I know this review is too short, but here it is: I love novels in verse and I love historical fiction, but this one just dragged on.

Thank you Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This novel is absolutely beautiful. It is written in verse which is one of my favorite methods of storytelling, and it far exceeded my expectations which were admittedly quite high. Smith's poetry is masterful, evoking emotions, drawing powerful images and expressive plot onto every page.

Call Me Athena is the story of Mary, a 16 year old girl growing up in Detroit in the early 1930s. The daughter of French and Greek immigrants, Mary faces the struggle of finding her own place and following her heart against the darker realities of the Great Depression, being seen as an outsider, and the cultural expectations for "good Greek girls." The novel is haunting at times and realistically portrays the challenges and loss faced during this time in American history.

In a twist that I did not know to expect, (don't worry, this is not a spoiler), Smith tells the story through multiple POVs, Mary's-in the 1930s, and each of her parents-during the first World War (when they were the age Mary is at present), and eventually in the present as well. Smith also includes letters written between Mary's parents during the war. Mary finds the box of them in storage, and they are artfully used to enrich the story.

There are footnotes throughout the book, and the author included photographs and a detailed note at the end which explain that Call Me Athena is a tribute to her own grandmother, Mary. This story is stunning at every level. The poetry itself is rich, the storyline is powerful, and Smith balances between the haunting realities of growing up during the first World War and the Great Depression with a shining thread of hope. Although the book is considered YA, this is truly a book for everyone who has ever faced growing up, finding themselves, facing cultural expectations, and finding a place and a family who love you as you are.

2.8 stars

I originally requested the audiobook ARC and it wasn't working for me so I had to read it as well. reading it was a better experience.

This was a mixed experience for me.

As a third generation immigrant I was able t o really relate to the content, which got me really emotional sometimes, but I wasn't a big fan of the delivery.

Just a matter of style and preference so I really recommend people looking for diverse stories about immigration to give it a try

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I totally forgot to give my review for this as it was my first arc here but good thing I still had it on my journal. Anyway, this book was such a pleasant read! It tackled different topics and i loved the female main character here. This was really well written, the writing captured me and didn't make me feel like I was reading at all. Definitely recommend! 3.75

I struggled to read this one. I usually enjoy novels written in verse, but Call Me Athena did not stand out to me in any way.

I found myself disinterested and reaching for other reading material instead.

Title: Call Me Athena
Author: Colby Cedar Smith
Publication Date: August 17 2021
My Rating: 4 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley for my opportunity to review this book. I read an e-copy of this book and also listened to the audiobook.

Synopsis: Call Me Athena is a novel in verse that follows Mary in 1930s Detroit. Mary is the daughter of Greek and French immigrants on her quest for her own freedom and path in the midst of facing sexism, the Great Depression, and her parents wanting her to fall into a traditional Greek female role.

My Thoughts: I loved this book! I really enjoyed the uniqueness of a multi-generational family story in verse format. I enjoyed the alternating timelines, where we got to see life from Mary's viewpoint growing up in America, but also her parents' pasts in Greece and France. While I found it infuriating that Mary's parents were not supportive of her wanting to pave her own way, find love on her own terms, and start her own business, it was helpful to hear about their childhoods in Greece and France to give context for their rigidly held beliefs. This book was richly written and I loved the gorgeous descriptions.

Audio: I really enjoyed the narrators. The narration was fantastic and added so much to the story because the narrators were in character and had crisp, clear narration. Absolutely wonderful narration!

I highly recommend this book in any format!

Call Me Athena by Colby Cedar Smith is an engaging novel-in-verse that explores Depression-era Detroit and the immigrant experience. It's so unlike other books I've read, and I definitely recommend it for YA and adult readers.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Novel in verse/ immigrant experience / Detroit during depression/ tradition vs independence/ family/ love

This book is gorgeous! I’d received the ARC quite some time ago, but hadn’t gotten around to reading it… so glad I finally did!

This is a story in verse of an immigrant girl with mixed heritage (Greek & French) in 1930s depression era Detroit, yearning to be independent, own a business, and for true love, while all her parents want is for her to be “a good Greek girl.”

The story is told from 3 different perspectives, with epistolary flashbacks of how her parents met during the WWI, their life before and their aspirations when they migrated to America in search of a better life.

Call me Athena is an ode to immigrant families, their struggle to find a balance between their culture and being American, but it is also a story about courage that shows itself in everyday decisions- both big and small.

love the pacing, the shortness of each poem, and the directness at which this achieves. absolutely fabulous

This was a moving book-in-verse following the parallel stories of a Depression-era Greek and French teenage girl in Detroit who wants do more than get married and have children and a couple exchanging letters during World War I. Young people striving against their lots, crossing boundaries their parents don’t understand and finding their own path—while still recognizing heritage and tradition. It’s a lovely story.

It’s been almost a month since I’ve posted or reviewed. Life has been crazy with our move. BUT, I have finished 13 books in that time with the help of audio 😅 so lots of stuff to catch up on.

Call Me Athena: Girl From Detroit by @colby_cedar_smith has been needing some attention from my @netgalley shelf! It had been sitting there far too long.

I am from a city about twenty minutes from Detroit, so I was especially curious to read this novel! Detroit doesn’t get much love in the literary world.

I thought it was so interesting to see a perspective showing what Detroit was like in 30s, when the Depression was at a peak and hunger strikes and riots were ongoing. I also was fascinated to read the POV of those working for and around Henry Ford at the time. My husband is a Ford employee and as you can imagine, the Ford brand is huge to Michiganders.

Detroit is quite the melting pot and this novel features that splendidly. So many people I’ve met into my adult life have quite a different upbringing than mine, mostly influenced by how much of their culture they’ve brought with them to the US. Mary’s experience with loving her culture but wanting a more “typical US teen” experience—although almost 100 years earlier—mimicked what I’ve heard from a lot of my friends. Though they love the places they come from and their cultures, want to be viewed as American regardless. The disparity between their parents’ ideals and what they see in their peers can be hard to rectify.

This was a stunning listen, the melodic way that Colby Cedar Smith writes translated beautifully into audio.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a great plot and really made me think about the story. I look forward to reading more from this author.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Loved reading this! such an interesting read and i loved the way it was written!

As a Greek girl raised in a traditional home, this book was everything I needed and more.

Mary lives in Detroit, and I have never been to Detroit, but I live in the middle of a large Greek community and, while it may not be the 1930s, during the 90s and early 2000s, I too struggled with the search for independence.

When picking up this book, I didn't release it was written in verse, but somehow it was the perfect way for Mary to tell her stories and struggles. Sometimes it's not Mary who speaks; however, any of the three narrators echo the thoughts I've had or heard in my head a thousand times before.

This book would have been my bible as a teen, and I hope it gives hope to a young greek girl raised by traditional parents that the world is changing and you can reach for the stars and achieve whatever you dream.

I rate this book 5 stars.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions stated are entirely my own. The concept for this book was so cool! I also love books written in verse. I loved how there were different point of views from different characters. It was also neat how there were different plots, settings, and time periods intertwined with one another. However, I did feel that the way the book was set up and written was a bit confusing. I had a hard time understanding where the book was going and I was a bit bored at times. Still, it was an okay book and I enjoyed most of it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

First, I am in LOVE with the cover of this book. It's just beautiful. 🙌🏻As for the book itself, well, I simply love every minute of it. This was my first foray into reading a novel told in verse. I wasn't sure at first if it was going to be my thing, but I quickly got pulled into the story and ended up finishing it all in one go. It isn't a terribly long story, but the author packed a lot into those pages. There are three separate POVs that tell the tale of immigrants, the depression, war, through the eyes of one family. I originally requested this because of the Detroit angle. I grew up in Windsor, Ont (right across from Detroit) and had visited the city many times. I was especially thrilled to see Boblo Island get a mention. This was just an amazing read overall and gets two huge thumbs up from yours truly.👍🏻👍🏻

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Received this advanced copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3 characters whose stories are woven together across generations around love, gender expectations, war and immigration.

I ABSOLUTELY adored this book in verse & that is saying a lot. This book follows three characters from three different parts of the world who all end up connected in different ways. The physical book is my preferred format visually.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a beautiful surprise that I've truly enjoyed. A story written in verse that expresses so much and makes you feel a lot better than if it was written in prose. It was sad, romantic, inspiring, heartwarming and more. Colby Cedar Smith is a great poet and storyteller.

We have a story of two generations, one during the first world war and the second one after. We follow three young adults from different countries.

First, we read Mary's story from Detroit, Michigan in 1933, a daughter of a Greek and a French immigrants who they had so much dreams about America but discover a life more different and difficult than they had dreamt about with the Great Depression and a number of kids that they have to feed. Mary doesn't want to follow in her family's culture and traditions toward women which means to be "a good Greek girl" instead she wants to become an independent modern American woman. Mary's story is inspired mainly by the grandmother of the author.

Second, we have the story of Jeanne from Saint Malo, France in 1915, the daughter of a rich doctor who is called to help in the WWI , Jeanne starts volunteering as a nurse at the hospital with the injured soldiers where she will meet Le Loup. Then, we have Giorges (Gio)'s story who starts from Komnina,Cenral Greece in 1915 to Northwestern France 1918, Gio's dream was to have his own boat and becoming a fisherman like his late father but things turn out very different for him.

Each character speaks with his/her own voice about their dreams for the future, their family, their hopes and what they have witnessed or their experience with the loss of a loved one during their journeys. This book is one of the greatest and most beautiful crafted historical fiction that I've read for such a long time.

Also, I've followed this written version with the audiobook and it was amazing which is narrated by Gail Shalan, Hope Newhouse and Ramiz Monsef. It was fantastic because the narrators knew how to express,, through their voices, the deep feelings and emotions of each character. They even used French and Greek accents to give it more authenticity. It was such a beautiful experience that I enjoyed so much.