Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Education of Margot Sanchez
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.lilliamrivera.com/
CITY: Los Angeles
STATE: CA
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://www.lilliamrivera.com/bio/ * http://aroomofherownfoundation.org/lilliam-rivera/ * https://www.linkedin.com/in/lilliamrivera/ * http://www.mtv.com/news/3000773/qa-lilliam-rivera-author-of-the-education-of-margot-sanchez-on-her-love-for-ya/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 2016038397
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n2016038397
HEADING: Rivera, Lilliam
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100 1_ |a Rivera, Lilliam
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670 __ |a The education of Margot Sanchez, 2017: |b ECIP t.p. (Lilliam Rivera) data view (Originally from the Bronx, NYC, she is a 2016 Pushcart Prize winner and a 2015 Clarion graduate. She hosts the Los Angeles-based radio show Literary Soundtrack on Radio Sombra and lives in Los Angeles ; LilliamRivera.com)
PERSONAL
Female.
EDUCATION:Binghamton University, B.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. PRSA, editorial assistant, 1996-99; Latina magazine, editor, 1996-99; E Entertainment and E! Online, editor, 1999-2005; Bauer Publishing, West Coast Fashion Editor, 2005-07; Modern Luxury, editor-in-chief, 2007-08; Mondette, LLC, editorial director/VP, 2008-13; PEN USA Emerging Voices, program coordinator, 2013-15.
AWARDS:PEN Center USA Emerging Voices Fellow, 2013; A Room Of Her Own Foundation fellow; Elizabeth George Foundation grant; Pushcart Prize, 2016.
WRITINGS
Contributor to periodicals, including Tin House, Tahoma Literary Review, Los Angeles Times, Latina, USA Today, Cosmo for Latinas, Sundog Lit, Midnight Breakfast, and Bellevue Literary Review.
SIDELIGHTS
Lilliam Revera’s debut young adult novel, The Education of Margot Sanchez, follow the eponymous heroine as she does her best to fit in at her tony prep school. Margot is the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants who built a successful grocery store chain, and while her family is based in the Bronx, Margot spends most of her time with her much wealthier (and often white) friends in Manhattan and the Hamptons. Margot is so desperate to fit in that she steals her parents’ credit card to pay for a new wardrobe. When she’s caught, Margot’s parents ground her and give her a job in the stock room of one of their stores. Unable to spend the summer in the Hamptons as she usually does, Margot is stuck in the Bronx. There, she learns the developers are beginning to gentrify the neighborhood, and her family’s business is at risk. She also befriends a boy named Moises, and he shows her the hidden gems of her own neighborhood and her own culture, all of which Margot has spent her whole life trying to forget.
Discussing the novel in an MTV Website interview with Marisa Kanter, Rivera explained that Margot’s “parents gravitate toward this sort of assimilated beauty, or even just how to align yourself with those in power. They’re teaching Margot that you’ve got to align yourself with the people who stand out, and she’s just trying to be a good daughter. It backfires because she steals money just trying to get a new wardrobe just to fit in with these girls . . . but that is what her parents taught her that she has to do.” Rivera added: “I also wanted to write about a character who is flawed in the sense that she hasn’t come into her own when it comes to loving her curls, loving her body shape, and loving just being Puerto Rican. She has to come to that point and that is her education, in a way, because it’s a summer of her just loving who she is.”
Praising the story in the online TeenReads, a critic declared that “The Education of Margot Sanchez is a great book for those who love contemporary novels. It is also a good read for someone who finds that current young adult books have a lack of diversity. Overall, I would definitely recommend that readers go pick this book up.” Elena Foulis, writing in the online Latinxs in Kid Lit, was also impressed, and she advised that, “throughout the story, Margot learns about her family’s shortcomings and how unhealthy family traditions and cultural norms can push each of them to make wrong choices.” Foulis added: “Rivera helps us see that teenagers, although subject to peer pressure, also have the capacity to change, re-invent themselves, ask for forgiveness and restore relationships.” Yet, even with all the issues addressed, a New York Times Online correspondent noted that “there is plenty of room for Rivera’s honest and heartwarming portrayal of Margot, a girl who makes mistakes, seeks forgiveness and creates herself anew.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, November 15, 2016, Reinhardt Suarez, review of The Education of Margot Sanchez.
Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2016, review of The Education of Margot Sanchez.
Publishers Weekly, November 21, 2016, review of The Education of Margot Sanchez.
ONLINE
Latinxs in Kid Lit, https://latinosinkidlit.com/ (March 2, 2017), Elena Foulis, review of The Education of Margot Sanchez.
Lilliam Rivera Website, http://www.lilliamrivera.com (August 21, 2017).
MTV Website, http://www.mtv.com/ (August 21, 2017), Marisa Kanter, author interview.
New York Times Online, https://www.nytimes.com/ (May 11, 2017), review of The Education of Margot Sanchez.
RT Book Reviews, https://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (February 21, 2017), review of The Education of Margot Sanchez.
School Library Journal, http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/ (February 21, 2017), review of The Education of Margot Sanchez.
TeenReads, http://www.teenreads.com/ (February 21, 2017), review of The Education of Margot Sanchez.*
Lilliam Rivera
Book Author at Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Binghamton University
Greater Los Angeles Area 500+ 500+ connections
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Senior level professional with extensive experience in new media. Demonstrated results developing
revenue-producing properties, guiding organizations, and launching products, departments and teams. Specialties: • Editorial strategy • Audience development • Offline/online convergence (print, TV, marketing)
See more of Lilliam’s summary See more
Experience
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Book Author
Company NameSimon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Dates EmployedFeb 2017 – Present Employment Duration7 mos
Author of young adult novel THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ
Freelance Writer & Editor
Freelance Writer, Editor, Content Management
Company NameFreelance Writer & Editor
Dates EmployedFeb 2008 – Present Employment Duration9 yrs 7 mos
LocationGreater Los Angeles Area
• More than fifteen years experience working as a journalist and copywriter.
• Published in Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Latina, Pandora.com, Cosmo, StyleNetwork.com, iVillage.com, California Apparel News, California Wedding Day, WWD, Variety, among others.
• Established social media marketing plans (Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Pinterest) for emerging fashion brands and companies. Clients include PEN Center USA, RoviMoss handbags, Artasan Jewelry, LA Writers Lab, and Atabey performance group.
• Two-book deal with Simon & Schuster to write young adult novels, first novel to publish in 2017.
• Moderator of panels for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Association of Writers & Writing Programs, Claremont Graduate University, and various High Schools.
• Introduction to Search Engine Optimization by University of California, Davis on Coursera. Certificate earned on February 27, 2016.
Tadashi Shoji
Freelance copywriter
Company NameTadashi Shoji
Dates EmployedMar 2016 – Feb 2017 Employment Duration1 yr
LocationGreater Los Angeles Area
PEN Center USA
Program Coordinator for PEN USA Emerging Voices
Company NamePEN Center USA
Dates EmployedSep 2013 – Jun 2015 Employment Duration1 yr 10 mos
LocationGreater Los Angeles Area
• Coordinated and administered the Emerging Voices Fellowship, a literary program that provides new writers tools to launch a professional writing career.
• Cultivated a diverse database of over 500 emerging and professional writers on Filemaker Pro.
• Created and executed a multi-platform marketing outreach plan that increased the applicant pool by 20%.
• Wrangled and scheduled more than 25 weekly author events a year for the Fellowship. Some of the authors featured included Aimee Bender, Percival Everett, Charles Yu, and Ron Carlson.
• Facilitated writing workshops with key genre authors including Tahereh Mafi and Jillian Lauren.
Mondette LLC
editorial director/VP
Company NameMondette LLC
Dates EmployedNov 2008 – Jan 2013 Employment Duration4 yrs 3 mos
LocationGreater Los Angeles Area
• Co-founder of hyper-local neighborhood blogs covering Los Angeles. Site encompasses fashion, retail, beauty, events, real estate, restaurants, culture and beyond.
• Established content schedules, including e-newsletters, blogs, social media, design, and creation of content.
• Collaborated on marketing of content, social media strategy and business development.
• Identified, recruited, and maintained relationships with key sponsors and business partners.
• Site featured in Los Angeles Times, Madewell.com, Aol.com, among others.
Modern Luxury
Online Editor-in-Chief
Company NameModern Luxury
Dates EmployedFeb 2007 – Dec 2008 Employment Duration1 yr 11 mos
• Launched ten local e-newsletters in six months. Increased user base from zero to 20k. Hired and managed freelance remote staff of 20 contributors. Established best practices based on real-time usage data and analysis and began online publishing training program for 13 print EICs.
• Managed launch and maintenance of consumer focused and business-to-business web sites.
• Partnered with Creative Director and marketing team on low-costing activities such as coordinating print mentions the day magazine hit streets and creating event collaterals for marketing events.
• Worked with Business Development team to identify potential acquisition targets, conducted diligence and assisted in post-acquisition planning.
Bauer Publishing
West Coast Fashion Editor
Company NameBauer Publishing
Dates EmployedJul 2005 – Feb 2007 Employment Duration1 yr 8 mos
• Led West Coast coverage of celebrity fashion, beauty and health, increasing edit pages with the addition of new sections (Looks for Less, Red Carpet). Responsible for weekly reports on celebrity endorsements and/or purchases and how it impacts on sales.
• Recognized for expertise in fashion and award season. Appearances included Extra, E! Entertainment).
• Managed an editorial team of ten remote freelance contributors.
E Entertainment, E! Online
Editor
Company NameE Entertainment, E! Online
Dates EmployedNov 1999 – Jul 2005 Employment Duration5 yrs 9 mos
• Led a five-person division to create fashion department, including staffing, coordinating photo shoots and overseeing fashion closet, increasing growth of page views from 200k to 2.5mil.
• Launched and maintained the Style Network website, stylenetwork.com.
• Collaborated with the marketing team to create user engagement online packages (advertorials, micro-sites and sweepstakes.) Successful work led to promotion from associate editor to editor.
Latina Magazine
Entertainment Editor
Company NameLatina Magazine
Dates EmployedDec 1996 – Nov 1999 Employment Duration3 yrs
• Part of the creative team that launched the first national, bilingual lifestyle magazine for Hispanic women, with a subscription base of two million readers.
• Booked all celebrity covers and features. Coordinated studio and location shoots.
• Travelled to Latin America and throughout the United States for investigative pieces.
• Launched Latina.com website, with an estimated 205k readers.
PRSA
Editorial Assistant
Company NamePRSA
Dates EmployedSep 1996 – Dec 1996 Employment Duration4 mos
• Assisted editors with research, front of book assignments and copyediting. Compiled media kits.
Wenner Media
Scholarship Internship
Company NameWenner Media
Dates EmployedMay 1995 – Sep 1995 Employment Duration5 mos
• Selected from over 500 applicants to intern at the magazine. Researched front of book articles.
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Education
Binghamton University
Binghamton University
Degree Name Bachelor’s Degree Field Of Study History, Spanish
Study Abroad in Seville, Spain
Lilliam Rivera grew up in the Bronx, New York. An entertainment journalist, she’s worked for E! Online, Angeleno, Latina, and was the editorial director for the lifestyle site Mondette.com. She’s a PEN Center USA 2013 Emerging Voices Fellow and is currently writing her first contemporary young adult novel, My Shelf Life, a coming-of-age story set in the Bronx. Lilliam lives in Los Angeles and can be found online atwww.lilliamrivera.com. Enchanted Land Fellow.
Lilliam Rivera is an award-winning writer and author of The Education of Margot Sanchez, a contemporary young adult novel from Simon & Schuster available now in bookstores everywhere.
She is a 2016 Pushcart Prize winner and a 2015 Clarion alumni with a Leonard Pung Memorial Scholarship. She has been awarded fellowships from PEN Center USA, A Room Of Her Own Foundation, and received a grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation. Her short story "Death Defiant Bomba" received honorable mention in Bellevue Literary Review's 2014 Goldenberg Prize for Fiction, selected by author Nathan Englander. Lilliam was also a finalist for AWP's 2014 WC&C Scholarship Competition.
Lilliam's work has appeared in Tin House, Tahoma Literary Review, Los Angeles Times, Latina, USA Today, Cosmo for Latinas, Sundog Lit, Midnight Breakfast, Bellevue Literary Review, The Rumpus.net, and Los Angeles Review of Books.
She hosted a monthly literary radio show, Literary Soundtrack, on RadioSombra.org. Past guests have included Laila Lalami, Victor LaValle, Matt Johnson, Sonia Manzano, Azar Nafisi, among others. She's also moderated panels for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, PEN Center USA and more.
Lilliam is represented by Eddie Schneider of JABberwocky Literary Agency. She lives in Los Angeles.
Culture Feature
In This Coming-of-Age Novel, a Latina South Bronx Teen Struggles to Fit in at Her White Prep School
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By Nicholas Milanes | 4 months ago
The heart of Lilliam Rivera’s debut YA novel, The Education of Margot Sanchez, is its familiarity. Aside from the title’s Lauryn Hill nod, there’s the family-run neighborhood supermarket and an escalating series of sibling-parent power plays. There is the purgatory of being grounded, the drama of a love triangle, and the freedom of the summer concert. (That last one goes double if you’ve had the pleasure of seeing Calle 13 live, which inspired a chapter here.)
In sum, it has many of the elements of a classic teenage coming-of-age story. But Rivera also explores weightier subtext here. Her protagonist, Margot, is a Nuyorican growing up in a “rich-adjacent” household in Riverdale, several neighborhoods over from the South Bronx. In Margot’s world, race and class are writ large, as per YA; beneath them is the generational ripple effect experienced within families that aspire to assimilate. Ultimately, the story is an interrogation of the ways gentrification and the ideals of assimilation can shape a young teenager.
Rivera paints Margot’s story with similar thematic colors to her multiple-award-winning short stories, which largely focus on women living through the challenges of the South Bronx. It is this approach that garnered her a 2016 Pushcart Prize for her story “Death Defiant Bomba, or What to Wear When Your Boo Gets Cancer,” and that prompted the LA Times to name her a Face to Watch in 2017.
We caught up with Lilliam to hear about how her personal experiences inform her writing and making space for protagonists of color in the YA world.
How was writing YA different from writing your previous short stories?
My short stories are always about female characters who are flawed in some way. And I get that with Margot Sanchez, just like my short stories. But there’s that immediacy when you’re writing that young adult voice. I love that. There’s no time for meandering about things; everything’s really urgent, and now. Even if it’s just going to the beach. And what I love about writing contemporary young adult novels is that you are dealing with how class and race plays with your role in your family.
She’s going to assimilate and copy the people who are in power. And usually the people in power are white.
Margot has a wonderful line early on in the story: “We’re not rich. We’re rich-adjacent.” Can you tell me about that idea?
There’s this question about assimilation: her parents’ pursuit of it is to constantly make sure that they appear powerful, or rich. They live close to people who are rich, so everything about them is rich-adjacent. They have two supermarkets, but they’re struggling a bit – yet they’re sending her to a prep school; she’s not a scholarship kid. Her father makes sure she’s aware that she’s going to this prep school, and that there aren’t that many people of color there, and that that’s a good thing.
So she’s just trying to navigate that world. She’s going to assimilate and copy the people who are in power — and usually the people in power are the white people. Because that’s what her parents are teaching her to do.
How much of the story comes from personal experience?
I thought of what it’s like when kids finally see their parents as people with flaws and unfulfilled dreams.
It’s not autobiographical. But my first summer job was working with my father. He worked as a nurse’s aide at a private hospital in Manhattan. I was fourteen; at that point, my father was everything to me. He made all the decisions; he was the man of the house. And then, I got to see him do humbling work. For Margot, I thought of what it’s like when kids finally see their parents as people with flaws and dreams – unfulfilled dreams. That moment where they’re humans, and not just your parents.
And my brother attended a boarding school when I started college; he was offered a scholarship. Years later, he would tell me what it was like; he was sharing rooms with people who had, like – millions of dollars! And he’s coming from the projects. I don’t know what that must have been like – to have to cope with that. But it was a great opportunity! You gotta take that opportunity, right?
Photo by Julian Sambrano Jr.
I imagine there was some … forceful encouragement? From your parents?
[Laughs.] Like, “You cannot fail!” Right? Like, there is no option. I felt that pressure when I went to college. I withdrew because it was too much for me. And my parents were in shock! They were like, um, you don’t have that option. That’s not even possible. This is the opportunity to excel, you don’t have an option not to.
And I feel like a lot of Latino kids, kids of color, have that pressure. The burden of like – ‘You’re gonna save us, right?’ Definitely Margot has that.
She has another interesting line, when her love interest gives her some flack for that: “He wants to peg me with everything evil. If you don’t live like him then you’re trying to be white or rich or something other than what you are. I don’t even know what I am yet. I’m just maintaining.”
That’s one of my favorite scenes, with the two of them on the roof. Rooftops are so magical – things are always going down on the rooftop.
A lot of Latino kids, kids of color, have that pressure. The burden of ‘You’re gonna save us, right?’
I grew up the first one to go to college, out of my family. I grew up with a large Puerto Rican family, and we all lived in the South Bronx. People want you to succeed. Your family wants you to succeed – but not too much. [Laughs.] They’re like, oh, you sound white – if I would talk [a certain way]. Or if I listened to other music that wasn’t Latino music, if I’m listening to rock. There was always that bit of side-eye, you know? But, you know, I was always just trying to be. Whatever that was. A lot of teenagers – you’re just trying on certain things. You’re trying on what you want to be like. And it can be a mixture of all different things! It could be reggaeton and – Taylor Swift. [Laughs.] All of it.
But, there is that little tinge – “I want you to succeed, but not that much. I want you to succeed, but remember where you’re coming from.” And there’s no doubt, I wear my Bronx pride wherever I go. There’s definitely no denying that. But there is that moment where you’re just like – oh, if I’m gonna make it, maybe I have to let go of all of that. Let go of my Latino culture and all that. And I just – I don’t. I don’t want that. Even with my own kids, even though they’re California girls – I let them be so aware of where they’re coming from, being Puerto Rican, being Latinas.
The cool thing that I have witnessed is that a lot of Latinas – and even Latinos – have been reaching out to me and saying how much they love just even seeing the cover. That to me is really awesome. I even have people from Puerto Rico sending me gifts because they love the book so much. Like, here’s a mug with the Puerto Rican flag. [Laughs.]
But it’s been really cool to see – even young kids. I’ve loved going on school visits and talking to them about it – even talking about representation in books. That to me has been the highlight in all of this.
books, YA. Wednesday, April 12, 2017 at 12:31 PM EDT
In 'Margot Sanchez,' A Teen Grows Up And Learns To Love The Bronx
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The Education of Margot Sanchez
The Education of Margot Sanchez
by Lilliam Rivera
Hardcover, 296 pages purchase
Margot Sanchez has big dreams of fitting in at the new, expensive prep school her family has sacrificed to send her to. But it's summer and instead of going to the Hamptons with her rich, white friends, she's stuck working at her family's business in the Bronx.
Margot is the protagonist of Lilliam Rivera's new young adult novel, The Education of Margot Sanchez. Rivera explains that Margot is "being punished because she stole her father's credit card to charge some pants and clothes for herself, and her punishment is to work off her debts at her father's supermarket."
Needless to say, she isn't happy about it. But it turns out to be a summer of revelation for Margot. "She's going to realize that there are things that she is going to love about the Bronx," Rivera says.
Interview Highlights
On Margot's efforts to erase her ethnicity
I think there's moments when you're young that you're just trying to put on different masks. And for Margot her mask right at this moment is just to really follow what her prep school friends are doing. And if they're into Taylor Swift, then she's gonna do that. And they're not listening to Reggaeton or any kind of, like, old school music that she used to like. She so desperately wants to fit in that she's willing to, you know, straighten those curls out and really just deny those things that maybe made her unique.
On growing up in the Bronx
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I grew up on 183rd and Webster Avenue in the Twin Parks West housing projects. There's five of us all together, a Puerto Rican family, really huge family, and they still live in the South Bronx, now just at like 149th. So growing up there was definitely a lot of love and just trying to maintain, you know. We lived in the housing projects when they first opened up, so there was a lot of hope when we moved in there. And I remember just looking out the window and seeing fireflies and just playing in the playground and everything was great. And then, you know, things change and shift, and things became a little bit harder living there and not as safe.
On the inspiration for Margot's story
It was a little bit personal in the sense that, you know, my first job, I worked with my father. He worked at a private hospital in Manhattan. ... I was 14 and I ... loved my father so much — like, he could do no wrong. ... And although we didn't work at the same department, I was able to see him in a totally different light and it was very humbling work that he was doing. He worked as a nurse's aide, and it was the first time I saw him take care of people that weren't family. And it was the first time I saw someone telling him what to do. And all of that just sort of shifted the way I saw him.
I wanted to write about that moment when young people see their parents in a new way, in a realistic way ...
And I wanted to write about that moment when young people see their parents in a new way, in a realistic way; when they see them with their dreams, and maybe their desires are unfulfilled. ... I really wanted to capture that moment because I think that's that moment when you're sort of growing up, you know. That's that moment when you're like, Oh, this is the real world and these are my parents and they're not just punishing me for stealing a credit card. There are actually way more things going on that I am not seeing.
On deciding to throw her book launch party in the Bronx, a bookstore desert
The library was the only place that you could get books, you know, and that's where I spent most of my time. So when I was thinking of a launch party for this book, I knew for sure I wanted it to be in the Bronx. I mean, definitely. But, you know, there were no bookstores, so finding a location for it became quite challenging for us. And I was able to find Noëlle Santos, who's trying to build a bookstore in the Bronx, and she ended up pairing with us and she sold my book at my launch party. And that was such a big deal for me to just have it in the Bronx, to be able to, like, celebrate a book about the Bronx, set in the Bronx, with the people that would read it. ... But it was a challenge, and I was just like: I can't have a launch party in the city. It's just — that's crazy. It didn't make sense to me, especially when this book was so tied to my home.
Radio producer Sarah Handel, editor Sarah Oliver and digital producer Nicole Cohen contributed to this report.
Q&A: LILLIAM RIVERA, AUTHOR OF THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ, ON HER LOVE FOR YA
‘IT’S AN EXCITING MOMENT TO BE A YOUNG ADULT AUTHOR’
MARISA KANTER
04/07/2017
Lilliam Rivera’s The Education of Margot Sanchez is a bold coming-of-age story set in the vibrant — and rapidly changing — community of the South Bronx. After 16-year-old Margot steals her father’s credit card in order to buy the wardrobe she needs to fit in at her mostly white prep school, her parents sentence her to a summer working at their family-owned grocery store. At first, Margot doesn’t understand why she’s in trouble. Papi told her to fit in, so, really, she was just trying to do what she was told. As the summer unfolds, family secrets are exposed, the effects of gentrification hit the grocery store, and Margot begins to question the ideal of assimilation that she was raised with. Inspired by elements of Rivera’s upbringing in the South Bronx, this YA debut is an illuminating look at gentrification, dysfunctional families, dealing with peer pressure, the desire to fit in, and ultimately finding your own voice.
Lilliam Rivera chatted with MTV News about the inspiration for The Education of Margot Sanchez, gentrification, Latinx representation in literature, and her hopes for The Education of Margot Sanchez during this political moment.
When reading The Education of Margot Sanchez, a vivid picture is painted of life in the Bronx. Can you tell me a bit about your background and what it was like growing up in the Bronx?
Lilliam Rivera: I grew up in the South Bronx in the housing projects on 183rd and Webster Avenue. I come from a big Puerto Rican family of five kids. My whole family lived in that area. Growing up, one of the places that my mom always used to take us was the Fordham Public Library, and that was where I got my taste in literature. We would walk — and it wasn’t a close walk — to Fordham for its library. That’s where I fell in love with Judy Blume books and S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, and just really fell in love with young adult literature.
Though you are a Bronx native, you have lived in Los Angeles for many years. How has living amid both communities influenced you as a storyteller?
Rivera: I love the fantasy of living in L.A. Like, I live in a movie-making city, you know? There's something fantastical in that everyone is creating and, similar to New York, a lot of people move out here just trying to make it. So many people in L.A. are creating amazing works of art. And that's encompassing everything — stories, literature, artwork, organizations. Not everyone is talking about industry or being an actor or being a screenwriter. You find so many people living their life and creating outside of that industry, and that’s why I like L.A. But, you know, I go back to New York all the time, and I always know what’s going on in New York. You can’t leave home, in a way.
The term "education" is so multifaceted in the book. Though Margot attends a prep school in Manhattan, her true education comes from family, friends, and members of her South Bronx community. What does education mean to you? In regards to your writing, where did you get your education?
Rivera: I went upstate to Binghamton University, which was about four hours away from the city. I was the first person to go to college in my family, so it was just a challenge in that I didn't know what to expect. I couldn't rely on my parents to help me in the way of navigating whatever I was going through in college because they didn't know what that life was like — they just saw it as an opportunity. And I couldn't mess it up. It's just like Margot, she can't mess up her prep school opportunity. We don't have room for failure. So I felt that pressure. It wasn't like something that they told me, it was just an unspoken pressure, but it was really hard for me that first year of college. And I think that's something that a lot of young people go through.
In the book, one of the most powerful images is watching Margot assimilate to societal standards of white beauty — from straightening her hair to adjusting her wardrobe — in order to fit in. I think it’s something every young woman can identify with.
Rivera: I definitely wanted to bring that up because I feel like her parents gravitate toward this sort of assimilated beauty, or even just how to align yourself with those in power. They're teaching Margot that you've got to align yourself with the people who stand out, and she’s just trying to be a good daughter. It backfires because she steals money just trying to get a new wardrobe just to fit in with these girls ... but that is what her parents taught her that she has to do. I also wanted to write about a character who is flawed in the sense that she hasn't come into her own when it comes to loving her curls, loving her body shape, and loving just being Puerto Rican. She has to come to that point and that is her education, in a way, because it's a summer of her just loving who she is.
Gentrification is a major theme in the book. Learning about gentrification through Moises, a boy who cares so deeply about preserving and protecting his community from corporate interests, was both educational and highly illuminating. Why was it so important for you to include discussions of gentrification throughout the novel?
Rivera: Even though I live in L.A., I go back to the Bronx all the time and I see the changes. To me, it's so drastic. I was there just a couple of months ago and I was floored by all the new stuff: the new supermarket that looks fancier or the new hotel that's opening up. So I see it, and of course my family sees it too. There is no way I could write a novel about the Bronx without bringing up the fact that it's changing and gentrification is happening right now. I'm concerned, but what I love about Moises — which is true of a lot of people who are living there — is that [he is] not sitting down. [People are] really vocal about it. They're really trying to stand their ground and save spaces and be part of that — be as vocal and a part of that community as possible. There are also those discussions that maybe this is a good thing. So there's that struggle of like, you want that Starbucks, but then your mom-and-pop café is going to be closed down, and how do you feel about that? Obviously in the novel there's no solution, there's only the fight. How do you save people who are going to be pushed out soon?
While The Education of Margot Sanchez is your debut novel, you’ve been a writer for many years, winning awards such as the Pushcart Prize. What prompted the shift from literary fiction to young adult, and did you find it challenging to make this move?
Rivera: The first short stories I wrote were always young voices. The Education is my first novel published. I wrote another novel before, and it was in response to the Twilight movie. I was like, I don't want to see any more vampire movies without any Latinx people in them. I wrote it basically out of spite. I didn't know what I was doing, but it was a really good exercise, and I wrote the first novel. I sent it out to a couple people, but it wasn't ready. So then I put that novel away and I wrote The Education of Margot Sanchez. And as I wrote the draft of that, that's when I was submitting short stories. Once my short stories were getting accepted and I was winning awards, I was like, OK, I'm on the right path. I can do this.
As young adult literature has become an increasingly diverse space, what do you think is the most important issue surrounding diversity in YA and in the general media landscape at this particular political moment?
Rivera: It’s an exciting moment to be a young adult author. You're seeing more people getting book deals [with] their own voices, different voices. So I'm happy about that. I just think that more needs to be done. I want — specifically for the Latinx experience — I want it to be so varied [to] where it doesn't matter. It shouldn't be just one story. Like, my story is just one story and it's not even, like, the Puerto Rican story, you know? She just happens to be Puerto Rican. I want it to be so varied that we can have romantic comedy, or lightness, or fantasy, or hardcore science fiction. I want that to happen and I don't think we're there yet. Publishing, who are the gatekeepers, needs to hire more people of color so it just becomes easier. It shouldn't be like, “Oh, one person is through! Now we're good!” That should not be the case. People do that in literature too. It's just like, “Oh, Junot Díaz! We're good.” He covers all the Latinos, you know?
It's like you're the token Latinx.
Rivera: Yeah, no. That's not the way it should be. It shouldn't be everyone focusing on one person and elevating one person. I'm always active on Twitter and like, “Here, check out this new person. Here's another author, here's another.” Like, here are all these new Latinx people. Or just people of color. Let's support these authors who aren't getting much play. I think that is my role.
Do you have any recommendations you’d like to share with us?
Rivera: Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a vampire story set in Mexico, and it's amazing. I could see it as a movie. There's also Gabby Rivera’s YA novel Juliet Takes a Breath. That came out a while ago, but the cool thing about Gabby is that she's also writing America Chavez for Marvel. Also, Adam Silvera is really great. He's from the Bronx and Puerto Rican, and it's just really great to see Bronx authors getting some recognition.
The YA community has become both a resource and advocate for teens in this political climate. What would you say to teens, especially young people of color, who feel targeted by the Trump administration?
Rivera: I've been doing a lot of school visits since the book came out. Recently, I was invited to talk to high school kids at an East L.A. school. Afterward, one kid came up to me and asked me how I felt about the administration. Of course, I asked, “How do you feel?” My answer: We all have to resist. The boy said, “You know, he just doesn't live in reality. That's just not the world that we're living in. That's not my world.” And I was like, YES. That's not my world either. There's definitely fear, especially for kids whose parents are immigrants, their fear of deportation. I see that even more so living in Los Angeles.
To me, my biggest fear and concern are the kids who are being deported, because that's happening everywhere, and there are great repercussions because of that. Kids aren't applying to certain scholarships because they're afraid that their family is going to get caught, you know? Even if they're a citizen, maybe their mom isn't. How is that affecting all of these kids? They're going underground in a way. And who's speaking for those kids? Those are the things I keep thinking about because that is real.
Finally, you without a doubt are an advocate for your community and for Latinx representation in literature. What do you hope young Latinx readers, or young adult readers in general, get from your book?
Rivera: I hope that readers come away just knowing that there is no one set path when it comes to growing up. I want readers to have the freedom of, like, here's one girl who's kind of messy, she's flawed, but you can relate to those kind of issues that she's dealing with: assimilation, gentrification, and just trying so desperately to fit in. So I just want readers to come away with [knowing] there is no set rule. No one has the manual for how to live this life. You just have to find your own path, find your own voice, and, you know, just feel comfortable. It's not an easy task, but if you keep doing it, you'll find your voice. Growing up is hard, and I just want people to come away with that from reading Margot. Here's one girl, and she's figuring it out. It's not easy, but it's OK.
Author Interview: Lilliam Rivera brings us to the Bronx in her YA debut ‘The Education of Margot Sanchez’
11:30 AM EDT, MARCH 1, 2017
BY ARIANA QUIÑÓNEZ
ariana_qz
EDITED BY BRANDI DELHAGEN
EXCLUSIVE
AUTHOR INTERVIEW, BOOKS, INTERVIEW, YA
YA author Lilliam Rivera talks to us about the importance of empowering young Latinx readers, and shares her very personal connection to her own flawed and funny heroine, the South Bronx born-and-bred Margot Sanchez.
Can you give us the elevator pitch for you new book, ‘The Education of Margot Sanchez’?
Sure! The Education of Margot Sanchez is a coming-of-age tale about a young Latina who is forced to work at her father’s failing supermarket in the South Bronx after getting caught stealing money for a fancy wardrobe. The young adult novel is a look at gentrification, dysfunctional families, and finding your own voice.
Tell us about your journey to becoming a writer.
I’ve always been a writer, ever since I was a little kid. I would walk around with a small notepad and pen and jot down whatever I would observe. My first job out of college was an internship at Rolling Stone magazine. After that I’ve worked primarily as an entertainment and fashion writer for various print and online outlets.
Here at Hypable, we’re big fans of podcasts. Can you tell us a little bit about your Literary Soundtrack radio show, and what your experience has been getting to talk to so many acclaimed authors?
Radio Sombra is a community-run radio station in East Los Angeles. The founders approached me to do a radio show and I came up with Literary Soundtrack. It was my way of being able to showcase authors of color and to talk to them about their latest work. Doing the show was a great excuse to fangirl over writers I love. Mat Johnson, Laila Lalami, Victor LaValle, and Meg Medina are just some of the authors I had a chance to interview.
What are some of your favorite YA reads and/or authors that you’d like to share with us?
I love picking up new reads. Right now, I want everyone to support the 2017 debuts from people of color. Here are some titles: Dear Martin, American Street, The Hate You Give, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, When Dimple Met Rishi, Allegedly, and You Don’t Know Me But I Know You, just to name a few.
You’re originally from the Bronx, but you’ve lived in Los Angeles for several years now. How has living amidst these two communities influenced your writing?
My heart is always in the Bronx although I’ve lived in Los Angeles for so long. What I love about my current home is that it is a movie-making town. I love the fantasy of it. It’s similar to New York in how so many people come here to try to make a go of it. Los Angeles influences my writing because I’m always exploring the various masks we wear in different circles. As for the Bronx, I can’t strip away what made me. My sense of humor, my attitude, it all comes from my upbringing and that spills into my writing.
You’ve been very outspoken about your wish to be an advocate for your community. What do you hope young Latinx readers, or young adult readers in general, get from your book?
This is really important to me. When I was in high school, I read everything although there was a definite lack of Latinx authors on the bookshelves. I hope that readers will be able to find a protagonist that may not fit the stereotypical role. Margot Sanchez is flawed and funny, loveable and takes questionable risks but so do we all. I want readers to see that there is no one way of living, that the paths are different for each young person.
What do you think are the most important issues surrounding diversity in the media and young adult literature today?
The important issues that surround diversity in the media and young adult are the same issues that have plagued it for years. There needs to be more diverse gatekeepers in publishing as well as more diverse book reviewers. Reading is such a subjective act. To allow as many voices as possible the chance to be heard, there has to be a strong initiative to build a staff that is open to hearing those voices.
Finally: What makes you passionate about Margot’s story?
Margot’s story is universal. It’s about a girl who finally sees her family in a truthful light. It’s also about the magical moments that summers can bring. I hope I was able to capture a little of that magic, the painful aspects of growing up, and the hopefulness of what’s to come.
ABOUT ‘THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ’
THINGS/PEOPLE MARGOT HATES:
Mami, for destroying my social life
Papi, for allowing Junior to become a Neanderthal
Junior, for becoming a Neanderthal
This supermarket
Everyone else
After “borrowing” her father’s credit card to finance a more stylish wardrobe, Margot
Sanchez suddenly finds herself grounded. And by grounded, she means working as an indentured servant in her family’s struggling grocery store to pay off her debts.
With each order of deli meat she slices, Margot can feel her carefully cultivated prep school reputation slipping through her fingers, and she’s willing to do anything to get out of this punishment. Lie, cheat, and maybe even steal…
Margot’s invitation to the ultimate beach party is within reach and she has no intention of letting her family’s drama or Moises — the admittedly good looking but outspoken boy from the neighborhood—keep her from her goal.
Pretty in Pink comes to the South Bronx in this bold and romantic coming-of-age novel about dysfunctional families, good and bad choices, and finding the courage to question everything you ever thought you wanted—from debut author Lilliam Rivera.
You can order The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local independent bookstore.
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The Education of Margot Sanchez
Publishers Weekly.
263.47 (Nov. 21, 2016): p111.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Education of Margot Sanchez
Liliam Rivera. Simon & Schuster, $17.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-4814-7211-1
Margot Sanchez, "the great brown hope" of her family, is caught between the wealthy, white world of Somerset Prep,
the private school she attends, and that of her "Rich Adjacent" Latino family, which owns two supermarkets in the
Bronx. Margot changed her personal style in order to befriend the popular girls at Somerset, and she's desperate to
spend the summer with them in the Hamptons. Instead, she is stuck stocking shelves and working the deli counter at the
super-market--punishment for stealing her father's credit card for a shopping spree--and trying to reconnect with the
friends she left behind. Debut novelist Rivera doesn't sugatcoat Margot's conflicted life as the teenager juggles the
sexist attitudes from the men in her family, the judgments from "cashieristas" at the store and her party-happy Somerset
friends alike, romantic conflicts involving boys from school and the neighborhood, and family crises that arise. Margot
makes mistakes, misplaces her trust, and gradually reestablishes who she is in an emotional story about class, race, hard
work, and finding one's place. Ages 14-up. Agent: Eddie Schneider; Jabberwocky Literary. (Feb.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"The Education of Margot Sanchez." Publishers Weekly, 21 Nov. 2016, p. 111. General OneFile,
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Rivera, Lilliam: THE EDUCATION OF
MARGOT SANCHEZ
Kirkus Reviews.
(Nov. 15, 2016):
COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Rivera, Lilliam THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ Simon & Schuster (Children's) $17.99 2, 21 ISBN: 978-
1-4814-7211-1
A Puerto Rican teenager spends the summer working in her father's South Bronx supermarket, where she experiences
myriad unfortunate developments. Margot Sanchez is being punished for stealing her father's credit card by working at
Sanchez & Son's Supermarket. Accustomed to the whitewashed scenery of Somerset Prep, the brown-skinned teen now
has to put up with her older, violent brother who lost his wrestling scholarship and got kicked out of school. Margot's
machista dad oversees the store, while her submissive mother stays at home. With secondary and tertiary characters
aplenty, turbulent relationships abound at the workplace, among friends and family, and threaten a gentrifying
neighborhood. As seen through narrator Margot's eyes, the characters are often unapologetically, stereotypically flawed:
the men are macho or players; the rich, white youth are privileged and usually ignorant; the Latinas are mostly sassy
and full of attitude, but at other times they are submissive. In this coming-of-age novel, Rivera touches on countless
problems: trust issues, family grief and disappointment, domestic violence, verbal abuse, socio-economic woes, love
affairs, a neighborhood undergoing gentrification. Rather than delving into these issues, readers are flung from one plot
point to the next, as if running through a checklist of conflicts: drunken sex, drugs, violence, theft, lies. Unitalicized
Spanish and Puerto Rican colloquialisms are generously woven into the text, as are slurs in both English and Spanish.
Not only is Margot experiencing an identity crisis, the book is too. (Fiction. 14 & up)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Rivera, Lilliam: THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2016. General OneFile,
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p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA469865783&it=r&asid=d638240520313398ac2dcab593e205b8.
Accessed 11 Aug. 2017.
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The Education of Margot Sanchez
Reinhardt Suarez
Booklist.
113.6 (Nov. 15, 2016): p50.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
The Education of Margot Sanchez. By Lilliam Rivera. Feb. 2017. 304p. Simon & Schuster, $17.99 (9781481472111).
Gr. 8-11.
Thanks to her fathers successful grocery store, Margot Sanchez--aka Princesa--enjoys attending an elite prep school and
looks forward to a college education. But her true education begins when she's relegated to spending the summer
working with her father in the South Bronx, instead of in the Hamptons with her friends. There she learns that
developers have targeted her neighborhood for gentrification, placing homes and businesses (including her fathers
store) in danger. A local boy named Moises takes the time to teach her about the Puerto Rican music, food, and culture-
-her culture--of the South Bronx. Suddenly, Margot finds herself at odds with the urbane identity she has developed.
Quickly eschewing the trappings of a typical romance, this book showcases Margot's clashing identities as a teen
struggling to define herself despite the expectations of her immigrant parents. The depiction of economic disparity,
racism, and identity in the age of social media are intentionally inconclusive; Margot (and the reader) must grapple with
them. A debut of great candor, depth, and empathy.--Reinhardt Suarez
Suarez, Reinhardt
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Suarez, Reinhardt. "The Education of Margot Sanchez." Booklist, 15 Nov. 2016, p. 50. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA473788317&it=r&asid=22105f7d93ef050cd697078fa99c24c3.
Accessed 11 Aug. 2017.
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THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ
By Lilliam Rivera
296 pp. Simon & Schuster. $17.99.
(Ages 14 and up)
Photo
In Rivera’s refreshing debut, 16-year-old Margot gets schooled on how to navigate two worlds — the New York City private school where she is a student alongside the sons and daughters of the wealthy elite, and her father’s supermarket in a Bronx Puerto Rican working-class community where gossip on the street intersects with rapidly changing neighborhood dynamics. When she lands as an unpaid employee in her family store as punishment for stealing her father’s credit card, Margot’s goal is to maintain her uptown-girl persona at school and attend a beach party in the Hamptons. But a cute boy, Moises, shows up outside the supermarket handing out pamphlets cautioning residents about some encroaching condo buildings. Margot reconsiders her goals of passing as more privileged, even as she shames Moises for his bad boy ways, lack of education and unpaid work as a community organizer. Still, she has to admit it’s “kind of hot to see a guy be passionate about something.”
As the shifting borders of her neighborhood and her family come to light, Margot re-evaluates the prep-school image she’s both cultivated for herself and felt placed on her by her family, who treat her as “the great brown hope.” While issues such as gentrification, family dysfunction and sexism frame the novel, there is plenty of room for Rivera’s honest and heartwarming portrayal of Margot, a girl who makes mistakes, seeks forgiveness and creates herself anew.
Review
The Education of Margot Sanchez
by Lilliam Rivera
Buy this book at IndieBound
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THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ is author Lilliam Rivera’s first novel. Although some would relate this book to Pretty In Pink, the popular 80s movie, I would say that THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ focuses more on finding and being true to yourself.
"Lilliam Rivera did a wonderful job creating a cohesive debut novel. She incorporated romance but left it at appreciable levels. Her book spoke volumes about the importance of being true to yourself instead of trying to be like others around you."
The main character is --- no shocker here --- Margot Sanchez. Prior to the start of the novel, Margot began studying at a new private school, Somerset Prep, and was having a hard time fitting in with the new crowd. In an attempt to impress the most popular girls in school, Camille and Serena, Margot stole her father’s credit card and bought $600 worth of clothes. Now, instead of spending her summer under the sun in the Hamptons, Margot is forced to work at her family’s grocery store and pay off her debt as well as an extra $2000. Throughout the summer Margot is forced to confront the truths about her friends and family. Her friendship with old friend Elizabeth hangs by a thread as Margot continuously chooses popularity over her true personality. Moises, a boy with a harsh past, amplifies Margot’s boy problems, and Margot’s family proves more complicated than she ever thought. THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ is a wonderful novel showing the growth and character of Margot as well as incorporating important topics such as urbanization.
There are many components of THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ that I thought were wonderful. For example, Lilliam Rivera centered this whole book on the Sanchez family who are Hispanic-American. The best part of this was that Lilliam Rivera didn’t just add color to her characters, she also added Spanish dialogue. I personally have only taken three years of high school Spanish, but I found it challenging and fun trying to translate the sentences before they were translated for me. Parts of this book made me anxious for the ending. As the plot progressed I got increasingly scared that Margot would make the wrong decisions.
I think Lilliam Rivera did a wonderful job creating a cohesive debut novel. She incorporated romance but left it at appreciable levels. Her book spoke volumes about the importance of being true to yourself instead of trying to be like others around you. I also was amused by the mentioning of a sort of domino effect resulting from urbanization. In THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ Rivera mentions the impact on small, locally-run businesses when big money corporations set up shop near them. This addition to her novel made it more interesting than other pure contemporary novels that only focus on romance.
Do I think the book could have been better? Yes, I do. There were times when paragraphs or sometimes whole pages bored me, but overall it was a great book.
THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ is a great book for those who love contemporary novels. It is also a good read for someone who finds that current young adult books have a lack of diversity. Overall, I would definitely recommend that readers go pick this book up.
Reviewed by Kaela N., Teen Board Member on February 21, 2017
Book Review: The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera
FEBRUARY 21, 2017 BY AMANDA MACGREGOR LEAVE A COMMENT
Publisher’s description
educationPretty in Pink comes to the South Bronx in this bold and romantic coming-of-age novel about dysfunctional families, good and bad choices, and finding the courage to question everything you ever thought you wanted—from debut author Lilliam Rivera.
Things/People Margot Hates:
Mami, for destroying her social life
Papi, for allowing Junior to become a Neanderthal
Junior, for becoming a Neanderthal
The supermarket
Everyone else
After “borrowing” her father’s credit card to finance a more stylish wardrobe, Margot Sanchez suddenly finds herself grounded. And by grounded, she means working as an indentured servant in her family’s struggling grocery store to pay off her debts.
With each order of deli meat she slices, Margot can feel her carefully cultivated prep school reputation slipping through her fingers, and she’s willing to do anything to get out of this punishment. Lie, cheat, and maybe even steal…
Margot’s invitation to the ultimate beach party is within reach and she has no intention of letting her family’s drama or Moises—the admittedly good looking but outspoken boy from the neighborhood—keep her from her goal.
Amanda’s thoughts
Puerto Rican Margot, who can’t escape her childhood nickname of Princesa, is not thrilled to be spending the summer working at her family’s supermarket in the South Bronx. She had hoped to spend the summer in the Hamptons with her prep school classmates, popular Serena and Camille. That plan fell apart when her parents discovered she stole their credit card and charged a bunch of clothes. Margot, a social climber who’s more than just a little arrogant when we meet her, can’t believe Papi expects her to do actual work while at the supermarket. While there, she meets Moises Tirado, a young community activist who helms a table outside of the store working on getting signatures for a petition to stop a housing complex from being torn down and replaced by high-end condos. Though Margot is drawn to Moises, she looks down on him. Her snooty school friends would never approve. Margot isn’t interested in learning about gentrification or any of the other social justice issues Moises is into. She’s appalled by where he lives. He’s working on his GED. Margot’s family is relatively well off (they are “rich adjacent”) and she’s seen as “the great brown hope” for her family, the one who will become a doctor or a lawyer. Her mother warns her that people are judged by the company they keep, but she can’t help but continue to be interested in Moises.
But an “inappropriate” crush and a summer stuck working at a grocery store turn out to be the least of Margot’s worries as a whole bunch of family secrets, stress, and denial finally come to the surface and demand to be dealt with. She’s forced to really reckon with the feeling that she just doesn’t fit in anywhere and start to sort out who it is she wants to be. While many of the secondary characters are rather undeveloped, Margot is complicated and flawed. She makes mistakes and is often insufferably self-absorbed. I wish rather than seeing so many subplots, there would’ve been less going on, but had more pieces explored more in-depth (like her friendships, especially with her former best friend, or more about Moises’s activism and past). The vivid setting and many issues make this a fast read about family, identity, and culture that will appeal to many, including reluctant readers.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Edelweiss
ISBN-13: 9781481472111
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date: 02/21/2017
MAR
2
2017
Book Review: The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera
Reviewed by Elena Foulis
26594801DESCRIPTION OF THE BOOK:
Things/People Margot Hates:
Mami, for destroying her social life
Papi, for allowing Junior to become a Neanderthal
Junior, for becoming a Neanderthal
The supermarket
Everyone else
After “borrowing” her father’s credit card to finance a more stylish wardrobe, Margot Sanchez suddenly finds herself grounded. And by grounded, she means working as an indentured servant in her family’s struggling grocery store to pay off her debts. With each order of deli meat she slices, Margot can feel her carefully cultivated prep school reputation slipping through her fingers, and she’s willing to do anything to get out of this punishment. Lie, cheat, and maybe even steal. Margot’s invitation to the ultimate beach party is within reach and she has no intention of letting her family’s drama or Moises—the admittedly good looking but outspoken boy from the neighborhood—keep her from her goal.
MY TWO CENTS: It is no surprise that life, for a teenage girl, is complicated: trying to fit in, finding purpose, inspiration, friends, and dealing with family dynamics. Add to all of this, growing up bicultural! We meet Margot Sanchez, our Puerto Rican protagonist, spending the summer working at her father’s bodega in the Bronx, as punishment for using her father’s credit card without his permission. We quickly find out about Margot’s family dynamics; her family sent her to a prep school to give her a better education and a brighter future—for herself and the family. Her brother, Junior, is a college drop-out who now works in Papi’s bodega and is expected to take over the business in the future. Both Papi and Mami want the best for their children and operate under traditional Latinx gender values that allow Junior to easily occupy the public space, drink, smoke, and be sexually active, while Margot cannot.
Margot’s understanding of her own place in society is complicated by her parents’ decision to send her to a prep school. She quickly begins to change her look, part of her identity, and adopt those of Camille and Serena—white, rich classmates who often treat Margot as a project by giving her fashion tips, relationship advice, and suggesting that it was perfectly fine to “borrow” her father’s credit card to shop for clothes that were clearly beyond her family’s budget.
In The Education of Margot Sanchez, Rivera tackles issues of peer pressure, family expectations, gender bias, and community. While Margot has several people in her life who are constantly suggesting what she should look like, how she should act, and what she should do, Moises, a local community activist, and Elizabeth, her childhood friend, are the people that make her face her own insecurities, question her sense of belonging, and deal with her constant desire to fit in with her prep school values. Rivera walks us through Margot’s summer of “real” life education, full of lies, sex, and betrayal.
Although the novel hints at a romance between Moises and Margot, their interaction is one that helps her grow, accept herself, and understand how her community is being negatively impacted by gentrification and big corporations moving in; in fact, even her own family business is feeling the change. Throughout the story, Margot learns about her family’s shortcomings and how unhealthy family traditions and cultural norms can push each of them to make wrong choices.
As I was reading this book, I could almost hear my teenage daughters say, “Get over it, Margot! Quit listening to Camille and Serena!” Because Margot, quite frankly, is annoyingly desperate for their approval. Yet, we also see that Margot is trying not to be an outcast at her new school and does anything to be accepted by the popular girls, including stealing. Rivera helps us see that teenagers, although subject to peer pressure, also have the capacity to change, re-invent themselves, ask for forgiveness and restore relationships.
TEACHING TIPS: The Education of Margot Sanchez can be used to teach about public vs private education, formal education vs life/street education, and, although minimal, the values of different Latinx families. It is also an opportunity to talk about family relationships, love, friendship, and gentrification—this last topic is a current trend, happening in many mid-size to large cities across the United States. Who experiences gentrification? Are “clean up” the neighborhood projects always negative or positive? How can people who face gentrification organize? What communities typically experience gentrification? What minority groups? Only minority groups? Research on these topics can add value to class discussion and can help further understand this present day issue affecting our communities.
FOR MORE INFORMATION about The Education of Margot Sanchez, check your local public library, your local bookstore or IndieBound. Also, check out Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
Hi-res image. Photo by Julian Sambrano Jr.
Photo by Julian Sambrano Jr.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from her website): Lilliam Rivera is an award-winning writer and author of The Education of Margot Sanchez, a contemporary young adult novel forthcoming from Simon & Schuster on February 21, 2017. She is a 2016 Pushcart Prize winner and a 2015 Clarion alumni with a Leonard Pung Memorial Scholarship. She has been awarded fellowships from PEN Center USA, A Room Of Her Own Foundation, and received a grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation. Her short story “Death Defiant Bomba” received honorable mention in Bellevue Literary Review’s 2014 Goldenberg Prize for Fiction, selected by author Nathan Englander. Lilliam was also a finalist for AWP’s 2014 WC&C Scholarship Competition.
headshot2016ABOUT THE REVIEWER: Elena Foulis has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies from the University of Arkansas. Her research and teaching interests include U.S. Latina/o literature, and Digital Oral History. She is currently working on a digital oral history collection about Latin@s in Ohio, which has been published as an eBook titled, Latin@ Stories Across Ohio.
RT Rating:
Genre:
Young Adult
Published:
February 21 2017
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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5 GOLD: Phenomenal. In a class by itself.
4 1/2: TOP PICK. Fantastic. A keeper.
4: Compelling. A page-turner.
3: Enjoyable. A pleasant read.
2: Problematic. May struggle to finish.
1: Severely Flawed. Pass on this one.
THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ
Author(s): Lilliam Rivera
Rivera’s debut novel is wonderfully entertaining, complete with a solid, engaging coming-of-age plot and a strong Latina girl at its center. The vibrant storytelling is filled with amusing, lyrical language and authentic dialogue representing the South Bronx. The supporting cast is also distinctive, genuine and well-defined. Margot’s lofty attitude and personal angst are expertly done and will hook readers from the first page. A delightful read.
Fifteen-year-old Margot Sanchez is stuck working in her father’s supermarket in the South Bronx over the summer instead of hanging out with her affluent prep school friends in the Hamptons. Exasperated, Margot knows she doesn’t fit in with these locals. Yet as she works at the store, she befriends a handsome new boy with a cause and gets reacquainted with her childhood friend. Suddenly, her summer in the Bronx becomes all about the discoveries she makes about herself, her family and her community. (SIMON & SCHUSTER, Feb., 304 pp., $17.99, 12 & Up)
Reviewed by:
Melanie Bates