Furia

You know I love a book that does many things well – and Yamile Saied Méndez's FURIA is that, through and through. Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for the gifted ARC, and for having me on book tour.

Content warnings: femicide, domestic violence, sexism

I've been a Juve fan for over 15 years and Saied Méndez is a fellow Utahn, so there was zero doubt that I'd read this book. When I started reading it, I thought it was going to be a much simpler plot centered primarily around passion for fútbol and young love. It is that, but I can't ignore what else this book brings to the table:

+ Diversity presented as fact. Our protagonist Camila is Argentinian with Palestinian, Russian, Black Brazilian, and Andalusian heritage. Her best friend Roxana is Chinese Argentinian, and another character is Indian (South Asian). It's a wonderful reminder that no country is a monolith. We Americans like to think of ourselves as the only melting pot... but that's pretty self-aggrandizing, since it ignores our historical and current xenophobia. (And let's not forget how our melting pot is white-washed.)

+ #NiUnaMenos. I am aware of overt sexism and societally accepted violence against women, here and abroad, but it's not my lived experience. That's a privilege. But that's not to pity Argentine women for their lives or to make light of their experiences. Women are powerful people, and this book celebrates female power and the turning tide against machismo, domestic violence, and femicide. Saied Méndez touches on how feminism can be polarizing.

+ Multidimensionality. I don't want to perpetuate a myth that Latinas need to be everything and more to be multidimensional, but I love that Camila is athletic and passionate about the English language. That she loves her family and wants a life bigger than that for herself. That Diego can be macho and vulnerable in ways that lends hope for current and future generations of male-identifying people.

If you pick up one YA book this year, let it be FURIA.