Mini Reviews: Selena & Cranes

 

Here are two small reviews, an ebook and audiobook: 

To Selena, With Love by Chris Perez

Selena Quintanilla. I grew up with this legend and after watching the first season on Netflix, I wanted to read Chris Perez's version of what happened. In this book, Chris Perez, Selena's husband, recounted how he came to be the guitarist in the band Selena y los Dinos and how he fell in love. Though they were both very young, Selena and Chris loved each other tremendously. It was sad to read all of the hopes and dreams they had as a married couple only to know that it would never happen. Along with describing his life with his wife, Chris also gave a lot of details of Selena's family, especially of her father.  Though it was an easy read, it had a lot of heart. I felt Chris's pain of losing Selena and I felt his continued devotion to keep her memory alive. I rate this book: 4 stars. 

***

Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar

Read by Dani Gonzalez

Oh my goodness! This book had me crying and had my blood boiling! This story was told through the eyes of a nine-year-old girl in prose. Her father gets deported and her and her mother get placed in a cage for "violating" their asylum papers. The young girl described the fears for her father, the anger of being torn apart, and her fear and confusion as she witnessed the atrocities of women and children in filthy cages. There was a lot of anger, hope, sadness, and despair in this story. Though it was fictional, the young girl's story was based on true facts that happened (and continue to happen) at the border. I gave this 5 stars.