Someone Like Summer by M. E. Kerr, Marijane Meaker
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(Hardcover)
- Age Range: Young Adult
- Pub. Date: July 2007
- 272pp
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Product Details
- ISBN-13: 9780061140990
- ISBN: 0061140996
Synopsis
The first time Annabel sees him he is playing soccer and the second time he is singing for tips at Jungle Pete's. He is Esteban—one of the immigrants her contractor father hires, part of an ever-growing community of Latinos in the Hamptons. Esteban's sister calls Annabel "flour face" and Annabel's father forbids her to see him. But despite family disapproval there are meetings on dark beaches, notes left in library books, and a romance that's as hot as summer.
Publishers Weekly
Kerr (Your Eyes in Stars) gives a sensitive rendering of a biracial romance in this timely novel about a white teen's infatuation with an illegal immigrant. Understated yet emotionally charged prose expresses 17-year-old Annabel Brown's initial attraction to Esteban Santiago as she watches him play soccer and listens to him sing at a local night club. Their first few encounters are blissful, but complications soon arise due to their families' mutual disapproval. Esteban's older sister, Gioconda, calls Annabel a "white whore" and Annabel's father, who runs a construction company, views Esteban with as little regard as he does other "muchacho" laborers, especially when Esteban bungles a roofing job when substituting for one of Mr. Brown's workers. Forbidden to date Esteban or even talk to him on the phone, Annabel meets him secretly, but as with most Romeo and Juliet-type tales, their relationship cannot withstand social pressures and prejudice. Showcasing the tension created by resentments and fear of that which is different, the author pointedly conveys the plight of immigrants and the ineffectiveness of government policies. Although Annabel is heartbroken when Esteban joins the army as a means to obtain a green card, she gains deep respect and affection for another culture and for new immigrants striving to attain the American dream. Ages 12-up. (July)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information More Reviews and RecommendationsBiography
M. E. Kerr is a winner of the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement and the ALAN award from the National Council of Teachers of English. Ms. Kerr lives in East Hampton on New York's Long Island.
Customer Reviews
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Reviewed by Mechele R. Dillard for TeensReadToo.comby TeensReadToo
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November 15, 2008:
In an age when questions of illegal immigration and exploitation of workers increasingly threaten to divide American society, M. E. Kerr presents a story of young interracial love that could be found anywhere in the country, not just in the resort town of Seaview, NY. All of the characters are here: the overt racist, protected by a successful position in the community; the young intellectual trapped between what he knows and who he loves; the businessman using illegal immigrants to his advantage, while convincing himself that he is doing them a favor; the immigrants themselves, some legal, some not, trying to build a life within a new culture, but also trying to retain their own heritage; and the young lovers, one hoping to improve himself, but constrained by the fact that he is in the U.S. illegally, and one too naïve to understand that love simply cannot conquer all. Yes, they are all here--and Kerr doesn't shy away from the ups or the downs.
Kerr specifically showcases the complexities of prejudice in the character of Annabel's father, Kenneth Brown. Although he constantly belittles the Hispanic population, referring to people as "muchachos" and refusing to learn the names of his workers, simply referring to everyone as "Pedro" or "Jose," he seems to truly believe he is open-minded and forward thinking, simply because he is willing to hire Hispanic workers. The fact that he pays them less than half what he would pay an American worker doesn't register as racist whatsoever: "It's a darn good deal for them .... Most of them don't speak English, and some don't even have papers. I don't ask questions. I give them steady work. They learn on the job some of them, and they can earn as high as three hundred a week" (p. 12). Annabel, meanwhile, even though she is in love with a man from Colombia, remains in denial about her father's racism, defending him directly to Esteban: "My father sometimes uses that language ... but he doesn't mean to offend anyone. He's just from the old school. They don't know how offensive it is" (p. 165).
Kenneth Brown knows better; Annabel Brown knows better; we all know better. And, as Kerr points out, we are all capable of racism and denial, regardless of our race. Esteban frequently makes excuses for his sister, who hates Annabel and calls her names solely because Annabel is ehite: "Stop throwing yourself at my brother, Flour Face" (p. 7). When it comes to prejudice and hatred, it seems, unfortunately, that there is enough to go around for everyone.
In addition to putting a spotlight on the many problems we must face regarding immigration, Kerr does an excellent job of introducing the names of many giants of literature--Hemingway, e.e. cummings, Poe--and other artistic greats into the storyline. Kerr drops tidbits of information into the dialogue, providing just enough trivia to whet one's interest in these various artists, thus encouraging readers to hit the library and look for details beyond the SOMEONE LIKE SUMMER sound bite.
Ultimately, this is an important work for so many reasons, and one must be somewhat courageous to even pick up the book and read it. Why? Because it's not a matter of if you will see yourself in the pages. Rather, the question is, "In which character will you see yourself?"
Great bookby Anonymous
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March 31, 2008: ?Someone like summer? is a twisted tale of Annabel and Esteban Santiago?s secret romance behind her fathers back. This is a great read for anyone who loves the Spanish culture, Spanish music, and even civil issues. ?Someone like summer? is a book people who don?t think foreign workers should be here should read, because Esteban, an illegal worker from Colombia shows how he constantly tries to save his familia. If you can stand a little bit of Spanish here and there, I suggest you read ?Someone like summer?.
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