Welcome to Litsy!

I loved this book, set in 1960s #DominicanRepublic at the end of Trujillo‘s dictatorship. Life is changing for 11 yr old Anita. Her uncle has disappeared, cousins are leaving for freedom in the US, & she‘s becoming aware of the boys around her. And, slowly, of the dangers her family are facing.

I knew nothing about this period of history, & will be heading off to learn more. The writing‘s beautiful, & I was completely engrossed in Anita‘s story.

Did you read something that made you laugh today? I am reading BWWF with some rising 8th graders this summer for virtual summer school & today we came upon a part I had forgotten about - the nun teacher the main character meets is described as having musty breath 😂 😂 which already was gross when Alvarez wrote it but telling someone they‘re musty is a legit insult nowadays 😂 the kids loved it. Hope you all had some levity somewhere in your day!

I‘ve been getting nowhere fast with Oscar Wao for #ReadAroundTheWorld #DominicanRepublic - not sure if it was cos I was trying to do the audio, but I just couldn‘t get into it.

So starting from scratch with Julia Alvarez. Enjoying it so far, and Anita is a bright, curious 11-year-old narrator. I suspect this‘ll lead me down a few internet rabbit holes - unsurprisingly, I know nothing about the Dominican Republic under Trujillo...

Reading and recording each chapter for #distancelearning. I miss my kiddos and teaching my favorite book to them! 😩😩😩😩

Anita de la Torre never questioned her freedom living in the Dominican Republic. But by her 12th birthday in 1960, most of her relatives have emigrated to the United States, her Tío Toni has disappeared without a trace...

#butterflies
#bloomingbibliophiles
@OriginalCyn620
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#SoaringScores #catchup
#NowWeAreFree This book, along with a couple of the author‘s other books, are in my #TBR stacks. It‘s about fighting for your freedom.

This was an interesting perspective on the fall of a dictatorship, from the point of view of the children of the resistance. Not great, but good. I couldn't find my butterfly pictures (there is a lot of butterfly imagery in the book) so here's a picture of a pelican instead!

Short but impactful. A young adult novel told from the perspective of Anita (a Garcia cousin--see How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent by the same author), living in the Dominican Republic under the rule of Trujillo. At the beginning of the book she is young and doesn't exactly understand what's going on but as events unfold, understands more and more. Not something I learned about in history classes in the states but worth further reading.

Finished last night and it managed to fit into 6 challenges! #litsyatoz #192029challenge #readharder #probablyreadingchallenge #popsugarreadingchallenge #betterworldbooks2017

Booking and cooking tonight. Last nights pot roast becomes tonight's beef and noodles. Corn, salad, bread. Ereader and print books because clearly I'm not distracted enough!

Went to the library yesterday. A couple of these are actually planned for 2017 challenges but I couldn't resist picking them up now so I know what I'm starting with after New Years!