Scheherazade's Legacy: Arab and Arab American Women on Writing Book

The Year of Our Revolution by Judith Ortiz Cofer
Rating: ***
Bookshelves: ENGL 420
Status: Read in September
Review: Cofer uses a unique collection of narrative, short stories, and poetry to tell the story of teenage and parental rebellion during the 1960s. It is hard to keep track of the narrators in the first couple of stories in the book because they are told from different ages and perspectives. Mary Ellen is the narrator who tells most of the later stories, voicing her inner conflicts of trying to break free from her traditional Hispanic culture and explore freedom in American counterculture. Although her story takes place during the turbulent Sixties, the themes of rebellion, search for identity, and dealing with conflict between parents still ring true for teens today from all ethnic backgrounds. Her mature poems and stories would be best understood and appreciated by an upper-end YA audience.