Clap When You Land

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I had never read an Elizabeth Acevedo book, I have rarely read a book that is solely based on siblings and never read a novel written in prose. ELIZABETH ACEVEDO is the New York Times -bestselling author of The Poet X , which won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Michael L.

In two distinct voices, Acevedo explores the rich inner lives of the sudden half-sisters as they grapple with their complicated feelings about their father and the secrets he kept. Separated by distance - and Papi's secrets - the girls are forced to face a new reality, their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.I know nothing about formatting poems (obviously) and as a complete novice I have to say I enjoyed the different ways the words were arranged, the changing rhythms. Although told in the form of poetry and dual pov, the tone of the novel catches you from the beginning, making you already quiver and ache in sadness as you read the sad news: A flight fell from the sky, which resulted in all passengers dying. Camino also says flat-out that she is 100% financially dependent on her father: "without his help life as we’ve known it has ended. Clap When You Land is the story of two girls - Camino and Yahaira - one in the Dominican Republic and one in New York City. Tragedy might be forgotten but it truly affected the lives and shaken Dominican community of New York to the core.

Camino's reliable source and most trusted person were her Tía and best friend, Carline, but her Tía holds a special place in my heart. I think Acevedo's addition to Drea being her girlfriend was necessary, and I believe she did it really well. A plane headed from New York to the Dominican Republic crashes into the ocean, and there are no survivors. If you had ever had your childhood hero and your rock not live to the expectations you built up, you’ll understand the pain.So many times, I felt the struggle of the narrators between what they knew to be true, what they should be doing, and what they were feeling. As they move through grief, we get to hear stories about their day-to-day lives, their loves, their losses, their hopes, their fears — and also watch them find each other, and how that relationship evolves. There were so many moments and experiences that Acevedo captures that were things I've never seen or don't often seen explored in fiction. The two thought of their father as their hero, never thought there was someone more inspiring than him, and the constant hurt they have to to go through after his death wrecks the reader.

The story deals with the sudden demise of a father in a plane crash (based on the September 11, 2001, flight AA587 crash). I’m forever grateful for this story for reminding me that one isn’t alone in these various experiences. How do you grieve for your father once you discovered that he wasn’t the person you thought him to be?homeIt was beautiful to witness the girls getting closer once Yahaira actually landed in the DR for the funeral.

Both girls have their own struggles, but Camino is especially threatened without her father to protect her. The novel also handles other thematic notes with so much clarity and grace; namely the question of identity, what it means to grow up in a world you felt only halfway inside of and constantly question your claim to your parents’ roots when you’ve never set foot in their world. You'll find lots of reviews talking about that as if it is a lack rather than something you are signing up for. And then I realized that I got to the end without even noticing the verse anymore because it felt so organic.She already knew he had a wife on the island (but not of his secret daughter), and has always longed to reconcile her Dominican heritage with her American life: "Can you be from a place you have never been? One horrible day, both Camino and Yahaira realize that their dad dies on a plane crash on his way to the DR. ELIZABETH ACEVEDO is a New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X, With the Fire on High, and Clap When You Land.