{"id":39225,"date":"2021-04-30T21:24:10","date_gmt":"2021-05-01T01:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39225"},"modified":"2021-04-30T21:24:10","modified_gmt":"2021-05-01T01:24:10","slug":"review-of-efren-divided-by-ernesto-cisneros-read-by-anthony-rey-perez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39225","title":{"rendered":"Review of Efr\u00e9n Divided, by Ernesto Cisneros, read by Anthony Rey Perez"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Efr\u00e9n Divided<\/em><\/p>\n

by Ernesto Cisneros
\nread by Anthony Rey Perez<\/p>\n

Harper Audio, 2020. 4 hours, 33 minutes.
\nReview written March 30, 2021, from a library eaudiobook
\n2021 Pura Belpr\u00e9 Author Winner
\n2020 Capitol Choices Selection<\/p>\n

Efr\u00e9n Divided<\/em> is the story of a kid born in America whose parents are undocumented immigrants from Mexico. He\u2019s in middle school, and has normal middle school concerns, such as his best friend deciding to run for A.S.B. President in order to attract girls. His family lives in a small studio apartment \u2013 his parents and his younger siblings, who are twins in Kindergarten \u2013 and they aren\u2019t wealthy but have lots of love and an Am\u00e1 who takes good care of them.<\/p>\n

Then Efr\u00e9n\u2019s Am\u00e1 applies for a better job \u2013 and gets picked up in a raid and deported to Mexico. Efr\u00e9n\u2019s troubles begin. His Ap\u00e1 takes overtime hours to try to raise the money for Am\u00e1 to hire a coyote and get home. But even getting the money to her is fraught with difficulty.<\/p>\n

And meanwhile, Efr\u00e9n needs to care for the twins and keep things going at home, never mind getting his homework done and supporting his friend David running for President. Efr\u00e9n can\u2019t even bring himself to tell David about Am\u00e1\u2019s deportation, he\u2019s so torn up inside.<\/p>\n

When it comes time to get money to Am\u00e1 to get home, Efr\u00e9n is the one who needs to go into Tijuana to take it to her, since Ap\u00e1 is undocumented.<\/p>\n

This book is gripping and powerful and makes the reader burn with the injustice of it all. <\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t completely on board with how luck was handled, especially the good luck. Efr\u00e9n has a lucky encounter in Tijuana, which completely saves the day, and he and Ap\u00e1 have other luck, too \u2013 which Am\u00e1 does not have. That\u2019s probably a lot of the point of the book \u2013 even that Efr\u00e9n is lucky to have been born in the United States \u2013 but it put me off a tiny bit. I very much wanted Am\u00e1 to have better luck, for sure \u2013 which is definitely a big part of the point of the book, to get the reader where we don\u2019t<\/em> think it\u2019s right what happens to her.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s a hard read, but a good one. It will get readers wanting to see things changed.<\/p>\n

ernestocisneros.com<\/a>
\nharpercollinschildrens.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Fiction\/efren_divided.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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