Starred review from October 26, 2020
Méndez (Where Are You From?) infuses her YA debut with sparkling vitality straight from the pitch in this powerful coming-of-age story set in Rosario, Argentina. Camila Hassan, 17, knows that “lies have short legs,” but her budding career as a soccer player—and romance with childhood friend Diego—would not exist without them. Under pressure from parental expectations and an abusive father, Camila takes pains at home to conceal her after-school activities and passion for fútbol. On the field, however, she lets loose and tears it up as Furia—fierce futbolera and captain of Eva María Fútbol Club. When her team qualifies for a major tournament that requires a parental signature to participate, Camila must find the strength to reveal the truth and continue pursuing her goals in a community rife with machismo and rigid ideas about gender and ambition. Weaving rich cultural specifics and electric energy into her prose, Méndez crafts a dynamic, feminist narrative that commands attention from the very first line. At its core, this novel is a full-hearted love letter to Argentina and “incorrigible girls” everywhere, emboldening readers to stand up for themselves and chase the dreams they hold dear. Ages 14–up. Agent: Linda Camacho, Gallt & Zacker Literary.
August 28, 2020
Gr 7 Up-Seventeen-year-old Camila "Furia" Hassan navigates a world of lies in Rosario, Argentina. At home she plays the respectful and innocent daughter who is dedicated to learning English and attending medical school. Obedient to her abusive father, loyal to her rising-soccer-star brother and dedicated to her overwhelmed mother, Camila does not show her true colors. The headstrong Latina has dreams of her own: To earn a scholarship to a university and play soccer in the United States, to stick up for women's rights in her beloved hometown, and to pursue her own relationship with Rosario's local soccer hero and international heartthrob Diego "El Titan" Ferrari. Through Camila's first-person narrative, readers learn about her conflicting feelings as a daughter, athlete, and friend, while she struggles to define her priorities. With a mix of Spanish words, vivid dialogue, and rich description, Mendez paints a realistic image of a young woman battling to become herself against the odds. Instances of abuse and child death are described in a sensitive manner for mature readers. This inspirational story is an important read for young adults everywhere to witness the dynamics and pressures for a young Argentinian. VERDICT This book is a powerful and realistic novel for libraries with a large Latinx or young adult population.-Emily Bayci-Mroczek, Naperville Public Library-Naper Boulevard Library, IL
Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from August 1, 2020
An Argentine girl's journey to fulfill her ambitions against all odds. Seventeen-year-old Camila "la Furia" Hassan is a talented soccer player from a traditional working-class family in Rosario, Argentina, who aspires to be a professional futbolera. Her life as a player is a secret she keeps from her parents, especially from her abusive father, but her support system includes her brother, Pablo, a professional soccer player himself, and her best friend and teammate, Roxana. After her team wins the local league and qualifies for a South American tournament, Camila finally has a chance to show her talent to scouts and hopefully fulfill her dream to join a North American team. Camila needs parental permission to join the tournament, but coming clean is hard--and then things get worse when the boy she loves is back in town. Diego left to play for Juventus FC in Italy and has come to win her back, but Camila is torn between her two loves. In this stirring novel by Argentine American author M�ndez, passion for sports and personal growth intersect in Camila's powerful, feminist first-person narrative about her experiences as an ambitious athlete, a teenager deeply in love, the daughter of an abusive father at the point of taking charge of her own life, and a young woman finding her voice in a deeply sexist, patriarchal society. Camila's Argentine family is multicultural with Black, Indigenous, European, and Palestinian ancestors. Roxana is Chinese Argentine. A riveting coming-of-age story. (Fiction. 14-adult)
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September 1, 2020
Grades 9-12 This high-energy #OwnVoices novel features ambitious 17-year-old Camila of Rosario, Argentina, whose dream is to be come a f�tbolera, or renowned soccer player. To work towards her goal, she must lie to those she loves?and those who might hurt her, like her abusive father?and maintain a double life of obedient daughter and La Furia, her soccer alias. Written in a relatable first-person perspective, the novel follows Camila's struggles to navigate an upcoming high-stakes tournament as well as the return of her first love, Diego, now a famous international soccer star. With her brother and best friend?and prayers to guardian saints?behind her, Camila pursues her aspirations while escaping her family's overbearing expectations, her father's toxic machismo, and the unceasing string of violence against women in her homeland that threatens her desired career and personal safety. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, her parents crack down, and her love life begins to blossom, Camila must find a way to follow her heart and stay true to herself.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)