{"product_id":"the-making-of-yolanda-la-bruja-1","title":"The Making of Yolanda La Bruja","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eCOMMON SENSE MEDIA SELECTION FOR TEENS\u003cbr\u003eBOOKLIST BEST OF THE YEAR\u003cbr\u003eNYPL TOP 10 OF THE YEAR\u003cbr\u003eHIPLATINA BEST OF THE YEAR\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eElizabeth Acevedo has said that reading Lorraine Avila feels like an “UPPERCUT to the senses.” You've never encountered an author with prose of this sensitivity and fire.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYolanda Alvarez is having a good year. She’s starting to feel at home at Julia De Burgos High, her school in the Bronx. She has her best friend Victory, and maybe something with José, a senior boy she’s getting to know. She’s confident her initiation into her family’s bruja tradition will happen soon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut then a white boy, the son of a politician, appears at Julia De Burgos High, and his vibes are off. And Yolanda’s initiation begins with a series of troubling visions of the violence this boy threatens. How can Yolanda protect her community, in a world that doesn’t listen? Only with the wisdom and love of her family, friends, and community – and the Bruja Diosas, her ancestors and guides.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Making of Yolanda la Bruja\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is the book this country, struggling with the plague of gun violence, so desperately needs, but which few could write. Here Lorraine Avila brings a story born from the intersection of race, justice, education, and spirituality that will capture readers everywhere.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eP R A I S E\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ “Inspiring… full of heart and spirituality.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eShelf-Awareness\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(starred)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ \"A sharply rendered portrait...Avila's striking debut is not to be missed.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(starred)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ “Unabashedly political…A remarkable, beautifully rendered debut.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eKirkus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(starred)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ “Suspenseful…A boldly characterized protagonist whose intersectional identities as a queer and Deaf person of color informs her sharp-witted narrative voice and conviction around combatting racism within her community.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(starred)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ Heartbreaking… thoughtful and gripping… Avila has created a complex heroine whose identities as a Deaf and queer person of color give a layer of authenticity and intersectionality that will resonate with readers.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(starred)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Impressive and urgent. [Avila] takes on racism, violence and injustice with a mix of magic, spirituality and care that few have attempted—and she’s captivatingly successful.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eMs. Magazine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Explores gun violence, race, justice, education, and spirituality, which holds this book like a canopy, enclosing and exposing layers of Blackness and the growth and sense of belonging community can provide.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eAl Dia\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A necessary story about gun violence, race, and education.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eRefinery29\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Gripping…skillfully depicts the reality of growing up as a Black Latinx teen in the midst of racial violence and social upheaval… Avila carefully demonstrates the tremendous strength in Yolanda’s community and the deep roots of her spiritual life, which keep her grounded as she steps into her full power.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eHorn Book\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Written in stunning prose, this sharp examination of education, race, violence, and spirituality is a must-read.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Mary Sue\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lorraine Avila","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45498355122352,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0528\/6821\/9056\/files\/71AJulEQoOL._SL1500.jpg?v=1785733092","url":"https:\/\/www.umojabooks.com\/products\/the-making-of-yolanda-la-bruja-1","provider":"Umoja House ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}