Windows into my world : Latino youth write their lives /

Adult/High School-These 36 brief essays document issues that can affect all young people-friendship, death, anorexia, divorce, sexuality-but also comment on the writers' adjustments to a new society or expectations that might limit their hopes and dreams. In one piece, a young woman shares the story of her family's frustrating Thanksgiving Day excursion to find an open restaurant, not understanding this holiday in their new country. Another writer expresses her dismay when her father refuses to let her go to another city to attend college, unless her mother moves in with her. A third recalls a harrowing trip over the border to a faria, the Mexican version of a carnival, when a ride stops in midair and she sees the look of fear on the face of the macho cousin she admires so much. The essayists, many still in college, represent diverse backgrounds-Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Salvadoran. For young adults of all backgrounds, this collection illuminates both the familiar coming-of-age experiences that transcend cultural differences and the moments that are unique to young Latinos in the States.-Pat Bangs, Fairfax County Public Library, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.