Review of YA anthology<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Living Beyond Borders<\/em> is a passionate, entertaining, and informative anthology containing 20 works by prize-winning Mexican-American writers and artists who live in Texas and other areas of the United States.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Edited by South Texas book blogger and librarian Margarita Longoria, the story collection is aimed at young-adult readers. Older readers, however, also may find themselves being drawn into the coming-of-age moments, school situations, and family dramas spotlighted in the stories, essays, poems, and cartoons. Ms. Longoria writes: \u201cThe idea for this anthology arose when our heritage came under attack in the media.\u201d She adds: \u201cI wanted a collection of stories that represented what it means to me to be a Mexican-American living in America today. In these stories, I wanted hope, family, friendship, and empowerment to shine through and help heal this hate.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Issues raised by the anthology\u2019s contributors reflect many of the complexities faced today by Mexican-American teens and adults. For example, in an essay titled \u201cIs Half Mexican-American, Mexican Enough?\u201d Dallas-based author Alex Temblador notes that \u201cit wasn\u2019t until I went to college that I ever took interest in my Mexican-American identity.\u201d She continues: \u201cThe hyphenated experience of being Mexican-American is wrought with so much confusion, especially among Mexicans who are second- or third-generation Americans. Even as their parents instill Mexican history and culture in them, immersing themselves in their American heritage is inevitable. It creates this identity where they feel too American for the Mexicans and too Mexican for the Americans.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kansas City children\u2019s novelist Angela Cervantes focuses her short story \u201cYoli Calderon and Principal Hayes\u201d on a Mexican-American student facing her Anglo school principal after a fight with a classmate. When Mr. Hayes tries to win her confidence by telling her he\u2019s been to Cancun five times, Yoli retorts that she has never been south of the border. \u201cI was born a few months after my dad sent for my mom to join him here,\u201d she explains. \u201cI have never known Mexico like they have, but somehow I\u2019m proud of being from there just as much as I am proud of being an American. I really am. I\u2019m a Mexican American. I don\u2019t hyphenate it. I don\u2019t call myself Hispanic. Latina is okay. Latinx is a little better. By calling myself Mexican American, I choose to claim Mexico\u2014not reject it. It was my parents\u2019 country. It\u2019s also mine. Same with the United States. It\u2019s mine, too.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In \u201cFiliberto\u2019s Final Visit,\u201d a short story by El Paso novelist Francisco X. Stork, a Mexican-American Vietnam War veteran helps a shy 16-year-old boy find dignidad, his dignity, at a crucial moment in his life when he is feeling nervous about both young love and recent taunts from a neighborhood gang. \u201cDignidad. It\u2019s something we Mexicans living here in the US need to have,\u201d Filiberto tells him. \u201cWe need to give value and worth to ourselves. Others won\u2019t give it to us.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Other topics explored in the anthology range from racial discrimination and the tribulations of changing schools, to ending a middle-school romance, and contemplating the border landscape itself. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The anthology\u2019s contributors have all won awards for novels, stories, picture books, or other materials for middle-grade students and young adults. Living Beyond Borders is an age-appropriate work of noteworthy and engaging artistry.  <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Review of YA anthology<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[894,1331,813,817,830,1341],"class_list":["post-2600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-book-review","tag-editorialreview","tag-lone-star-literary-life","tag-lone-star-review","tag-lonestarliterarycom","tag-margaritalongoria"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}