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With special guest: Dr. Andrea Romero
Read More: Outside Links: Book Special Guest University Bio
About the Book:
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass
By Meg Medina
Published by Candlewick Press
ISBN-13: 978-07636658595
Winner of the 2014 Pura Belpré Author Award.
In Meg Medina’s compelling new novel, a Latina teen is targeted by a bully at her new school — and must discover resources she never knew she had.
One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back.
At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away? In an all-too-realistic novel, Meg Medina portrays a sympathetic heroine who is forced to decide who she really is.
About the Author:
Meg Medina
Meg Medina is an award-winning Cuban American author who writes picture books, middle grade, and YA fiction. She is the 2014 recipient of the Pura Belpré medal and the 2013 CYBILS Fiction winner for her young adult novel, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. She is also the 2012 Ezra Jack Keats New Writers medal winner for her picture book Tia Isa Wants a Car.
Meg’s other books are The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind, a 2012 Bank Street Best Book and CBI Recommended Read in the UK; and Milagros: Girl From Away.
The first American citizen in her family, Meg was raised in Queens, New York by her mother – and a clan of tios, primos, and abuelos who arrived from Cuba over the years. She was the fortunate victim of their storytelling, and credits them with her passion for tales.
Meg’s work examines how cultures intersect through the eyes of young people, and she brings to audiences stories that speak to both what is unique in Latino culture and to the qualities that are universal. Her favorite protagonists are strong girls. In March 2014, she was recognized as one of the CNN 10 Visionary Women in America.
When she is not writing, Meg works on community projects that support girls, Latino youth and/or literacy. She lives with her extended family in Richmond, Virginia.
About the Special Guest:
Dr Andrea Romero
Dr. Romero is an associate professor at the University of Arizona in Family Studies and Human Development and Mexican American Studies. Her Ph.D. is in Social Psychology. Dr. Romero has focused her research career on understanding the social and cultural factors that influence health disparities of Latino adolescents. She has published several articles that investigate influences on adolescent mental well-being and physical health. Her research findings demonstrate that although discrimination has a negative impact on mental health and risky behaviors, adolescents with a strong ethnic identity seem to fare better. Her measure of bicultural stress demonstrates the challenges that some adolescents face when navigating more than one culture in regard to discrimination, family conflict, and being monolingual.
Bicultural stress has been linked to more depressive symptoms, lower self-esteem, and more risky behaviors for White, Asian, and Latino adolescents. Her research on neighborhood safety has debunked conventional assumptions that neighborhood hazards were linked to more obesity and less physical activity among youth. A central element of Dr. Romero’s methodological approach is that of participatory action research, which is done in dialogue and collaboration with community members. Dr. Romero’s recent book is on Latina adolescent resiliency and mental health: Preventing Adolescent Depression and Suicide Among Latinas: Resilience Research and Theory.
I grew up on the U.S/Mexico border in a bicultural and bilingual community, and it taught me a lot about the beauty and strength of culture and about how to navigate bicultural contexts. I feel lucky to be able to conduct my research in Tucson, the city is full of Mexican culture, music, Spanish language, and Sonoran food. My research is primarily conducted off-campus in a nearby neighborhood where 85% of the community is Mexican descent. The resilience I witness among teens in Tucson has inspired my research to more thoroughly examine adolescent involvement in civic activities in their neighborhoods to change policy, and to change the status quo in the political climate of education. Most of my research revolves around trying to understand how we can improve well-being for Latino adolescents through working with assets in their identities, families and neighborhoods.