was exactly like a soap opera. I mean, Isabel loves Lucas, but she's talking to Allen Waters, a doctor, and Lucas thinks she likes him. Isabel's "best friend" Teresa, still likes Lucas, they used to date so she tells Lucas a pack of lies, and at the end...guess what??? .... I highly reccomend it for people who like sappy love stories. The plot's ok, Isabel wants to be a teacher, but her mom, Manuela, is dying so she can't go to school. You figure it out.

I was a friend of Omar's when he was teaching out at Western Washington University in Bellingham USA back in 1994. His testimony and love for the Guatemalan people and MAYA was always present in his daily life. His family and friends hold him dear to our hearts. I miss you Omar. Maybe in the next life we will be able to meet down in La Libertad, Cuscatlan and get some beers. READ THIS BOOK!