Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
By Angelia Menchan • Jun 30th, 2008 • Category: Book Review •
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Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole gives us a look at the disenfranchisement of gay and lesbian teens, particularly in the Cuban community. Seventeen year-old Laura has fallen in love with Marlena. They have been involved in a committed relationship for two years, however, neither of their families know. That all changes when Laura is caught reading a love letter from Marlena by one of the nuns at her Catholic high school. Not only does the nun retrieve the letter, she reads it to the entire class. Immediately, Laura becomes an outcast in the eyes of her friends. When she goes home she discovers that her mother was notified and she is immediately cast from her home.
Laura goes to live with her friend, Soli and her mother, Viva, who are more open-minded and loving but she never stops yearning to go home. Laura is unable to tell anyone that she is a lesbian, so for most of the novel she lives a closeted lifestyle. The reader is allowed to feel Laura’s pain as she loses the people in her life and also her joy as she matures. Down to the Bone was filled with the angst and drama young people endure when their lifestyle choices are different than their families expect. Ms. Dole does a fine job of allowing us a peek into the Cuban, gay and lesbian teen culture without ever being sexually titillating or graphic. The author also provides us a clear view of the pain these teens must go through to be themselves. I recommend Down to the Bone to teens older than sixteen and other readers who can learn from the subject matter.
Angelia Menchan
APOOO BookClub
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Angelia Menchan is wife, mother, mentor and the author of five books, most recently, “Is No Not Clear Enough For You? She is a reviewer for APOOO Exchange Team. Angelia currently works as a Budget Officer, but her most rewarding work experience was as Job Corps Counselor. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her love and reading. Her motto is, “You Get from the Universe, What You Give to the Universe.” She can be contacted at www.angeliavmenchan.com and http://acvermen.blogspot.com
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