This book is amazing. I love thats it is a historical and in a poetic form. I love how its based on true events.

A historical fiction book in verse with a cover that - at first glance - gave me Frida Kahlo vibes, this story takes its unique place inside the novel in verse genre and is a hugely captivating read.

Call me Athena is the quintessential American dream story but with the honesty of the struggles of being an immigrant. To become the modern American woman or to remain the modest European girl. A question so many of us have had to ask ourselves. Colby Cedar Smith is able to build his characters amid the 1930's with accuracy and passion, bringing forth a beautiful heroine who eventually finds herself.

This is a truly excellent novel in verse, detailing the lives of three people as they make the decisions that will make their adult lives. Smith revels in language and image, but is equally at home cutting to the chase and being blunt. I loved the ways in which she made every character and narrator a poet, making each one more individual and interesting and special in the process. This book will be a great book club read, and it will stay with me a long time.

Thank you for NetGalley for this e-arc! This book is very unique and is something I wouldn’t normally read. I have never read a book that was historical fiction in verse, rooted in a story about immigrant families from Greece and Northern Families. We learn about Mary, who a 16-year old girl is from Detroit in the 1930s. The central plot line is centered around Mary really fighting against arranged marriage and fighting for independence. I’m usually weary of these plot lines, but I have to commend Smith for being able to tell this dynamic tale in a way that is sensitive, moving, and very engaging. Smith tells this through three different narrators in verse. We hear about war-torn Greece, being an immigrant family during the Great Depression, what it means to be a “good Greek girl”, and familial histories. I loved the historical references, especially as a history major in college. There are many historical Detroit-specific references (and confirmed by Detroit natives!) and in general, this book seems to be written from a place of love. This novel is very long, but I became really invested in the story really early on. I think this book will especially be meaningful for children of Greek immigrants and European immigrants, those who have a personal connection to Detroit, and those who are interested in the 1920s and 1930s. I think they will have better words to describe this beautiful piece that I can at the moment.

I really enjoyed this book. I have only read one other book written in verse and I am generally not a fan of poetry. I wanted to try something different so I gave this book a try. I am really glad I did!! It took me longer than I care to admit to get used to the writing style. I found it a little hard to follow the story at first. But that has nothing to do with the writing just my ability to read it. Once I was able to get used to the writing I was able to follow the three characters along their heartbreaking journeys.

This story is based off the Colby Cedar Smith’s family. Her grandmother is such an inspiration and a go getter! Her great-grandparents were such fighters. It is no wonder that the Colby Cedar Smith decided to write a book about them!

I am really glad that I decide to try this book!

Call Me Athena: Girl From Detroit was a wonderful 5 Star read, written entirely in verse (a fact I missed until I began reading it), as well as some very poetic love letters.

This novel is loosely based around the author, Colby Cedar Smith's grandmother Mary's story, as well as Mary's own parents, Gio and Jeanne.

Mary's story shows the plight of what it means to be an immigrant in a country that does not want you, a story that still rings true for many people today. Her story is set in 1934 Detroit, during the Great Depression. Mary's parents wish for her to marry and be a 'Good Greek Girl' but Mary wants more than that, she wants to be a Modern American Woman, but at the same time she doesn't want to let go of her culture and her family.

Meanwhile, in little flashes of the past, we see Mary's parents drawn closer to each other by the war (WW1) and their letters to each other.

The writing in Call Me Athena was so so beautiful, and I can't even explain how great this made the book for me. Personally, a book could have a really good plot but if I dislike the writing I really cannot be interested. (That isn't to say that writing means everything. If there's no plot, what am I reading?) I've only actually read a few novels written in verse- The Iliad, Punching The Air, and this one- and in two of the cases, when getting hold of the books, I've failed to noticed that they're written in verse, and so when I've started them, I've been quite unsure, but they've always turned out to be brilliant.

As this is an ARC, there isn't a lot I can say without revealing too much, but just remember this.

Five stars (from someone who is quite harsh with her ratings)

Written in lovely poetry.

Releasing on August 17th 2021, so put that date into your calendars!

Call Me Athena: Girl From Detroit will be available in both hard and electronic formats.

(Review will be released later today)

I am blown away by how powerfully moving I found this novel. It is told in short form verse, which makes it accessible and less daunting for reluctant readers. This also opens the door to discussions about modern poetry in the classroom. The verse forces the reader to pay close attention to the text, since there are very few complete sentences to spell out factual information. This added complexity elevates this work in literary merit, making it comparable to many texts already cemented in the educational canon. The verse is not distracting, since it seems to fit with the characters’ use of English as a second language, or multilingual awareness. It comes across as a presentation of each character’s unfiltered, emotional thoughts.

The historical details in this book are entrancing. I grew up just outside of Detroit and often heard stories in the living memory of our community, but rarely any that occurred prior to World War II. Henry Ford is often glorified as the real father of the city, without any discussion of his problematic position in history. This nuanced view of local history is fascinating and heart wrenching. Many of the locations the characters mention in the book still exist today—Belle Isle’s Conservatory, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Lafayette Coney Island, and many others. The Boblo Island ferry even brought the characters into my hometown! I am so excited to plan a field trip to the Detroit Historical Museum and allow my students to view these landmarks through the eyes of Mary and her family.

There are so many classroom applications for this book because it touches on so many themes that remain relevant today. Immigration, sexism, worker’s rights, poverty, and social class are just a few of the topics that the characters live with. The historical references and different geographic locations mentioned in the book provide stepping stones for research projects, analysis, and classroom discussion. I cannot wait to get this book into my students’ hands!

Call Me Athena: Girl From Detroit is my first ARC from NetGalley of the year. Colby Cedar Smith’s debut novel is due to be released later this year in August and what an incredible book it is.

Written entirely in verse, Call Me Athena is loosely based on the authors own great-grandparents who fled their individual countries to start a new life in America. With the main setting of 1930s Detroit, we also see flashbacks of their lives in both France and Greece during World War One. Mary yearns to be an independent American woman but having to battle with life as an immigrant during the Great Depression she has the constant ‘good Greek girl’ image to live up to. Having narration from three beautifully written perspectives we gain such a wide understanding of the book's message, that it is a hard balance to not disrespect your heritage but want your own freedom at the same time.

This book is honestly written so beautifully and I was hooked from the first few pages. The way in which Cedar Smith writes her characters is breathtaking, you feel like you know the characters which make your reading experience even more heartfelt. My heart ached for the family at times, something that doesn’t often happen.

Going into this read I thought, due to being written in verse, it would be hard to convey a very in-depth story due to there being less text than an average book. But the world being depicted is so vast and detailed that you are transported into their lives. At times I had to make myself put it down to stop myself from reading it too quickly.

I would honestly recommend this book to anyone who is in need of a heartwarming yet eye-opening read and I am beyond excited to read anything that Cedar Smith may release in the future. That being said Call Me Athena: Girl From Detroit gets a 5⭐️ rating from me.

The emotion and pain in this... the raw feeling of acceptance and discovery.

If you love poetry and also interesting ways in which mythology and heritage can shape us, read this. You will not be disappointed.

I thought this would be a novel in text and not verse, but I really, really enjoyed that it was in verse. It made the emotion so much more real, I could feel the words in my chest.

I do not know much about Detroit but I felt as if I lived in the city through this.

Kudos to the artist who did the cover art. Amazing. It made me request this book! And when I found out it was written in verse, even better. Novels in verse have been very popular lately at my school library. What I found is that the contents of the book are just as beautiful as the cover art. The book follows three different narrators:

Narrator 1 = Mary, a Greek girl in the 1930s who does not want to be what her family expects a “good Greek girl” to do (marry young, not work, not drink or smoke, etc.) She faces xenophobia, even though she was born in America. Her parents want her to marry a much older business owner, Dimitris, but she falls in love with a dashing all-American boy, Billy. He takes her to Coney Island where they fall in love over a delicious chocolate malt. He talks to her about Greek mythology and says that she reminds him of the goddess Athena, strong and powerful.

Narrator 2=Giorgos (Mary’s father) 1915-1918 Central Greece, America, France. In Greece he witnesses marital disputes and domestic assault. His twin sister, Violetta, is expected to marry young. They have a close relationship. Violetta marries a good man, but when times get tough, Giorgos urges her husband to steal a sheep to feed his pregnant wife. They are caught, and Violetta’s husband is shot and killed. Giorgos feels at fault and hops on a ship heading for America. It is there that a recruiting officer tells Giorgos that if he wants to become an American citizen, he must enlist and fight for his new country. Giorgos is shipped back to Europe and is injured on the front. He then meets Jeanne, Mary’s mother.

Narrator 3=Jeanne (Mary’s mother), Saint Malo France, 1915-1918. Her father is a doctor and called for the war effort. Her life up to this point has been one of affluence and comfort. She dreams of being a doctor someday and volunteers at the local hospital, aiding wounded soldiers. It is there that she meets Giorgos and falls in love.

Everything about the book is beautiful--the language, the storytelling, the characters. One of the best examples I’ve seen of a novel in verse. Colby Cedar Smith, you just made this middle school librarian’s heart soar.

Athena is a warrior goddess. She is one of the most important figures not only in the Olympic mythology, she has an equal importance with Zeus and sometimes even surpasses him, this being rooted in the earliest period of development of Greek mythology - the matriarchy. In strength and wisdom, she is equal to Zeus. She is honored after Zeus and her place is closest to Zeus. Along with the new functions of the goddess of military power, Athena maintained her matriarchal independence, manifested in her understanding as a virgin and protector of chastity.
The associations between her and one of our main characters of the novel - Mary as the American-born daughter of Greek and French immigrants is not a hazarded one. Mary tries to prove her equality with men and her independence. She is struggling to adjudicate her right in the society of 1930 Detroit.
American agriculture was in bad shape in the 1920s. After the end of the First World War, the prices of agricultural products began to fall when agriculture in Europe started growing, the Americans losing an important market. Many farmers left the countryside to move to urban areas, where they hoped to have a better life. For Mary’s parents the life in America was a new beginning. American prosperity arrived at an abrupt end in 1929, with the outbreak of the great economic crisis. In 1929, the American economic system underwent a sudden change in a short period of time, moving practically from prosperity to a very severe economic crisis. The crisis was the result of major weaknesses in the economy, which weakened and intensified throughout the 1920s.
What I loved most was that the entire story was told following 3 narrative threads: the life of Giorgos, Mary’s father, the life of Jeanne, Mary’s mother starting from childhood and how they met and in the meantime the life of Mary struggling to become an emancipated young women. The entire story starts from real facts and tries to describe the struggle that a family of immigrants is facing in those years.

"Call me Athena. She wasn't a Good Greek Girl either."

First, thank you for providing this lovely ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I am glad that I gave this a try. And what a lovely coincidence, that I finished this on international women's day.

I might be biased because of my name, but goodness me, this little book was very enjoyable to read. Now I will admit to being absolutely shocked when I first opened the book because somewhere along the line I must have missed the bit that said this book was written in verse. However, I am glad I missed it because I honestly would not have picked it up otherwise. Having said that, I must say I enjoyed it more than I had expected. In fact, the format lends itself perfectly to the deep feeling of "Sehnsucht" you will find in the book.

What a beautiful, strong family that strives for independence and has to deal with the harsh reality that threatens their hopes and dreams at every turn. Coming from a Greek immigrant family myself, I am all too familiar with the stories of war-torn Greece and Europe that shape this book and found the book to struck a balance between the suffering and hopeful longing it portrays. The story of Mary and her parents is so beautifully connected and shows just how much people are willing to sacrifice for what they love and long for.

Call Me Athena is a beautifully written book in verse based loosely on the author's grandmother. The writing is exquisite and at times heartwrenching. The story follows a sixteen-year-old American-born girl, the daughter of Greek and French immigrant parents. Mary's story is told in alternating chapters with her parent's stories, which are told through memories and love letters. The poignant storytelling from three very different perspectives leaves the reader with so many feelings. I read this novel, all 576 pages of it, in two sittings. I could not put it down. The settings are richly developed and you cannot help but empathize with Mary's parents who left their lives overseas to build a life of opportunity for themselves and their family. Mary fights for her own independence against an unwanted arranged marriage and a chance to make her own mark on the world. The addition of photos of the author's family at the end is a really nice touch to this book. Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy novels in verse and this one was well written with interesting characters, However, something was lacking and I couldn't quite pinpoint what; I just needed something more to pull me in

This book was such a pleasure to read. I am not usually a fan of novels written in verse but this was well written and wove a beautiful tale. I liked the letters written back and forth and the strength of each of the characters. I found myself unable to pull away from the story. The descriptions were on point and made me feel like I was right there experiencing it all. I would highly recommend this read to others. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this awesome read.

Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo. This book twists and turns, taking you on a journey across tow continents, spanning World War 1 and the Great Depression.

If you know Detroit, this book is such a treat - from Belle Isle, to the Fox Theatre, to the broken windows of the Ford Factory. The setting itself is perfect for the story - coming of age, overcoming tragedies and defying expectations. It could have only happened in Detroit.

The book is gorgeous, and the descriptions of the Diego Rivera Murals (and the reaction they caused amongst people and the protagonist) a particular highlight.

I ordinarily love novels in verse - they're short reads that often pack a punch with lyrical writing. Unfortunately, this one did not. I found it dragged and I often lost my way with the characters and I was never quite sure where we were and what was going on.