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Mayra Lazara Dole

Down to the Bone Paperback – July 10, 2012

by Mayra Lazara Dole (Author)

27 ratings

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What if you don't follow the rules and it radically alters the course of your life?

What if you get kicked out of the house and lose all your friends and everyone you love?

Will you turn the corner into a world filled with unusual friends and create a new kind of family or self-destruct?
BOOKLIST STARRED REVIEW

Print length

264 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Bella Books
Publication date

July 10, 2012
Grade level

12 - 9
Dimensions

5.3 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
ISBN-10

1594933170
ISBN-13

978-1594933172
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Editorial Reviews

Review

School Library Journal
Dole's infusion of lively, spicy Cuban-American culture set against a hot Miami setting makes it rise above many other titles in the genre...

Alejandro Agresti: Hollywood Film Director
Down to the Bone is an original and exciting work that would make a great movie. The way Mayra Lazara Dole tells this story, will reach even the most reluctant of souls.

Booklist *Starred Review*
The dialogue is fast and funny... Supportive precisely because it is laugh-out-loud irreverent...

Kirkus Review

" ... encompasses humor and love for Cuban culture... A passionate girl loses her first love but finds community and self in this flashy debut with...lots of heart."

Publisher's Weekly
"... honest, intense..."

Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature. Commended.

Edge Magazine

"... Shai is a character to root for: sassy and sarcastic, insightful but naïve, loving but defensive. She's an authentic teenager down to her Miami slang and effusive enthusiasm..."

From the Author

Dole has a way with metaphors and comparisons that bring life and richness to her writing. The depictions of her characters create instantaneous emotional connections.
Lambda Literary

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bella Books (July 10, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 264 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1594933170
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1594933172
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 - 9
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,365,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #130 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about LGBTQ+ Issues
- #25,228 in Teen & Young Adult Romance
- #26,068 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
27 ratings

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Mayra Lazara Dole

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Mayra Lazara Dole was born in Havana Cuba. She is a prolific writer, a passionate cook, and a community advocate for the environment. Mayra worked for Miami-Dade Public Library System. She owned a catering service and art store. In Boston, she studied psycholoy and nutrition. Dole is the author of the young adult novel, Down to the Bone, and bilingual children's picture books: Birthday in the Barrio and Drum, Chavi, Drum! She loves nature and animals and has also been a dancer, landscape designer, chef, musician, and hairstylist. She lives in Florida with her beloved spouse and two rescue dogs.

Customer reviews

5 star		52%
4 star		6%
3 star 0% (0%)		0%
2 star		19%
1 star		24%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Kindle Customer

Great YA reading

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed the book and was happy that Shai learned to accept herself as the strong, loving young woman she always knew she was. As a Hispanic woman I can relate having been thrown out of the house at 16 after being outed by an uncle. Most of my white Lesbian friends can't understand why we still love our mothers after such an experience, and all I can respond is with sherry mother. I am hoping that in these times and age, less of our young Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Trans youth suffer through this same pain.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Paul Winchel

I'm a teenager, and that makes me SOOOOO sad!!!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 2, 2016

Verified Purchase

I have never read a more "teenager" book in all my life. It was just angst and staring off into the distance contemplating, while grownups over reacted to everything.

the only reason I gave it two stars is because the main character is Cuban, and I liked the way the language was used throughout the story.

Helpful

Seriouslysilly

Could not put this book down !!!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 6, 2012

Verified Purchase

Shai is brave in her exploration of relationships and in how she never follows the rules regardless of the consequences. This is a powerful and at times hilarious novel that fascinates not only in its sprinkled use of Cuban colloquialisms and dialect, but in the extremely diverse set of characters that one may never meet in a lifetime. I delved into a colorful, honest world known to few outsiders and Shai won me over. Compelling. Wish there was a sequel!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

an amazing read!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 12, 2013

Verified Purchase

This book is an amazing and realistic read. I loved the characters and became invested in their well being. I keep rereading this book. Author Mayra Lazara Dole brings to life realities faced by LGBT*Q communities and provides a view into the intersections of sexual/romantic orientation with faith, family and ethnicity. I strongly recommend this book to all who are looking for an AMAZING read.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

A CLark

I didn't enjoy the book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 15, 2014

Verified Purchase

I didn't enjoy the book. Surprised it got published. No real story line just same conversation over and over. If I had purchased it hard back I would return it
I kept skipping and skipping over pages on talk, talk and same thing. I kept looking for some action. Sorry to be so negative but you asked.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

nemaka

Down to the Bone

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 20, 2012

Verified Purchase

I loved reading Down to the Bone (paperback) because it drew me in and touched my heart. I learned a lot about Miami Cuban culture. Mayra Lazara Dole is a vibrant and passionate writer. I didn't want it to end. Highly recommended!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Maria De Dios

Ok

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 21, 2020

Ok

Down to the Bone--A Great LGBT Young Adult Book!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 11, 2016

Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole is a great young adult book to read for anyone who likes drama, action, and romance. The book starts with a difficult situation so the reader will get hooked right away and will not want to put it down until the last page. The main character, Laura, is a 16 year old Latina girl who lives in Miami. She gets kicked out of her house, expelled from school and deserted by her friends, all because she has fallen in love with a girl. The reader follows her as she works to rebuild her life.

Laura struggles with setbacks as her lesbian identity clashes with the values of people around her, including her Cuban American mother. Laura’s friends are Tazer, a transgender girl that she meets that the beach and Soli her best friend who sticks with her through this whole ordeal. Her little brother is also an important character. Laura and her little brother love each other very much. She knows how much he misses her when she is kicked out of the house so she secretly visits him and makes calls to him when she can. The ending isn’t perfect but at least the reader doesn’t have to worry about whether or not Laura will be okay.

Dole wrote this book so that Laura tells her story in the first person. She uses a lot of detail so that it feels like you are actually listening to Laura telling you what is happening. Laura talks about herself and what she looks like at the very beginning so it is like she is introducing herself but she does it just by talking about getting ready for school. Also, the details are unusual and make you want to know more starting with the first line of the whole book. “This morning the sun rose like a loaf of sweet banana bread” (1). She uses a lot of conversation too so you always know what all of the characters are thinking and saying to each other. This style makes this a very interesting book. I don’t know much about Latino culture but I felt like I was almost part of it when I was reading. I felt like I was in the story with Laura and could be one of her friends. I think if you were part of this culture would enjoy the book even more. For example, you would understand the words like “tortillera” that are used to insult Laura.

Another part of culture that Dole focuses on is what it is like to be a lesbian teenager especially in the Cuban American part of Miami. I read a blog interview by Malinda Lo where she asked the author about that part. Dole said that she used her own experiences as a Cuban American lesbian in Miami but she also used a focus group of LGBT teenagers to make sure she was getting all the details right. The book is definitely about LGBT issues so it is best for people who are interested in reading about those topics. This is a good book for young adults of all ages.

One person found this helpful

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