Summary
Summary
Beloved author Rita Williams-Garcia intertwines the lives of three very different teens in this fast-paced, gritty narrative about choices and the impact that even the most seemingly insignificant ones can have. A National Book Award finalist.
One day. One huge New York City high school. Three girls, headed toward one slow-motion collision.
There's Trina, a pretty, self-involved artist who's sure she's bringing beauty and color to the lives of everyone around her, regardless of what they really think. There's Leticia, who skates by on minimal effort; she's more interested in her cell phone, her nails, and gossip than school. And there's Dominique, an angry basketball player who's been benched for low grades.
When Trina unknowingly offends Dominique, Dominique decides that it's going down--after school, she's going to jump Trina. Trina has no idea. And Leticia is the only witness to Dominique's rage, the only one who could stop the beatdown from coming. But does she want to get involved in this mess?
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
The daily struggles of three teens during one day at an urban high school are presented in this exceptional novel (HarperTeen, 2009) by Rita Williams-Garcia told in three first-person accounts. When Leticia overhears Dominique threatening to beat up Trina, she really doesn't want to get involved to save the girl from disaster. The expert performances by various narrators enhance the author's strong characterizations and lyrical street talk. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
(High School) One morning, before classes start, Trina flits by Dominique; Dominique takes it the wrong way, vowing to fight Trina after school; and Leticia happens to witness it all, but despite the urging of her friend does nothing to stop it or even warn Trina, who is oblivious to the danger. The fight goes down, with devastating consequences for both parties, and though Leticia continues to insist that "what's going on between Dominique and Trina don't have nothing to do with Leticia," the reader is left to wonder what might have been had she intervened. Sandwiched between an intriguing setup and provocative conclusion are character studies relayed in alternating first-person voices. Mixed-race Trina is flirty, artistic, and just a little bit ditzy. Tough basketball player Dominique is consumed with bitterness about being benched for poor grades. Leticia is notably average -- more interested in friends than in classes, more willing to go with the flow than to take a stand, but with family and school problems of her own. With Leticia's central dilemma nearly lost in the shuffle of voices, the character studies lack a cohesive focus. Nevertheless, this latest novel from Williams-Garcia (Like Sisters on the Homefront, rev. 11/95; Every Time a Rainbow Dies, rev. 3/01) offers a piercing snapshot of three girls in an urban high school, their daily struggle to realize their hopes and dreams, and the threat of school violence to shatter them all. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Leticia, a gossipy high-school student, knows that Girl fights are ugly. Girl fights are personal. She says this after overhearing that Dominique, the tough-as-nails basketball player, is planning to beat up pink-clad fashion-plate Trina at 2:45. The infraction was minor the oblivious Trina cut off Dominique in the hallway but for Dominique it was the last of a series of insults, the worst of which was being benched by Coach for failing to improve her grades. Bouncing between the three first-person accounts within the span of a single school day, Williams-Garcia makes the drama feel not only immediate but suffocatingly tense, as each tick of the clock speeds the three girls toward collision. Dominique's anger and frustration is tangible; Leticia's hemming over whether or not to get involved feels frighteningly authentic; and only Trina's relentless snobbery seems a bit simplified. Most impressive is how the use of voice allows readers to fully experience the complicated politics of high school; you can sense the thousand mini-dramas percolating within each crowded classroom. Along the way, the characters' disregard of such high-school stalwarts as A Separate Peace and Of Mice and Men subtly prepares the reader for the messy and gut-wrenching conclusion.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2009 Booklist