  | Story of my anger Author: Mendez, Jasminne | |
| Price: $23.98 | ||
Summary:
Yulieta Lopez, a Dominican Texas teen tired of racism and censorship, starts a guerrilla theatre club with her friends as she finds her voice and the courage to stand up for what she believes in.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (07/01/25)
School Library Journal (08/08/25)
Booklist (+) (00/08/25)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/07/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 05/26/2025 Dominican American teen Yulieta Lopez-who believes that "anything and anyone/ is possible" in theater-aches to make drama club history as her Texas high school’s first Black lead in a production. Offstage, Yuli plays the role of a rule-following, "honorable hija," who never stresses Mami enough to flare her lupus. But it’s hard to be Mami’s "easy river" when discrimination corrupts the spring musical and anti-DEI legislation ousts favorite books from the curriculum. The social activism of her older brother and her favorite teacher inspire Yuli to seek change. Despite her fears of being perceived by others as "the angry Black girl," Yuli channels her "five-alarm fire" anger into positive action through guerrilla theater performances that conjure conversation-but at what personal cost? In this poignant novel, Mendez (Aniana del Mar Jumps In) marries verse poems with playwriting in a narrative that centers timely questions about banned books and free speech. Passionate text that braids together Spanish and English deftly depicts Yuli’s journey from an aspiring actor in the wings of the real world to the fearless "leading lady" of her own life. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 12-up. Agent: Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. (Sept.) - Copyright 2025
School Library Journal - 08/08/2025 Gr 7 Up—This inspiring novel in verse details the story of Yulieta Lopez, a Black Latinx high school girl whose passions are theatre and poetry. Yulieta navigates a world full of microaggressions and casual racism in a small town in Texas, while dealing with a brother whose protest activities land him on the wrong side of bigots and her widowed mom struggling with lupus. She is extremely talented but is continually passed over by her drama teacher for lead roles in favor of white girls. Her drama teacher relegates the students of color to the understudy cast while encouraging them to straighten or cover up their hair. Meanwhile, Yuli's favorite teacher, Mr. Gonzalez, becomes the target of the local school board for his "inappropriate" classroom library, which inspires Yuli and her friends to stand up and be heard. Mendez's poetry flows effortlessly, fully realizing Yuli's struggles and joy, without sacrificing plot. Not unlike Yuli's favorite play, Ntozake Shange's for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, this novel is an exploration of the ways in which Black girls have to navigate spaces in which they are unwelcome or overlooked, while unfairly also avoiding the "angry Black girl" stereotype. VERDICT A must-have for all YA collections.—Amy Shaw - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
