Reading "Becoming Naomi Leon", by Pam Munoz Ryan, was truly enjoyable. It was interesting to read the Barrera and Quiroa article before hand ("The use of Spanish in Latino Children's Literature in English: What Makes for Cultural Authenticity?") and then see the parallels between the article and the book. In the article, the authors discuss the role of kinship and families in Latino Literature. During the novel, Naomi's mom shows up unexpectantly (after years of her being gone) and Naomi grapples with her identity in relation to her family.
What was refreshing about this novel was how gender roles were "reversed" in some ways. Rather than reading about an uninvovled and destitute father, we see a father who loves his children and wants to be with him. After reading so many books that shed father's in a negative light, this book gives one a fresh outlook. Also, the book high lighted extended kinship systems; Naomi not only had Gram and Owen as her support system, but neighbors and extended family members. The book also showed how cummunal the Latina community is, as when Naomi traveled to Mexico, her family accepted her immediately and worked together to find Naomi's father.
Another element of this book that made it unique from other reads was Naomi's voice. For a child who is struggling with problems between two parents, this novel offers a "friend" or voice that one can relate to. Often, problems within families are kept under wraps, or "hushed". Children dealing with these problems may not have an outlet or source to relate to. This book gives children a character to that they can turn to when coping with the same sort of issues.
I think this book is an outstanding resource, not only does it confront issues with families, it also exposes children to the Latina community in a positive and non-stereotypical way.
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3 comments:
I definitely agree with you when you found the gender roles to be "reversed." At the beginning of the book, I thought about how in yet another story, the father was going to be absent, but I was presently surprised. I was also agree that this book is a great resource the the reasons you listed. When doing my Questioning the Text paper, I was thinnking about if stereotypes were present, or of an issue that I didn't agree with, yet I couldn't find much I didn't like. I thought it was good book that dealt with a lot.
One intersting thing is that you read the Barrera and Quiroa article beforehand, where I read it after Becoming Naomi Leon. I went back into the book after reading the article and did find some passages in which Ryan had the characters speak in Spanish and almost immediately after, it was told in English what was said (having "double talk"). It didn't occur to me that an author should be conscientious of monolingual English readers so that they aren't overwhelmed by the quantity of unknown words, as well as so that bilingual Spanish-English readers aren't confronted with and unnecessary and repitive informaion. Did you feel like Ryan potrayed this "double talk" or did you feel she did a nice job in integrating Spanish sayings and words into the text?
I agree with you that it is refreshing to have the reversal of roles in regards to the absence of a parent. When I first heard that Naomi's father was absent from his life I have to admit I assumed both him and the mother left their children. I was proved wrong when Naomi's father touched my heart in the last chapter when he said, "Do you want to know the name of my boat? It is the Soledad, after my children" (page 215). Furthermore it says,"There were no dry tears in the room." Santiago reveals the yearning he has had for his children on page 216, "I have thought of nothing else for years."
While reading the part when Santiago sees his childen for the first time in over 8 years I got chills. This book gives a nice twist to the typical scenarios you will read in most novels. For once the mom is depicted as irresponsible and insensitive and the father is depicted in a positive light.
This book was very heart warming. I enjoyed Naomi's character and the resiliency she showed. I also appreciated the family unity of Gram, Owen, and the neighbors. After reading about the importance of family unity in the Latina culture, I was pleased to see that this book displayed the Latino family values in a respective light.
Yes, I read One Hundred Years of Solitude in Spanish, and I thought the ending was absolutely amazing . . . it's so much more than a story about banana plantations, as so many people say.
If you're interested in reading literature by an amazing Latina, check out Julia Alvarez - I recommend In the Time of the Butterflies, especially because the main characters are women and they have a huge impact on the politics of the Dominican Republic during the time of Trujillo's dictatorship (she also writes for children and young adults).
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