The Secret Side of Empty - Hardcover

Andreu, Maria E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0762451920 ISBN 13: 9780762451920

Publisher: Running Press, 2014

Synopsis

Indie Excellence Award Winner
Junior Library Guild Selection
School Library Journal Top 10 Latino Books
Inspired by the author's own experiences as an undocumented immigrant, this novel tells the story of straight-A student, M.T. She's got a budding romance and loyal best friend. Her life seems as American as apple-pie. But M.T. hides a fact to the contrary: her status as an undocumented immigrant.

With senior year of high school kicking into full swing, M.T. sees her hopes for a "normal" future unraveling. And it will take discovering a sense of trust in herself and others for M.T. to stake a claim in the life that she wants.

Author Maria E. Andreu draws from her personal experience to tell a story that is timely, relevant, and universally poignant.

2015 CLASP Américas Award Commended Title

"With immigration reform a hot button issue across the country, this book couldn't be timelier. Written with the compassion and raw emotions of one who has lived in the shadows herself, Andreu's debut offering is a winner."
Booklist

"M.T., like many undocumented youth, is resilient and determined to rise above her circumstances to make a life in the only country she has ever known as home. Andreu has crafted an empathetic yet gritty narrative; readers will ache for M.T. as they are let into her secret life."
Kirkus Reviews

"M.T's immediate, jaundiced, and worldly perspective is eye-opening and wrenching." Publishers Weekly
"...a captivating look at the life of one young immigrant and the challenges so many like her face. Andreu deftly captures the protagonist's desires, despair, and determination in this peek at a side of American life not often seen in YA literature." 
School Library Journal

About this title

About the Author

Maria E. Andreu is a writer and speaker whose work has appeared in Newsweek, The Washington Post, NJ.com, and the Newark Star Ledger. The Secret Side of Empty is her debut novel. Maria is a proud mother of two and an adoptive mother to various furry creatures. She was born in Spain, lived in Argentina for two years, and crossed the Mexican border into the U.S. at the age of eight. An American citizen due to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, Maria currently lives in New Jersey. You can visit her online at MariaEAndreu.com

From the Back Cover

"I really want to do what Chelsea wants. But the thought of going to see the whole college experience unfold right in front of me, like a sick little buffet of desserts in front of a homeless, hungry person, makes me want to crawl under my covers and not come out until nothing matters anymore, like when I'm twenty-four."

From the Inside Flap

"I WILL ALWAYS BE A STRANGER EVERYWHERE."

M.T. has a major problem. It is not her straight-A grades. It is not her loyal best friend or budding romance. And it is not her abusive father. Not really.

The simple yet very complicated problem is that M.T. is illegal. As in "has pale skin and blondish hair, and has lived in the U.S. for most of her life" illegal. As in "has no Social Security card or driver's license" kind of undocumented. As in "feels like she has no hope for a future when the future is all everyone else talks about" frustrated. M.T.'s survival has hinged on trusting no one. And really, it will take no one but herself in order to stake a claim in the life that she wants to have.

Debut author Maria E. Andreu draws from her personal experience for this candid journey of shifting tides and self-discovery.

Reviews

Gr 9 Up—Monserrat Thalia, known as M. T., describes herself as pale white with blondish hair. It's easy for her to hide the fact that she's an undocumented immigrant whose family came from Argentina to New Jersey. M. T. keeps this secret from everyone, including her best friend and her eventual boyfriend. She excels in school and by all logic should be applying to colleges, but knows that her immigration status makes that an impossibility. As she watches her friends prepare for the next steps of their lives, the teen grows increasingly hopeless, uncertain how anything positive will come of her life as long as she remains in the country illegally. She doesn't fit anywhere—too American for her parents, but removed from the American culture around her. She begins to skip school, quits soccer, and stops tutoring other teens as her misery grows. Her father's physical and verbal abuse increases as she begins to lash out at her family and withdraw from her friends. It takes interventions from various people as well as finally sharing the truth for her to begin to see a way forward. M. T.'s narration is candid and at times heartbreaking. Told over the course of her senior year, the story reveals a captivating look at the life of one young immigrant and the challenges so many like her face. Andreu deftly captures the protagonist's desires, despair, and determination in this peek at a side of American life not often seen in YA literature.—Amanda MacGregor, formerly at Apollo High School Library, St. Cloud, MN

Andreu has crafted an empathetic yet gritty narrative; readers will ache for M.T. as they are let into her secret life.

A timely and powerful portrait of the American dream deferred.

With her blonde hair and pale skin, Monserrat Thalia (M.T. for short) is as American as apple pie. Her grades are impressive; she would be the perfect candidate for an Ivy League school, and she dreams of a perfect life and a perfect boyfriend in a perfect world. But that’s all it is—a dream—and not one she feels she can act upon. Like her parents, she is in the country illegally, and no one, not even her best friend, has a clue. Being undocumented isn’t her only challenge: her father, frustrated with their situation, is abusive toward her. When events force M.T. to feel as though she has nothing more to lose, she admits to her status and is surprised to learn she can get help moving forward with her life. With immigration reform a hot button issue across the country, this book couldn’t be timelier. Written with the compassion and raw emotions of one who has lived in the shadows herself, Andreu’s debut offering is a winner. Grades 9-12. --Jeanne Fredriksen

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

I am like the blot test of heritage: people see what they want to see in me.”

Edition details

• Publisher: Running Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0762451920
• ISBN 13: 9780762451920
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336