Gabi, a Girl in Pieces
4/5
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About this ebook
Named to Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2014
Named to School Library Journal Best Books of 2014
Gabi Hernandez chronicles her last year in high school in her diary: college applications, Cindy's pregnancy, Sebastian's coming out, the cute boys, her father's meth habit, and the food she craves. And best of all, the poetry that helps forge her identity.
July 24
My mother named me Gabriella, after my grandmother who, coincidentally, didn't want to meet me when I was born because my mother was unmarried, and therefore living in sin. My mom has told me the story many, many, MANY, times of how, when she confessed to my grandmother that she was pregnant with me, her mother beat her. BEAT HER! She was twenty-five. That story is the basis of my sexual education and has reiterated why it's important to wait until you're married to give it up. So now, every time I go out with a guy, my mom says, "Ojos abiertos, piernas cerradas." Eyes open, legs closed. That's as far as the birds and the bees talk has gone. And I don't mind it. I don't necessarily agree with that whole wait until you're married crap, though. I mean, this is America and the 21st century; not Mexico one hundred years ago. But, of course, I can't tell my mom that because she will think I'm bad. Or worse: trying to be White.
Isabel Quintero is an award-winning writer from the Inland Empire of Southern California. She is also the daughter of Mexican immigrants. In addition to Gabi, A Girl in Pieces, she has also written a chapter book series for young readers, Ugly Cat and Pablo (Scholastic, Inc.), a non-fiction YA graphic biography, Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide (Getty Publications, 2018), which received the Boston Globe Horn Book Award, and most recently, a picture book, My Papi Has a Motorcycle (Kokila, 2019). Isabel also writes poetry and essays. Her work can be found in The Normal School, Huizache, The Acentos Review, As/Us Journal, The James Franco Review, and other publications.
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Reviews for Gabi, a Girl in Pieces
123 ratings14 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The plot of the story was interesting, but the book was too preachy for me. There was definitely one point of view the author was trying to get across about women's and girl's rights, gay right's, etc. and the author was going to hit you over the head with that point of view. While the teenagers in the book were well developed, the adults were definitely not. They all appeared one sided. Alsol the main character seemed very immature for a high school senior about to go to college.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Narrated in diary/journal form by the titular self-described “fat girl,” this charming YA novel chronicles almost every trial and tribulation you might imagine an insecure yet smart, young yet precocious, virginal yet curious high school senior could endure. The characters and events themselves sound like stock fodder for generic YA: the gay friend, the pregnant best friend, the drug-addicted father, the inspirational English teacher, the frenemy who needs an abortion, the conservative, overbearing mother, an unexpected death, the rollercoaster that is dating, the birth control dilemma, prom night… In Quintero’s adept hands, however, these events—and Gabi’s heartfelt concern for her family and friends—ring through with authenticity. Also resonating with truth is Gabi’s emerging sense of empowerment as she negotiates not only her maturation from adolescent girl to independent young woman but also her embrace of her bicultural identity as a Latina American. Highly recommended.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Gabi is a senior in high school. She is a fat girl who likes food, boys and writing poetry.Her best friend is pregnant, her other friend has been thrown out of his house for being gay, her father is a meth addict.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gabi has a lot on her plate for a high-school senior: one of her best friends is pregnant, the other just get kicked out of the house when he came out to his parents, Gabi's dad is on meth, her brother is getting into trouble, and her mom keeps reminding her that she could stand to lose a few pounds. Plus, she's got a crush on a guy, and she needs to find a way to pass Algebra II or she won't be able to get into Berkeley. Despite all this drama, Gabi retains her sense of humor and her zest for life as she navigates her senior year. This may sound like just another YA problem novel, but Gabi's distinctive and humorous voice keeps it from going too far over the edge. Readers will find themselves rooting for Gabi all the way -- I know I did!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the story of a fat Hispanic girl growing up in California. She has more problems than positives in her life but she comes out on top.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book reminded me so much of growing up and being able to relate to what Gabi when through and having friends who had similar experiences to her friends. Definitely would recommend this book!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A good YA story about body image, loving yourself and generational gaps between parents and kids.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What's not to love about GABI, A GIRL IN PIECES? Not much that I can think of. This new book by Isabel Quintero is sassy, funny, heart-felt, heartbreaking, hearwarming, and unputdownable. I love Gabi Hernandez, the protagonist, not for her self-deprecating humor, but for her willingness to grow past it. I loved her honesty, as she struggles with some pretty tough stuff, from being the "fat girl" to her best friend's unwanted pregnancy to her dad being a meth addict. It's not that she takes it in stride, but that she takes it, and survives it, and does it in style.Gabi Hernandez is starting her senior year with a lot on her plate. Aside from the aforementioned drama, one of her besties has just come out to his family is gay, and he's been kicked out of his house. She's trying to figure out how to find a guy to kiss, and as soon as she gets someone to like her, he turns out to be kind of a weirdo. And while she's kicking butt in her poetry class, that class is forcing her to confront her issues with her family. Her mom is never shy about telling Gabi to drop a few pounds, which means shopping for a prom dress sounds like the absolute worst. Plus, if she flunks Algebra II again, her chances of getting into her dream school -- Berkley -- are down the drain.With a voice that is reminiscent of A.S. King and Hannah Moskowitz, written in journal format and sprinkled with Gabi's poetry, this is definitely the kind of book that fans of fearless, "edgy" YA will devour.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a stunning debut for teens! Girls of all ages and walks of life will appreciate this blunt and honest glimpse into the life of a teenage girl that is just trying hard to get by. It's hard for Gabi, on overweight girl with an overbearing Mexican mother, sullen brother, meth addicted father, pregnant best friend, and another one that's gay. Is it too much for life to be normal? She brilliantly narrates her "over-dramatic life" in this diary and fills it with poetry, letters, and daily observations. Trying to accept your family, navigate boys, feel good about yourself and your heritage, and figure out the future are just some of the things she touches on. It's laugh out loud funny and brutally insightful. A must read for teenage girls or really anyone. This book was just fantastic!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gabi Hernandez's diary of her senior year of high school relates all the anxieties she experiences on a near-daily basis with family, friends, boys, her future, body image, and more. Although she faces tough things in her life, Gabi's voice is consistently fresh, funny, and sassy. With great honesty and humor, Qunitero deftly captures the awkwardness, absurdity, and heartbreak of a teenage girl's life that will resonate strongly with so many readers.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/54.5 I loved this book SO MUCH. Strong female character. Realistic fiction emphasis on the real. Poetry. Issues dealt with in a straightforward manner (no euphemisms, I HATE euphemisms!)
Bonus for this book introducing me to "Loose Woman" by Sandra Cisneros, and Zoe Saldana in "Colombiana." - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amazing poetry, wonderful journal format, realistic even the hard parts.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love Gabi's voice, honest and saucy and so teen-friendly. She's a college-aspiring high school senior coping with best-friend drama, a traditional mother, boys and a meth-addicted dad. She also finds an affinity for poetry and expressing herself through it. This is "Catcher in the Rye" for Mexican-American girls but girls of all persuasions will find so much that resonates in Gabi's story. A must-read and game-changer! (Lib notes: fallout from a rape, abortion, mentions of drinking and drug use especially Gabi's dad.)
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I wish this book had been around when I was a teenager. It's both laugh out loud funny and also very, very real. Some stuff hit close to home, but throughout, Gabi is such a real, badass teenager. I was sad when the book ended. I just wanted to spend more time with Gabi!