It takes a community
Happy Book Birthday to Andrea Beatriz Arango author of ‘Something Like Home’
#NuevasPáginas is a space that aims to amplify and spotlight Hispanic/Latine/x authors with newly published books. The goal is to connect readers to their next favorite Hispanic/Latine/x authored book through a mini casual get-to-know-the-book-and-author interview. So please help me connect to more readers. So that together we can continue to build the love/support of Latine literature!
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Hey Book Franz!
Ah! I survived my marathon/week of author talks. Though I have two more to close out this month. I was talking to a friend who also moderates author events and she mentioned to me that moderating an author event once a month is her max, as an introvert. Which honestly is my max as well! But it was hard to say no to spending time with some really amazing literary icons and though I’m paying for it now (by trying to catch up sleep lost from overthinking what questions I’d ask and how the convos might flow and little to no new reading!!!), I wouldn’t trade it in for anything. I will however perhaps consider not saying “YES! OMG OF COURSE”. That said, let me plug my last two events this month, for those who might be able to attend. It would mean so much to have you be there in person (if you can be).
Tuesday, September 19th at 7 PM ET (Register to join us in person here)
#LaComunidadReads is joined by Alejandro Varela and we will be chatting about his newest short story collection ‘The People Who Report More Stress’!! You can also join this virtually if you are unable to attend in person via DCPL’s YouTube channel.
Thursday, September 28th at 7 PM ET (Register to join us in person here)
I’ll be making my way to Baltimore, MD to chat with Melissa Lozada-Oliva, child of Guatemalan and Colombian immigrants about her newest book Candelaria!
Con mucho amor,
Lupita
Before we jump into today’s special guest, I wanted to share how proud I am of her. I had the opportunity to connect with her via the #LatinxBookstagramTour (which is coming back this year!) on Instagram.
We finally got to meet in person just last year and when I tell you that it’s so special to meet your online friends in person — it really is <3
I’ve watched her go from being a fierce supporter of books through her own #bookstagram to becoming an author (for the second time! This is her second book) and it is an honor to get to interview her/spotlight her work <3
Without further ado, our special guest author for today’s Nuevas Pagina issue is…Andrea Beatriz Arango author of ‘Something Like Home’!
Could you tell me a bit about where this photo was taken? Is it special to your book in some way?
This is a picture of me with my first foster kiddo. She moved in with me the weekend of her 15th birthday. She is now a whole adult (!!) and we love having her over for dinner. This photo was taken at the "quinceañera" her mom and I threw her when she turned 16 (to make up for the one she didn't have at 15), and I love it because it reminds me of the fact that sometimes it takes a community to raise a kid, and there's no wrong or right way to be family. I think sometimes foster care books can be very black and white, while in reality, most parents involved with social services have never abused their kids, and are actively trying to get them back. SOMETHING LIKE HOME is my attempt at a more nuanced and a realistic portrayal of a kid living with a temporary caregiver. Every single adult in my book is just doing their best.
Tell me about your book without telling me about your book - share any literary inspirations behind your book! If there are none, the gap you wanted to fill in the literary canon with your book
Since coming to the States, I've definitely been intentional about looking for foster/kinship care books, and not just to share with my own foster kiddos, but because as a teacher, I wanted to provide all my students with a better understanding of non-traditional home situations. I think the first middle grade I really connected with was Patina by Jason Reynolds. It's the first book I can remember reading in which a kid lived with another family member because their parent couldn't take care of them. I remember thinking YES so hard, because the situation was presented in such a non-judgmental way. While I've read more books since, there aren't many. With SOMETHING LIKE HOME, I'm hoping to add another story to the foster canon, and this time with Puerto Rican representation.
What are two central themes in your book that you connect with the most and why?
I love the idea of community. In the book, Laura is constantly re-discovering who her community is, and I hope this leads readers to see how possible it is for different people to help us at different moments of our lives. That you don't always have to choose one place or one home or one family to pledge your loyalty to. That multiples can co-exist.
I also like how much the idea of choice plays into the plot. Laura (like all of us) is constantly affected by the choices of those around her, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Not every conflict in this book is solved by the end, but I want to show kids that there will always be new paths available.
If a book was home, where would your home be?
Cuddled up with my dogs. (Did I mention this is a dog book?) I have at this point in my life experienced multiple homes, and while my heart always aches for Puerto Rico and my family, I feel most at peace simply being around my dogs. Laura definitely shares this sentiment.
If your book was a famous musician who would it be?
Silvana Estrada, specifically her debut album Marchita. "Marchita" means "withered" - and in this case the songs all revolve around Silvana processing the dissolution of a relationship. And that's what foster care is, isn't it? People look at it as kids being saved, as kids moving to a better situation, but there is no foster placement without grief, without a breakup, without children and parents having to re-frame what love is.
What comfort food could a reader pair with your book?
Sanwichitos de mezcla! I grew up eating these at every single birthday party I ever went to in Puerto Rico, and although I've now been vegan for 9 years, the nostalgia is strong. (I'm just waiting for someone to invent a vegan SPAM and I'll be ready to get back to eating them, haha.) In the book, Laura tries these sandwiches out for the first time while living with her aunt, and while she's not personally a fan, that means nothing. Do not be swayed!! They are amazing.
In what ways has access (or little to no access) to Hispanic/Latinx/e literature defined you as a writer?
I grew up reading books in English and Spanish. However, the majority of the books I read in Spanish came from Spain, while the English ones (coming from the US) tended to present only one kind of American. Neither provided me with a reflection of myself. I actually had no idea how many Latinx authors were writing books in the US until I moved to Virginia and started working as a public school ESOL teacher. In searching for representation for my students, I also found it for myself. I am thrilled that I now get to write the books that other teachers can reach for in order to share with their kids, especially those for whom the verse format might provide an easier reading experience.
Where can readers keep up with your work?
The answer to this question keeps getting shorter and shorter, haha! At the minute, I'm only on Instagram (@andreabeatrizarango), but you can always reach out to me via the contact page on my website: www.andreabeatrizarango.com.
Note from Lupita- You can also find her on Substack right here:
Thank you to Andrea Beatriz Arango for taking the time to chat with me about her book! Please please make sure you purchase a copy (or request your local library carry a copy) #SupportLatinxLit!
Andrea Beatriz Arango is the Newbery Honor Award-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All. She was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and is a former public school teacher with almost a decade of teaching experience. Andrea now writes the types of children’s books she wishes students had more access to. She balances her life in Virginia with trips home to see her family and eat lots of tostones de pana. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her enjoying nature in the nearest forest or body of water.
Synopsis for ‘Something Like Home’:
Titi Silvia leaves me by myself to unpack,
but it’s not like I brought a bunch of stuff.
How do you prepare for the unpreparable?
How do you fit your whole life in one bag?
And how am I supposed to trust social services
when they won’t trust me back?
Laura Rodríguez Colón has a plan: no matter what the grown-ups say, she will live with her parents again. Can you blame her? It’s tough to make friends as the new kid at school. And while staying at her aunt’s house is okay, it just isn’t the same as being in her own space.
So when Laura finds a puppy, it seems like fate. If she can train the puppy to become a therapy dog, then maybe she’ll be allowed to visit her parents. Maybe the dog will help them get better and things will finally go back to the way they should be.
After all, how do you explain to others that you’re technically a foster kid, even though you live with your aunt? And most importantly . . . how do you explain that you’re not where you belong, and you just want to go home?
I am so glad to learn of this book. It has been tough to find good books from either a child's pov or adults's on kinship care/foster care. I've been looking and wanting to read stories like this.
Sounds like a wonderful book. So glad to hear about new-to-me authors. And as you have said before we Latina authors are not a monolith. So many books for all!