Quintero, I. (2014). Gabi, a girl
in pieces. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
Gabriela, Gabi, is a senior in high
school. She is Mexican American, but
looks “too white”, her father is a meth addict, her mother becomes pregnant,
and her younger brother, Beto, is not involved much with the family. Those are some of the things she has to deal
with at home. Her friends are also
struggling. Her friend Cindy gets
pregnant and is in big trouble at home and later Gabi learns was raped by a
classmate. Gabi’s friend Sebastian comes
out that he is gay and his parents pretty much kick him out and he has to live
with his tia (aunt). Then her tia Bertha
comes to live with them to help with her dad, who ends up dying of an overdose,
her mom has the baby early and tia Bertha comes back to live with them to help
with the baby. Through it all Gabi finds
a boyfriend, Martin, who treats her well, and gets accepted to Berkley, which
is her dream college. All of her pieces
come together in the end.
The book shares many issues facing
kids today: LGBT, teen pregnancy,
parents with drug abuse, parents passing, getting into college, paying for
college, overbearing parents, and teen love are a few. The book is written in a journal format and
you feel like Gabi is speaking to you.
The reader sees everything from Gabi’s point of view and because it is
her journal she is honest about her feelings.
I think she is a good role model in the book as far as how she deals
with things. She doesn’t do drugs or
drink, she wants to go to college and better herself. She also struggles with having sex and
decides to make sure she is protected so she doesn’t end up like her friend. In a way this book reminds me of Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson in that it is told from a high school teen’s point of
view and the topic of rape shows up in both.
I would see this book in a high school.
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