Canales,
V. (2005). The tequila worm. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.
Summary:
Sofia grows up in McAllen, Texas with her Catholic Hispanic family, including
her younger sister Lucy, her parents, cousins and many other extended family
members and friends. As she grows, she is inspired by books and her studies to
learn about the life outside of her small town. When she gets the opportunity
to go to a boarding school in Austin, Texas, she must find balance between her
pursuit of knowledge and her connection to family.
Response:
I have mixed feelings about this book only because I felt like the perspective
of the main character, Sofia, lacked self-understanding. At times I felt like
the conversations that she had and her responses to what her family would say
to her were portrayed in a condescending manner. This made it difficult for me
to connect with her experiences throughout the book. What did really bring me
into the book were the vivid descriptions of her world- from the details of her
Tia’s makeup and giant storytelling bag, to the slow and thorough process of
her and her father cleaning and cooking beans. These moments were captivating
and made me feel as if I was right there witnessing everything.
Reviews:
The Tequila
Worm
VIOLA CANALES. Random/Lamb
(202p) ISBN 0-385-74674-1
This
tender first novel suffers somewhat from an awkward structure. Narrator Sofia,
whose life story hews closely to the author's own Texas barrio-to-Harvard Law
trajectory, begins by relating quotidian childhood experiences as vignettes.
Three successive chapters go from first communion to dyeing Easter cascarones
to trick-or-treating. A quarter of the way into the novel, she is suddenly 14
and has been offered a scholarship to a boarding school in Austin, Tex., 350
miles from her home in McAllen. The loosely connected anecdotes then shift to a
conventional narrative thread about convincing her parents to let her attend.
What will keep readers enthralled are the details of Sofia's home life--from
the sobremesa, a "sacred time" after dinner in which the family
reconnects through conversation, to the worm of the title, a critter
soaked in mescal that acts as a "cure for homesickness" when eaten.
Readers may well feel unprepared for both a death at novel's end and Sofia's
out-of-the-blue neighborhood activism--but the characters are real and
engaging, the vignettes funny and enlightening, and Sofia's lack of cynicism is
refreshing. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)
The Tequila Worm. (2005). Publishers Weekly,
252(46), 49-49.
* Canales, Viola.
The Tequila Worm. 2005. 176p.
Random/Wendy Lamb, $15.95 (0-385-74674-1); lib. ed., $17.99 (0-385-90905-5).
Gr. 6-9. From an
early age, Sofia has watched the comadres in her close-knit barrio community,
in a small Texas town, and she dreams of becoming "someone who makes
people into a family," as the comadres do. The secret, her young self
observes, seems to lie in telling stories and "being brave enough to eat a
whole tequila worm." In
this warm, entertaining debut novel, Canales follows Sofia from early childhood
through her teen years, when she receives a scholarship to attend an exclusive
boarding school. Each chapter centers on the vivid particulars of Mexican
American traditions--celebrating the Day of the Dead, preparing for a cousin's
quinceanera. The explanations of cultural traditions never feel too purposeful;
they are always rooted in immediate, authentic family emotions, and in Canales'
exuberant storytelling, which, like a good anecdote shared between friends,
finds both humor and absurdity in sharply observed, painful situations from
weathering slurs and other blatant harassment to learning what it means to
leave her community for a privileged, predominately white school. Readers of
all backgrounds will easily connect with Sofia as she grows up, becomes a comadre,
and helps rebuild the powerful, affectionate community that raised
her.--Gillian Engberg
Engberg, G. (2005, October 15). Canales, Viola. The Tequila Worm. Booklist,
102(4), 47.
Program: Have this book available as part of the Dia de los Muertos
display. Have an event where participants, young and old, can bring some sort
of token or items that represents a part of their family history, and share the
stories in small groups.
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