Don't Ask Me Where I'm from

by Jennifer de Leon

Elena Garnu (Illustrator)

First-generation American LatinX Liliana Cruz does what it takes to fit in at her new nearly all-white school. But when family secrets spill out and racism at school ramps up, she must decide what she believes in and take a stand.

Liliana Cruz is a hitting a wall—or rather, walls.

There’s the wall her mom has put up ever since Liliana’s dad left—again.

There’s the wall that delineates Liliana’s diverse inner-city Boston neighborhood from Westburg, the wealthy—and white—suburban high school she’s just been accepted into.

And there’s the wall Liliana creates within herself, because to survive at Westburg, she can’t just lighten up, she has to whiten up.

So what if she changes her name? So what if she changes the way she talks? So what if she’s seeing her neighborhood in a different way? But then light is shed on some hard truths: It isn’t that her father doesn’t want to come home—he can’t…and her whole family is in jeopardy. And when racial tensions at school reach a fever pitch, the walls that divide feel insurmountable.

But a wall isn’t always a barrier. It can be a foundation for something better. And Liliana must choose: Use this foundation as a platform to speak her truth, or risk crumbling under its weight.

• ISBN10: 1534438246
• ISBN13: 9781534438248
• Publish Date: 18 August 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Atheneum Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Are you looking for an #OwnVoices books with themes of racism, a protagonist born in the US to undocumented parents, but also a contemporary that you can curl up with and read in a day? Seriously, look no further than DON'T ASK ME WHERE I'M FROM. This book has such a fresh voice, and touches on so many important topics that we need to be educating ourselves on, and I would like to shout from the mountain tops to READ THIS BOOK!

The writing style was easy and drew you in, all the characters were intriguing and the diversity was honestly fantastic. De Leon dealt with uncomfortable themes expertly, as well as offering some level of realism to the situation. We have supporters (and non-supporters) of all shades. And yet, this isn't *just* a book about racism, because it's also a story about a family, about a teen finding her place in a new high school, about new friends and old friends, and about an aspiring writer. We touch upon different kinds of racism, yes, but also on immigration and mental health and successes and community resources.

It's just... it's good. It's *really* good.

And if you'd like to read a more extended review, head on over to The Literary Phoenix for more on this book and others.