Review: The Education of Margot Sanchez
The Summer of Funemployment officially begins. I'm in between jobs, and I've got to make my savings last me until September. Luckily, reading is free. My sister has a copy of THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ by Lilliam Rivera, which I've been wanting to read. A Latina author and protagonist? Yes, please!
I eagerly embraced Margot and her journey, and then turned to my sister so that we could debrief the novel together. While my sister was critical of Margot feeling a little ashamed of her hood friends around her white friends, I thought it was pretty realistic. When you straddle two worlds, you sometimes try to keep them separate because you're worried about what one will think about the other. As Margot grows up, she'll probably question some of her earlier ways of thinking.
I appreciated that this book touched on gentrification and its effect on Latinx communities and small businesses. I also was rooting for Moises, the activist love interest who seemed freakin' cool and like a person I would befriend in real life. I recently finished The Hate U Give, and I'm curious to know why authors create white characters as romantic interests for their protagonists of color. It seems like a trend in YA literature, and I'd like to see more portrayals of black and brown love.
I'm glad that young Latinx readers have a new protagonist to relate to, and I look forward to future work by Lilliam Rivera!
****