{"product_id":"the-story-of-my-anger-isbn-9780593531891","title":"The Story of My Anger","description":"\u003cb\u003ePURA BELPRÉ HONOR BOOK • A powerful young adult novel-in-verse about a Texas teen battling racism in her theater program and book banning efforts by her town’s school board—from the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eAniana del Mar Jumps In\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAn International Literacy Association Notable Book for a Global Society • Selected for ALA’s Rise: A Feminist Book Project List • Selected for YALSA 2026 Best Fiction for Young Adults List\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYulieta Lopez is angry. Angry at her racist drama teacher who refuses to cast Black students in lead roles. Angry at the school board threatening her favorite teacher for teaching works of literature that they deem “controversial.” Angry that she has to keep quiet until she can head to college and leave Texas forever.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYuli is accustomed to playing various roles: the diligent daughter, the honorable hija, the good girl who serves everyone else before serving herself. But as the fire of Yuli's rage spreads and lights her up, she can no longer be silent. Determined to find a way to fight back, Yuli and her friends start a guerilla theatre club which stirs things up and gets people talking, and finally, Yuli steps into the role she was always meant to play.★ \"A powerful love letter to finding and using your voice, this story will resonate deeply with those who struggle to feel seen and nurtured, particularly young women of color... A compelling drama with a firecracker protagonist that stuns with its strikingly beautiful writing.\" \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e★ \"The perfect read for teens who are being impacted by book banning and other sociopolitical changes.\" \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Mendez's poetry flows effortlessly, fully realizing Yuli's struggles and joy...A must-have for all YA collections.\" \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—School Library Journal \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This poignant novel...marries verse poems with playwriting in a narrative that centers timely questions about banned books and free speech. Passionate text that braids together Spanish and English deftly depicts Yuli’s journey from an aspiring actor in the wings of the real world to the fearless “leading lady” of her own life.\" —\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Both timely and disheartening in its realism, the book ends with a hopeful note about the significance of unheard stories that need to be told.”\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e —BCCB\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eJasminne Mendez is two-time Pura Belpré Honor Award recipient and a Dominican-American poet, playwright and author of several books for children and adults. She is also a poet, playwright, translator, and professional audiobook narrator. Her book \u003ci\u003eAniana del Mar Jumps In \u003c\/i\u003e(Dial), a novel in verse about a young girl diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, received starred reviews from \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e and others. Her YA memoir, \u003ci\u003eIslands Apart: Becoming Dominican American \u003c\/i\u003e(Arte Público Press) and her debut poetry collection, \u003ci\u003eCity Without Altar \u003c\/i\u003e(Noemi Press), were recently recognized with honors and awards by the Texas Institute of Letters and her debut picture book \u003ci\u003eJosefina’s Habichuelas\u003c\/i\u003e (Arte Público Press) was the 2022 Writer’s League of Texas Children’s Book Discovery Prize Winner. She has translated Amanda Gorman’s best-selling picture books \u003ci\u003eChange Sings \u003c\/i\u003e(\u003ci\u003eLa canción del cambio) \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Something, Someday (Algo, algún día)\u003c\/i\u003e, the best selling picture book \u003ci\u003eThe 1619 Project: Born on the Water (El proyecto 1619: Nacieron sobre el agua)\u003c\/i\u003e by Nikole Hannah Jones and Reneé Watson and the Pura Belpré Award Winning graphic novel \u003ci\u003eFrizzy\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eRizos\u003c\/i\u003e) by Claribel Ortega.PROLOGUE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEVERYTHING’S BIGGER . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ein Texas \u003cbr\u003efrom the stars in the sky that scatter \u003cbr\u003elike glitter across a big black canvas\u003cbr\u003ewith no beginning or end\u003cbr\u003eto the fields of bluebonnets that whip and wind\u003cbr\u003edown Interstate 10 \u003cbr\u003efrom the sprawling gas stations like Buc-ee’s\u003cbr\u003eto the mega grocery stores like H-E-B\u003cbr\u003efilled to the brim with aisles and aisles\u003cbr\u003eof beef jerky, BBQ brisket, breakfast tacos, \u003cbr\u003etortillas, tamales, sombreros, and sarapes\u003cbr\u003eto the flying cockroaches that refuse \u003cbr\u003eto get caught between the sole of a chancla\u003cbr\u003eand a hardwood floorboard\u003cbr\u003efrom the kindness of strangers who will\u003cbr\u003e“bless your heart” and “thank you ma’am” for any ol’ thing\u003cbr\u003eto the pickup trucks that grumble and chug \u003cbr\u003eand haul barrels of hay, horses, and even houses \u003cbr\u003efrom the overcrowded gun conventions \u003cbr\u003ethat dare you to “Come and Take It”\u003cbr\u003eto the Confederate flags that hang\u003cbr\u003eand wave at you from your neighbor’s driveway.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEverything’s bigger\u003cbr\u003ein Texas, \u003cbr\u003eexcept the straight white Texan’s ability \u003cbr\u003eto imagine a world where they are not \u003cbr\u003ethe center of the universe \u003cbr\u003ewhich is why, I think, they keep making laws\u003cbr\u003eand they keep changing the rules\u003cbr\u003eto keep the rest of us “in our place”\u003cbr\u003eto keep the rest of us\u003cbr\u003esmall.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSIT AND SIMMER\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy name is Yulieta Lopez\u003cbr\u003eand this is the story of my anger,\u003cbr\u003eand how it became\u003cbr\u003ea house fire I tried\u003cbr\u003eto smother silent \u003cbr\u003ebut it spun into an asteroid\u003cbr\u003ethat slammed around inside me\u003cbr\u003eand begged to be let out.\u003cbr\u003eI didn’t want to play the part\u003cbr\u003eof the angry Black girl\u003cbr\u003eso I tried to keep the fire \u003cbr\u003econtained in my belly\u003cbr\u003ebut it slithered out and snaked\u003cbr\u003eitself around my throat—\u003cbr\u003ea rope of smoke\u003cbr\u003ethat caused friction \u003cbr\u003ein the folds of my body \u003cbr\u003eand the longer I let it\u003cbr\u003esit and simmer\u003cbr\u003ethe harder it became \u003cbr\u003eto just breathe. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eACT I: \u003cbr\u003eOur Town\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eTime: Late August \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePlace: A Texas Suburb\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ebut bein’ alive \u0026amp; bein’ a woman \u0026amp; bein’ colored is a metaphysical\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003edilemma\/i haven’t conquered yet\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003eNtozake Shange,\u003ci\u003e for colored girls . . . \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBREAKFAST AND BUTTERFLIES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFriday morning before the sun\u003cbr\u003ekisses the Texas summer sky\u003cbr\u003emy stomach is a storm\u003cbr\u003eof nerves and nausea.\u003cbr\u003eToday is a big day at school and though\u003cbr\u003eI should be rushing to get ready\u003cbr\u003eI can’t seem to will my spine\u003cbr\u003eto sit up and get this day started. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDownstairs, oil sizzles in a sartén, \u003cbr\u003ehot like the August air outside my window. \u003cbr\u003eThe salty smell of Dominican salami\u003cbr\u003eslides into my room and my butterfly-filled \u003cbr\u003ebelly flips and flops. \u003cbr\u003eMami yells up the stairs:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Yullliii.” Her voice is a cast iron pan \u003cbr\u003escraping a burner.\u003cbr\u003e“Come down now! Your brother\u003cbr\u003eis leaving in thirty minutes!!\u003cbr\u003eCome set the table! \u003cbr\u003eYa el desayuno está listo.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBreakfast may be ready\u003cbr\u003ebut I’m not.\u003cbr\u003eI need just a few more minutes\u003cbr\u003ebefore I’m forced to become\u003cbr\u003ewho everyone else expects me \u003cbr\u003eto be.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHE PARTS I PLAY\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe diligent daughter\u003cbr\u003ewho washes and scrubs\u003cbr\u003etoilets and tubs.\u003cbr\u003eWho dusts and vacuums\u003cbr\u003efans and floors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe honorable hija\u003cbr\u003ewho always comes when called. \u003cbr\u003eWho sets the table and serves\u003cbr\u003eeveryone else before serving herself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe good girl \u003cbr\u003ewho follows all the rules\u003cbr\u003eand knows how to smile \u003cbr\u003eand stay positive \u003cbr\u003eto keep Mami stress-free\u003cbr\u003efor the sake of her health.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMAMI’S HEALTH\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Mami was seventeen\u003cbr\u003eand lived in the Dominican Republic,\u003cbr\u003eshe was diagnosed with lupus.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt’s an illness that has attacked her joints,\u003cbr\u003emuscles, skin, and internal organs. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMami describes it like a fire inside\u003cbr\u003eher whole body \u003cbr\u003ecausing everything\u003cbr\u003eto be inflamed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSometimes Mami’s hands are so swollen \u003cbr\u003eshe can barely dress herself.\u003cbr\u003eSometimes I have to hug her gently\u003cbr\u003ebecause her whole body aches.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSometimes, if it’s really bad, she has to go\u003cbr\u003eto the hospital for a couple of days to get \u003cbr\u003efluids through an IV until she’s strong\u003cbr\u003eenough to come home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMost days, Mami is able to manage her symptoms.\u003cbr\u003eBut lupus is a dormant volcano inside her body.\u003cbr\u003eHer aches and pains can get better or worse\u003cbr\u003edepending on what she eats,\u003cbr\u003ehow she sleeps, and how much she works.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut the worst thing for Mami’s health\u003cbr\u003eis stress. So I do my best\u003cbr\u003eto be the easy river she needs me to be\u003cbr\u003eso the fire inside her stays quiet and calm\u003cbr\u003eand she stays healthy and out of the hospital.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWORDS THAT HEAL\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eToday though, I just need\u003cbr\u003ea few more minutes to myself.\u003cbr\u003eSo I reach for the worn-out copy\u003cbr\u003eof my favorite play on my nightstand. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003efor colored girls\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ewho have considered suicide\/\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ewhen the rainbow is enuf,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eby Ntozake Shange.\u003cbr\u003eI open to the first scene.\u003cbr\u003eI read and reread\u003cbr\u003eand repeat some of my favorite\u003cbr\u003elines as if they were a prayer\u003cbr\u003eand Shange’s words wash over me\u003cbr\u003elike holy water that heals.","brand":"Dial Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48532210450661,"sku":"NP9780593531891","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593531891.jpg?v=1773183075","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-story-of-my-anger-isbn-9780593531891","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}