Quintero, I. (2014). Gabi, a girl in pieces (First ed.). El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, is a coming-of-age story, written in a diary form, about the trials and tribulations of our main character, as she stumbles her way through her senior year of high school.
Our protagonist Gabi Hernandez, is a Mexican-American teenager, living in Southern California. Like most teenagers these days, Gabi's life is not perfect. Her life consists of her father, who is a meth addict, her mom, and her best friends, Cindy and Sebastian. Early on, Cindy finds herself pregnant and Sebastian wrestles with coming out to his family about being homosexual, only to end up getting kicked out. Gabi reflects in her diary about helping her friend, Cindy, through her pregnancy and her thoughts on her own sexuality.
She struggles with her weight issues, its effect on her love life, and dealing with the ups and downs of her own home life. Her mom is always very critical and tells her to be a “good girl,” yet she ends of pregnant herself. Her tia gives her relationship advice, meanwhile having an affair with a married man. All the while, her family is struggling with her father’s addiction. Gabi knows she has to get out and hopes to get into Berkley.
From delivery rooms to abortion clinics, the right decisions about staying with your family or going away to college, to a love affair with food and poetry, Gabi learns what life is about. Being a teenager is awkward, but knowing who you are and what you are about is everything.
The reader can’t help but feel a connection with Gabi. She is hilariously funny and you can’t help but be in awe of her resilience. We get to see two sides to her as she tries to support her friends, but shares her honest thoughts and feelings with the reader. Quintero masterfully created a strong voice within Gabi that hooks the reader.
The content in this book is suited to a more mature audience, like upper high school. Pregnancy, abortion, almost suicide, and drug use is throughout the book, so I think a younger reader would struggle with the content. While the themes present in this book are contemporary issues, it was a little overwhelming in a sense. There was so much going on, considering it takes place all in one school year. Regardless, I think girls will absolutely love Gabi’s character and this book!
**Required YA novel
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