* Second (less important) note: Another class book! I'm going to Barnes and Noble to get actual 'fun' books Saturday but school books always take priority! I'm a little frustrated but my class list requires all seven. This is number two and i'm already halfway through the third. I'm getting there lol. ANYWAY!
Book: Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz published 2004
ISBN 13: 9780060843748
Average Goodreads rating: 3.97 stars (out of 414 ratings)
My rating:... 5 out of 5 dinosaurs!
I know I said i'm already getting sick of class books but this one actually felt like something I would pick for myself. It's considered YA and it was a hit book among teens when it came out ten years ago (or at least according to my teacher).
This book kind of reminded me of a Mexican american version of The Fault in Our Stars. They're both about two teenagers who are actually going through real life problems. Also... *spoiler alert* Juliana is tragically murdered by her abusive father along with her entire family. I'll admit... that scene got to me. I didn't exactly consider this book a love story though since Juliana dies within the first few chapters, so I think the main point of the story was how Sammy dealt with her loss.
This book captured so many issues in one. Sammy loses more of his friends, one of them being Pifas who is drafted to the army and eventually killed by a roadside bomb. Another close friend Jaime is forced to move to another state once he is discovered to be gay and is almost beaten to death (this is 1969). Added to the more central issues like racism, poverty, and coming of age.
The way the Hispanic race is treated during this book is horrible. Teachers openly say the they don't like Sammy to his face and treat him like he has no right to have an education alongside white students. All of the students are given crap and then expected to take it. The preacher calls him and his friend an animal right inside of church. When a Latino girl Gigi, runs for class president
(and wins according to the student vote) the principal overrides the vote and she still loses.
Juliana never did get the chance to tell Sammy she loved him. However in the roughly 50 pages where she was alive I had no question that she did love him. The reader can just... feel it. I'm not sure how to explain it exactly but she acted differently with Sammy than the other guys. Juliana wasn't the type to just fall into someone's arms like the classic storybook princess and openly confess her love. She was too strong of a girl for those kinds of things, she didn't want or need to be protected by anyone. Knowing how badly she had been abused, she had to be that way. Juliana always had her guard up and wasn't exactly trusting. Saying 'I love you' requires a lot of trust, and I think she would have eventually gotten to say it to Sammy when she was ready. Her life was just too short to have the chance.
I really think this book was beautiful. There was so much rage, hurt, and fear in these pages and I couldn't put it down. It really made me think to myself about how far society has come in terms of being accepting of not just race, religion, and sexual preference, but just people in general. This book took place 45 years ago and how far we have come since then is really encouraging but we still have a long way to go. There is still hate in this world and there probably always will be. I would like to think that it gets better every year. I'm still young and I can't wait to see how things will change in my own lifetime. In just a few hours another year will pass and we'll just have to wait and see what the new one brings us.
Thanks for Reading! Happy New Year! - R
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