Fitting in [Hardcover]

Anilu Bernardo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1996

stories of Cuban immigrants adjusting to U.S. life

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This bland quintet of predictable stories varies so little in its themes and characters that it offers readers little incentive to hold out after two or three servings. Each story features a similar protagonist: a preteen/teenage Cuban American girl in Florida preoccupied with "fitting in" with non-Latino neighbors and classmates. Even their names?Sari, Clari, Mari, Chari and Tere?seem interchangeable. Sari worries what her new friends will think of her grandmother, who speaks no English; Chari risks her status with the popular (Anglo) girls to befriend a new student from Haiti; Tere is teased at school because she can't pronounce the "th" sound in English words. However real these situations may be, Bernardo's (Jumping Off to Freedom) explorations of them are superficial and uninspired. Characterizations are flat and the conclusions to the stories are obvious. Ages 11-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-The five short stories in this collection concern the trials and tribulations of young adult life as seen through the eyes of Cuban-American girls. Each selection focuses on the school and home life of a female character who is trying to blend into the community while still respecting her ancestry. The best story is "Grandma Was Never Young," in which Sari agonizes over the embarrassment her grandmother causes her before the two eventually come to an understanding. The other stories vary in quality. All are interesting; however, "American Girls," in which new immigrant Tere is harassed by her peers and ends up making friends with her chief tormentor, strains credibility. Characterization in the other selections is much more solid, as is plot development. Each of the main characters wants desperately to fit in, as the volume's title implies. However, none of them is willing to compromise her ideals in order to blend into American culture. If your library needs multicultural fiction, this is a good choice.
Melissa Hudak, North Suburban District Library, Roscoe, IL
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Arte Publico Pr (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558851763
• ISBN-13: 978-1558851764
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,530,731 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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