Aside from the gorgeous cover (which first enticed me to request this book!) this is a beautifully written story about a girl's hardship growing up and facing her reality of racism, the truth about her father's deportation and definitely taking on truly uncomfortable circumstances head on. Reading a story about a strong female always gets to my soul and learning about her struggles both empowers me from within and breaks my heart to know this is reality for some people. A great novel and I'm grateful to have read it - quickly I might add :)

Thank you so much Simon & Schuster Canada & NetGalley for my complimentary eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

<i> Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for providing me with an eARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. </i>

3,5

<u>Don't Ask Me Where I'm From</u> hits hard in Trump's America. This novel twisted my stomach and sat heavy in my chest. Liliana, the protagonist and child of two undocumented immigrants from Guatemala and El Salvador, gets placed in METCO, an exclusive school program for people of colour in a white suburban facility an hour's bus ride away from her home. It is here that she comes to terms with the history of her people and ruminates on her existence as part of the diaspora of Latinx people in the United States and what it means to be American born when you're not white.

I could have used this book when I was a teenager. As I am reading this from the perspective of a mixed person of colour (albeit Indo-Caribbean, not Latinx) born in North America while growing up in a predominately white community, I relate to this novel on a different level than other reviewers. I get it. I am sick of people asking me "where are you really from?" or telling me to "go back to [your] own country" or interrogating me about whether the visa I just pulled out of my wallet to pay for my WalMart purchase is really mine. I'm tired of being an affirmative action poster child, of hearing people say "I don't see colour" thinking that they are being supportive, or having my confrontation of racist comments being brushed off because the person "didn't mean it like that". I commiserated with many of Liliana's experiences, and I appreciate how De Leon allowed Liliana to have this journey of discovery, this initial feeling of helplessness and confusion, without mitigating the reality that sometimes you won't be able to do or say something to change someone's mind; a concept that is difficult to digest and come to terms with. It feels futile, but is it?

Liliana's narrative voice is undoubtedly more juvenile than I care for, but this book is amazing because it brings hard hitting topics and questions to the forefront for discussion. It puts face and feeling to the people experiencing racism, tries to shine light on the perspective of those fleeing their native countries, and discusses whether individuals can do something to impact the racism/sexism/discrimination that many people are exposed to on a daily bases. I liked that it was real, not sugarcoated. We need more literature like this for young adults, because young adults live in this world too.

An ARC of this novel was sent to me by NetGalley for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book! I was able to connect to the characters, and understand the “why” to why they are doing what they are doing. The characters are extremely fleshed out and well developed, and feels real.

I really enjoyed this book and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who’s into YA!