Alegría, M. (2007). Sofi Mendoza’s guide to getting lost in Mexico. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.
Summary: Sofi Mendoza is at a peak in her life. She's about to graduate high school and attend UCLA. It's the end of the year and her best friends are excited to attend a party at a classmate's house across the border in Rosarito, Mexico. Sofi is hoping for an opportunity to make a move on her big crush Nick. When the party is over, Sofi finds herself in a much larger dilemma. She is denied entry back into California. Sofi is forced to stay with an aunt whom she's never met until her parents can get a lawyer to argue her case. Family secrets are unveiled and cultural differences between Mexico and the US are highlighted. In the end, Sofi learns a lot about her ethnic heritage and Alegría highlights some of the serious injustices of the border and citizenship.
Review: This book is needed in schools (the references to underage drinking makes me give this book a high school designation). It is a "chick lit"romance that will attract many adolescent girls. There is enough happy ending romance here to please most. The ending is saccharine sweet and unfortunately, an unlikely-hood for most young adults put in this situation. While teens will like this book, I hope they understand that Sofi's status is unique and that the reality would be much dire.
Diversity: Alegría's voice is a much needed voice in YA literature. She gives voice to the Latina experience. Here, the Sofi speaks as a young woman who crossed the border at such a young age that she has no idea that her her immigration status is a lie. Other students could relate to this issue. Alegría also tells the story of culture shock--of what it means to represent a culture and then disappoint others because you are not "truly" Mexican and can't function as an "expert" (don't speak the language, have little knowledge of the country). (I can relate to this experience being half-Chinese, half Thai and speaking neither language.) While, I find this book needed in school libraries, it is not without complaint. Sofi is rather shallow through most of this book. Her need to impress boys and preoccupation with her outfits is ridiculous. Most disappointing is the ending which I find so far from reality. That immigration and deportation issues could be tied up so neatly in a bow within two weeks is far from reality and teens should have the opportunity to read the real dangers and outcomes of this situation in addition to this one. This book does give voice to the families who have a complicated history of living on both sides of the border and going back and forth over time. And my hope is that this book offers conversation and discussion about border issues among our youth. It should not be the only voice on Latino issues, but one of many. I realize that I've been judging this book harshly because it has become one of the handful of books I've read with a Latino protagonist so I want it to be more complicated than it is. I've fallen into Adichie's trap of the danger of a single story. I've read plenty of okay books about young white people and I don't have the same expectations because there are so many books about white people. There are few about Latinos and thus I'm putting all my hopes in one basket, which is unfair.
Diversity: Alegría's voice is a much needed voice in YA literature. She gives voice to the Latina experience. Here, the Sofi speaks as a young woman who crossed the border at such a young age that she has no idea that her her immigration status is a lie. Other students could relate to this issue. Alegría also tells the story of culture shock--of what it means to represent a culture and then disappoint others because you are not "truly" Mexican and can't function as an "expert" (don't speak the language, have little knowledge of the country). (I can relate to this experience being half-Chinese, half Thai and speaking neither language.) While, I find this book needed in school libraries, it is not without complaint. Sofi is rather shallow through most of this book. Her need to impress boys and preoccupation with her outfits is ridiculous. Most disappointing is the ending which I find so far from reality. That immigration and deportation issues could be tied up so neatly in a bow within two weeks is far from reality and teens should have the opportunity to read the real dangers and outcomes of this situation in addition to this one. This book does give voice to the families who have a complicated history of living on both sides of the border and going back and forth over time. And my hope is that this book offers conversation and discussion about border issues among our youth. It should not be the only voice on Latino issues, but one of many. I realize that I've been judging this book harshly because it has become one of the handful of books I've read with a Latino protagonist so I want it to be more complicated than it is. I've fallen into Adichie's trap of the danger of a single story. I've read plenty of okay books about young white people and I don't have the same expectations because there are so many books about white people. There are few about Latinos and thus I'm putting all my hopes in one basket, which is unfair.
Suggestions for Teachers: Use this text alongside non-fiction articles about the US/Mexico border and border crossings. This could be one book in a collection of books for lit circles about immigration. This could be an independent reading text in a US history or government class as well.
Reading Level:
- Quantitative: Lexile 810L, ATOS Book Level 6.3, Flesh-Kincaid 6.4 Readability Grade Level 8.0, RMM 7
- Qualitative: This text is moderately complex. It is organized chronologically but there are a couple of subplots--what is happening in Mexico, what is happening back home at school. Language is largely contemporary and explicit but there are some words that are in Spanish, but can be defined using the glossary at the end of the book. The text is mostly literal. Students who have some knowledge of Latino culture will more easily comprehend the text.
Content Areas: English, Social Studies, Contemporary Issues
Common Core State Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.6
Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6
Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
Relevant links: Malín Alegría, Teaching History Across Borders, Teaching Tolerance, PBS
Subjects/Themes: Immigration, Undocumented Immigrants, Border, US/Mexico Border
Awards: N/A
Series Information: N/A
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