Beautifully written with luscious food descriptions and an almost a lyrical tone, this was an engaging read and I enjoyed listening to the eAudiobook which the author skillfully narrated herself.
With the Fire On High is the journey of 17-year-old Emoni, an Afro-Latina teenager who has dreams of someday becoming a chef and in the meantime, she wants to finish high school and care for her toddler daughter. Emoni has a lot on her plate and food is a way she expresses herself. She is an easy character to root for and we see different sides to her - her resilience, vulnerability and ambition - and her different roles as mom, friend, granddaughter, ex-'daughter-in-law', and ex-girlfriend. She is tenacious and smart but, despite her life experiences, sometimes her wise words and advice almost seemed to be too sage for a girl of 17 years.
There is a romance and some drama between girls thrown in, but I don't think either greatly benefited the plot. I was disappointed that one aspect, which revolved around Emoni's daughter, was introduced but then quickly dropped. That was a missed opportunity for an emotional plot point.
Overall, this is an enjoyable Teen, character-driven read that features a story about cultural identity, complicated family dynamics and young parenthood. Acevedo is a bold voice in the Teen fiction genre, and I eagerly look forward to see what she comes out with next.
My Rating: 4 stars
Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
Genre: Teen, Contemporary Fiction
Type and Source: eAudiobook from public library
Run Time: 7 hours, 27 minutes
Narrator: Elizabeth Acevedo
Publisher: HarperAudio
First Published: May 7, 2019
Opening Line: Babygirl doesn't even cry when I suck my teeth and
undo her braid for the fourth time.
Book Description from GoodReads: 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.
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