With the Fire on High (Blog Tour)
ISBN: 0062662856
Title: With the Fire on High
Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 7th 2019
No. of Pages: 400
Genre: YA Contemporary
Synopsis:
With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain — and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life — and all the rules everyone expects her to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free.
About the author:
ELIZABETH ACEVEDO is the youngest child and only daughter of Dominican immigrants. She holds a BA in Performing Arts from the George Washington University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. With over fourteen years of performance poetry experience, Acevedo is a National Poetry Slam Champion, Cave Canem Fellow, CantoMundo Fellow, and participant of the Callaloo Writer’s Workshop. She has two collections of poetry, Beastgirl & Other Origin Myths (YesYes Books, 2016) and winner of the 2016 Berkshire Prize, Medusa Reads La Negra’s Palm (Tupelo Press, forthcoming). The Poet X is her debut novel. She lives with her partner in Washington, DC.
Find her on:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Purchase links:
Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Giveaways
Yes, you’ve read it right! This blog tour has giveaways not just a giveaway. Enter below to enter and win a book or a shirt of With the Fire on High! You can enter not just on either but on BOTH giveaways. The giveaways are open internationally until May 22nd.
#1 ENTER TO WIN A COPY OF WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH
#2 ENTER TO WIN A WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH SHIRT
Shirt design by Melissa Chan, read more about her designs here.
My Review:
Acevedo's follow up novel was another beautifully written story of a young woman trying to find her way through life. This time though, Emoni was surrounded by family and friends who explicitly loved her and helped her navigate life as a young adult.
This sophomore novel read like journal entries and we were privy to how the story unfolds. All the characters (main and side) played instrumental roles in moving the story along but weaving the importance of a strong support system.
Abuela Gloria reminds us that intergenerational motherhood is a necessary role in communities of color. Abuela was compassionate, patient, and wise. She was Emoni ighthouse throughout the story.
Angelica Emoni's bestie reminds Emoni to know her worth and reminded her every time she faltered. Angelica was a force to be reckoned with. I was happy Acevedo wrote a young Black female character as creative, curious, but also unabashedly loud.
Ms. Fuentes the silent cheerleader who did not give up on Emoni. Her character reminds us that often time educational system can fail teenage mothers but not this time. She encouraged and supported Emoni in the classroom and planted the seed of a different future.
Chef Ayden another educator that instilled discipline beyond Emoni's already gift for cooking. He nurtured Emoni's creativity in a way that was unexpected. A champion for all his students but particularly Emoni.
And then there was Malachi Johnson, the transfer student from Newark. Funny, empathetic, and most of all not a horrible person. I loved the budding love story between these two. It was based on friendship and mutual respect.
There were other characters but these were the standouts to me.
I found myself crying reading this story because of the theme of a dream deferred whether it was Emoni's or Abuela's; the little decisions families have to make when there isn't enough so you decide not to hope to avoid the disappointment of not fulfilling your dream. This story was and is stories that should be told about single motherhood because it's handle with care and nuance. I loved this book as much as The Poet X, but in a different way.
Acevedo reminds us that blackness is not a monolithic experience and this story speaks to why own voices and representations matters. Please pick up this book on release day on May 7, 2019.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Cover Hair Inspiration
Step by Step
Final Cover Inspiration (recreation)
