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Lorraine Avila

The Making of Yolanda la Bruja Hardcover – April 11, 2023

by Lorraine Avila (Author)

4.8 18 ratings

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"Elizabeth Acevedo has said that reading Lorraine Avila feels like an “UPPERCUT to the senses.” You've never encountered an author with prose of this sensitivity and fire.

Yolanda Alvarez is having a good year. She’s starting to feel at home Julia De Burgos High, her school in the Bronx. She has her best friend Victory, and maybe something with José, a senior boy she’s getting to know. She’s confident her initiation into her family’s bruja tradition will happen soon.

But then a white boy, the son of a politician, appears at Julia De Burgos High, and his vibes are off. And Yolanda’s initiation begins with a series of troubling visions of the violence this boy threatens. How can Yolanda protect her community, in a world that doesn’t listen? Only with the wisdom and love of her family, friends, and community – and the Brujas Diosas, her ancestors and guides.

The Making of Yolanda La Bruja is the book this country, struggling with the plague of gun violence, so desperately needs, but which few could write. Here Lorraine Avila brings a story born from the intersection of race, justice, education, and spirituality that will capture readers everywhere.

P R A I S E

Common Sense Media Selection for Teens

★ “Inspiring… full of heart and spirituality.”
—Shelf-Awareness (starred)

★ "A sharply rendered portrait...Avila's striking debut is not to be missed."
—Booklist (starred)

★ “Unabashedly political…A remarkable, beautifully rendered debut.”
—Kirkus (starred)

★ “Suspenseful…A boldly characterized protagonist whose intersectional identities as a queer and Deaf person of color informs her sharp-witted narrative voice and conviction around combatting racism within her community.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Impressive and urgent. [Avila] takes on racism, violence and injustice with a mix of magic, spirituality and care that few have attempted—and she’s captivatingly successful.”
—Ms. Magazine

“Explores gun violence, race, justice, education, and spirituality, which holds this book like a canopy, enclosing and exposing layers of Blackness and the growth and sense of belonging community can provide.”
—Al Dia

“A necessary story about gun violence, race, and education.”
—Refinery29

“Gripping…skillfully depicts the reality of growing up as a Black Latinx teen in the midst of racial violence and social upheaval… Avila carefully demonstrates the tremendous strength in Yolanda’s community and the deep roots of her spiritual life, which keep her grounded as she steps into her full power.”
—Horn Book

Reading age

12 - 18 years
Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Grade level

7 - 12
Dimensions

6 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches
Publisher

Levine Querido
Publication date

April 11, 2023
ISBN-10

1646142438
ISBN-13

978-1646142439
See all details

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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

[STAR] “Unabashedly political…A remarkable, beautifully rendered debut.” ―Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“A masterclass in empowering the youth to reclaim what is theirs.” – HipLatina

“Big-hearted, potent, and piercingly smart… More than anything, The Making of Yolanda la Bruja is the story of a determined young woman who embraces a fantastic and sometimes complicated heritage… Yolanda shines brilliantly in this story, and Avila is to be credited for gifting readers with such a compelling character.” – Locus Magazine

[STAR] “Inspiring… full of heart and spirituality.” ― Shelf-Awareness (starred)

“Tackles themes of race, gun violence, spirituality, justice, and education with an empathetic and deft hand”―Autostraddle

“A necessary story about gun violence, race, and education.” ―Refinery 29

"Vividly imagined and nuanced, Yolanda’s story is one not to be missed." ― BuzzFeed

"Lorraine Avila’s impressive and urgent YA debut is a feat of courage, passion and originality. In it, she takes on racism, violence and injustice with a mix of magic, spirituality and care that few have attempted―and she’s captivatingly successful.” ― Ms. Magazine

[STAR] "A sharply rendered portrait...Avila's striking debut is not to be missed." ― Booklist (starred)

Most Anticipated YA of 2023 - BookPage

Most Anticipated YA of 2023 - The Mary Sue

“Gripping… Avila skillfully depicts the reality of growing up as a Black Latinx teen in the midst of racial violence and social upheaval… Avila carefully demonstrates the tremendous strength in Yolanda’s community and the deep roots of her spiritual life, which keep her grounded as she steps into her full power.” ― Horn Book

[STAR] “Suspenseful… Avila skillfully cultivates a unique and magical spin on a grounded, socially conscious plot that is rich in Afro-Latinx cultural detail. Yolanda is a boldly characterized protagonist whose intersectional identities as a queer and Deaf person of color informs her sharp-witted narrative voice and conviction around combatting racism within her community.” ― Publishers Weekly (starred)

Most Anticipated YA of 2023 - HipLatina

About the Author

Lorraine Avila (she/they) is a storyteller. Lorraine was born and raised in the Bronx, NY and is a first generation Dominican-American. Avila spent a decade as an educator in the K-12 education system. She has a BA from Fordham University in English, an MA in Teaching from New York University, and an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. The Making of Yolanda La Bruja is her YA debut.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Levine Querido (April 11, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1646142438
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1646142439
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 - 18 years
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 12
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.78 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #965,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #326 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Social & Family Violence (Books)
- #609 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Prejudice & Racism
- #2,035 in Teen & Young Adult Coming of Age Fantasy

Customer Reviews:
4.8 18 ratings

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Lorraine Avila

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Lorraine Avila (she/they) is a writer and educator from the Bronx, NY, with roots in the Caribbean. Avila is the author of Malcriada and Other Stories, Celestial Summer, and The Making of Yolanda La Bruja.

Avila has a BA in English from Fordham University and an MAT in Secondary English education from NYU. She will receive her MFA in fiction from the University of Pittsburgh in Spring 2023, where she teaches Intro to Fiction.

Avila is a Pushcart Nominee. She is the recipient of The Writers Colony's "Illuminating Black Lives" Fellowship, the 2022 Africana Nationality Room Scholarship, the 2021 Nationality Room Scholarship, the 2021 & 2022 Dietrich Diversity Research Grant, and the 2020 K. Leroy Irvis Fellowship.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5

18 global ratings

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evelyn guarino

Insights into another religion

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2023

Verified Purchase

This is a book concerning a popular religion of Cuba and the other islands. The main character is an American woman who studies and rises to high priestess of a religion originally transported her from Africa.

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2023

Verified Purchase

Loved this book . A wonderful display of traditional African culture from the Dominican Republic! Positive view of African decendants of the enslaved here in the Americas and Caribbean!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Miss Print

an ode to the bronx and community

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2023

Yolanda Alvarez feels like everything is coming together. Her school in the Bronx, Julia De Burgos High, is feeling like a home where she can speak up and also build community in places like the Brave Space Club. She might be starting something with a cute senior named Jose. Her initiation into her family's bruja tradition is coming any time.

Then a white boy named Ben shows up at school--the son of a politician and a mid-year transfer, Yolanda's best friend Victory is positive Ben spells nothing but trouble.

Ben's track record for derailing hard conversations and his racist behavior is hard to ignore. Yolanda still wants to give him the benefit of the doubt. But what if his anger makes him too hard to reach? Yolanda's Brujas Diosas--her ancestors and spirit guides--have started sending Yolanda visions that suggest violence from Ben but they can't help her figure out how to prevent them.

With the threat of violence looming, Yolanda will have to figure out how to speak up and and protect everything she cares about before it's too late in The Making of Yolanda La Bruja (2023) by Lorraine Avila.

Yolanda is a Black Dominican American and wears cochlear implants. Most of the cast are BIPOC and across the LGBTQ+ spectrum with the exception of Ben who is white. Readers should be aware that the novel does include depictions of gun violence and the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Avila's debut novel is an ode to the Bronx and the power of community. Grounded deeply in the brujeria tradition, The Making of Yolanda La Bruja shows Yolanda learning to trust her own instincts while also asking friends and loved ones for support including a strong relationship with her grandmother and renewed relationship with her father upon his recent release from prison.

Possible Pairings: How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy, Don't Ask Me Where I'm From by Jennifer De Leon, The Silence That Binds Us by Joanna Ho, I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston, One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, Imposter syndrome and other confessions of Alejandra Kim by Patricia Park, Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2023

If you resonate with the New Yorker, Bronxite, Black, Brown, Caribbean, Dominican, and/or brujx experience, read “The Making of Yolanda La Bruja.” Such beautiful prose while weaving together themes of spirituality, oppression, racism, anti-Blackness, gun violence, politics, and capitalism, and all in way that’s still vulnerable because it’s written from the perspective of the protagonist, Yolanda. Saving the book to gift to my daughter when she’s old enough to read it. Can’t wait to read more by Avila!

Helpful

Sapphira

Beautiful storytelling

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2023

Yolanda's ascension story was both captivating and gut-wrenching, and Lorraine's ability to walk us through this process with great detail created an immersive experience. I love how she touched on tradition and the importance of community - great read!

Helpful

Gabriella Morel

Deftly handles displaying the Bronx of today without feeling heavy-handed

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2023

The debut book from Lorraine Avila deftly handles displaying the Bronx of today without feeling heavy-handed
and also opens people's eyes to some of the spiritual practices found in Latine communities.

The Making of Yolanda la Bruja is told by the eponymous Yolanda, a 16-year-old sophomore that is strong and secure in her identity, yet still has moments of doubt as she deals with the off-putting new white student in her mainly black and brown high school, while also navigating growing into her spiritual gifts.

I love just how alive Avila does not shy away from making the characters flawed in very human ways, making them feel so alive. I found myself a few times muttering to myself as if these people were ones I knew in real life. The teenage characters feel and speak as if they were my younger cousins, making this story connect that much stronger with me. Being a Dominicana myself, I was also surprised to find how the magical spiritual side made me sad that this practice is not as common in the Latine community.

Some of the scene transitions felt jarring and slightly throw the pass off for me, though those did not take away from my enjoyment of the story.

Avila captures the way people, especially the students, talk and engage with each other as a community so perfectly and authentically. This is the biggest strength of the story that I feel will hook people in and drive home the emotional highs and lows for readers.

Helpful