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An Uninterrupted View of the Sky
Modern history unearthed as a boy becomes an innocent victim of corruption in the underbelly of Bolivia's crime world, where the power of family is both a prison and the only means of survival.
It's 1999 in Bolivia and Francisco's life consists of school, soccer, and trying to find space for himself in his family's cramped yet boisterous home. But when his father is arrested on false charges and sent to prison by a corrupt system that targets the uneducated, the poor, and the indigenous majority, Francisco's mother abandons hope and her family. Francisco and his sister are left with no choice: They must move into the prison with their father. There, they find a world unlike anything they've ever known, where everything—a door, a mattress, protection from other inmates—has its price.
Prison life is dirty, dire, and dehumanizing. With their lives upended, Francisco faces an impossible decision: Break up the family and take his sister to their grandparents in the Andean highlands, fleeing the city and the future that was just within his grasp, or remain together in the increasingly dangerous prison. Pulled between two equally undesirable options, Francisco must confront everything he once believed about the world around him and his place within it.
In this heart-wrenching novel inspired by real events, Melanie Crowder sheds light on a little-known era of modern South American history—where injustice still darkens the minds and hearts of people alike—and proves that hope can be found, even in the most desperate places.
Perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys, Matt de la Pena, and Jacqueline Woodson.
It's 1999 in Bolivia and Francisco's life consists of school, soccer, and trying to find space for himself in his family's cramped yet boisterous home. But when his father is arrested on false charges and sent to prison by a corrupt system that targets the uneducated, the poor, and the indigenous majority, Francisco's mother abandons hope and her family. Francisco and his sister are left with no choice: They must move into the prison with their father. There, they find a world unlike anything they've ever known, where everything—a door, a mattress, protection from other inmates—has its price.
Prison life is dirty, dire, and dehumanizing. With their lives upended, Francisco faces an impossible decision: Break up the family and take his sister to their grandparents in the Andean highlands, fleeing the city and the future that was just within his grasp, or remain together in the increasingly dangerous prison. Pulled between two equally undesirable options, Francisco must confront everything he once believed about the world around him and his place within it.
In this heart-wrenching novel inspired by real events, Melanie Crowder sheds light on a little-known era of modern South American history—where injustice still darkens the minds and hearts of people alike—and proves that hope can be found, even in the most desperate places.
Perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys, Matt de la Pena, and Jacqueline Woodson.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published June 13, 2017
55 people are currently reading
1408 people want to read
About the author
Melanie Crowder
10 books169 followersMelanie Crowder graduated in 2011 with an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the author of JUMPER, MAZIE, THREE PENNIES, AN UNINTERRUPTED VIEW OF THE SKY, A NEARER MOON, AUDACITY, PARCHED, and THE LIGHTHOUSE BETWEEN THE WORLDS and A WAY BETWEEN WORLDS.
A West Coast girl at heart, Melanie now lives and writes in the beautiful state of Colorado.
A West Coast girl at heart, Melanie now lives and writes in the beautiful state of Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
July 30, 2017
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
You know how when you read a book that opens your eyes to something you never knew about, it can come to mean the world to you almost instantly? When it rips your heart open and makes you love the characters, it has even more impact. This is exactly what An Uninterrupted View of the Sky by Melanie Crowder is for me.
Francisco is a busy teenager in 1999 Bolivia. He is balancing school with his friends and plans for his future. Plans that do not involve University no matter how many lectures his father gives. And the fights he gets in regularly? What is he supposed do when his darker skin and indigenous heritage cause him to be a constant target for many. All Fransisco's plans for his future and his carefree present are torn from his grasp when his father is arrested and placed in prison under a drug law that allows Bolivian police to circumvent his constitutional rights. Though innocent, the family can not afford a lawyer. Now Fransisco and his sister, Pilar, are forced to live in the prison with their father, though they can escape daily for school. But Fransisco's time there is limited. As soon as he turns 18, he has to leave. Leave his father, who he sees losing a bit of his poet's heart every day. His sister further complicates matters as she is only 8. Fransisco knows he can't leave her in a men's prison, but returning to the rural peasant home of his father's parents seems like the worst possible scenario. As the week's pass, Fransisco must come to terms with his new reality and figure out a way into the future for himself and his family.
Crowder has a talent for writing complicated, realistic characters who find their way into your heart and take over. Fransisco may be my favorite of her creations to date. He is so surly and full of so much anger, resentment, and frustration. While he's very sympathetic because he's living in a racist, unjust world that is taking everything from him, he also has weaknesses and makes mistakes that are hard on more than just him. He is such a real person and I just wanted to wrap him in hugs and hunt down his mother (who abandons her children in the prison because she can't handle it) and smack her down. Even as his life is crashing down and he realizes the prison is his family's new reality, he stubbornly (and a bit selfishly) clings to his plans and how this is affecting him alone. It is so very much a realistic teen reaction. When his careless thoughtlessness puts his younger sister in a horrifying situation, Fransisco begins to wake up to the reality of exactly what his family is facing. He begins a journey then that is equal parts beautiful and heart-breaking to become the man his father has always seen in him. He begins to forge a new plan for his future, one that will not be the ticket to easy street he thought he would have. But he's willing to work so much harder now.
There are several secondary characters in the novel, all important in how they relate to Fransisco and his journey. The relationship between Fransisco and his sister, Pilar, is the most fleshed out. His mistake causes her so much trauma and yet she clings to him for protection, and he gives it willingly after that first horrible selfish moment. The majority of Fransisco's focus for most of the book is keeping Pilar safe and figuring out how to make it so she stays that way. At first his plans for this are naive and grounded in his desire to have things his way, but he eventually begins to see how much sacrifice he's going to have to make to keep all his family safe. In the prison is another student in Fransisco's year at school named Soledad. Soledad has lived in the prison a long time and the affect of being a teen girl in a men's prison comes out in how she behaves toward the world. After a while, she lets Fransisco and Pilar into her life, and the three protect each other and become their own little family unit. It's a beautiful and heart wrenching relationship. I love all three of these kids so much. I adored and shed many tears for Fransisco's father too. This man who is a poet and had so many dreams for himself and his children but saw them all ripped to pieces by a racist law, an unjust system, and a corrupt government.
I took a class on South American history in college and never learned about this law and what it did to families. Probably because it was too recent and we didn't make it to the 1980s and beyond. I know my particular professor would not have glossed over it, because he was not one for cutting the US slack for the havoc it frequently wreaks south of its border. Fransisco's father is caught by a law passed to appease America during the "war on drugs". Bolivia had a quota it had to meet to prove to the US it was doing something to curtail cocaine manufacturing. They passed this law that circumvented a citizens constitutional rights and allowed them to hold people without evidence or trial on drug charges. It was pretty much exclusively used to lock up poor indigenous people. In Bolivia, if a poor family could not live outside the prison without the father's income, the entire family moved into the prison with him. Yeah. Horrifying. Crowder doesn't pull any punches about exactly how horrifying, especially for the girls. She does this without being terribly graphic and with a pulled back lens, but it is impossible to misinterpret what the reality is. In the Author's Note she explains how she learned about this through work she did in Bolivia at the time as a college student. She does an excellent job showing the human cost that politicians so often overlook in their bid to create empires and further agendas.
This book is as real as it gets and is an excellent work of historical fiction. In that, Crowder has developed themes of family, community, and art, and how they can be found even in the harshest, darkest of places. She also shows how hope is an integral part of all that. For all its hard truths, this is a book full of beauty, heart, and hope.
Everyone should read it.
You know how when you read a book that opens your eyes to something you never knew about, it can come to mean the world to you almost instantly? When it rips your heart open and makes you love the characters, it has even more impact. This is exactly what An Uninterrupted View of the Sky by Melanie Crowder is for me.
Francisco is a busy teenager in 1999 Bolivia. He is balancing school with his friends and plans for his future. Plans that do not involve University no matter how many lectures his father gives. And the fights he gets in regularly? What is he supposed do when his darker skin and indigenous heritage cause him to be a constant target for many. All Fransisco's plans for his future and his carefree present are torn from his grasp when his father is arrested and placed in prison under a drug law that allows Bolivian police to circumvent his constitutional rights. Though innocent, the family can not afford a lawyer. Now Fransisco and his sister, Pilar, are forced to live in the prison with their father, though they can escape daily for school. But Fransisco's time there is limited. As soon as he turns 18, he has to leave. Leave his father, who he sees losing a bit of his poet's heart every day. His sister further complicates matters as she is only 8. Fransisco knows he can't leave her in a men's prison, but returning to the rural peasant home of his father's parents seems like the worst possible scenario. As the week's pass, Fransisco must come to terms with his new reality and figure out a way into the future for himself and his family.
Crowder has a talent for writing complicated, realistic characters who find their way into your heart and take over. Fransisco may be my favorite of her creations to date. He is so surly and full of so much anger, resentment, and frustration. While he's very sympathetic because he's living in a racist, unjust world that is taking everything from him, he also has weaknesses and makes mistakes that are hard on more than just him. He is such a real person and I just wanted to wrap him in hugs and hunt down his mother (who abandons her children in the prison because she can't handle it) and smack her down. Even as his life is crashing down and he realizes the prison is his family's new reality, he stubbornly (and a bit selfishly) clings to his plans and how this is affecting him alone. It is so very much a realistic teen reaction. When his careless thoughtlessness puts his younger sister in a horrifying situation, Fransisco begins to wake up to the reality of exactly what his family is facing. He begins a journey then that is equal parts beautiful and heart-breaking to become the man his father has always seen in him. He begins to forge a new plan for his future, one that will not be the ticket to easy street he thought he would have. But he's willing to work so much harder now.
There are several secondary characters in the novel, all important in how they relate to Fransisco and his journey. The relationship between Fransisco and his sister, Pilar, is the most fleshed out. His mistake causes her so much trauma and yet she clings to him for protection, and he gives it willingly after that first horrible selfish moment. The majority of Fransisco's focus for most of the book is keeping Pilar safe and figuring out how to make it so she stays that way. At first his plans for this are naive and grounded in his desire to have things his way, but he eventually begins to see how much sacrifice he's going to have to make to keep all his family safe. In the prison is another student in Fransisco's year at school named Soledad. Soledad has lived in the prison a long time and the affect of being a teen girl in a men's prison comes out in how she behaves toward the world. After a while, she lets Fransisco and Pilar into her life, and the three protect each other and become their own little family unit. It's a beautiful and heart wrenching relationship. I love all three of these kids so much. I adored and shed many tears for Fransisco's father too. This man who is a poet and had so many dreams for himself and his children but saw them all ripped to pieces by a racist law, an unjust system, and a corrupt government.
I took a class on South American history in college and never learned about this law and what it did to families. Probably because it was too recent and we didn't make it to the 1980s and beyond. I know my particular professor would not have glossed over it, because he was not one for cutting the US slack for the havoc it frequently wreaks south of its border. Fransisco's father is caught by a law passed to appease America during the "war on drugs". Bolivia had a quota it had to meet to prove to the US it was doing something to curtail cocaine manufacturing. They passed this law that circumvented a citizens constitutional rights and allowed them to hold people without evidence or trial on drug charges. It was pretty much exclusively used to lock up poor indigenous people. In Bolivia, if a poor family could not live outside the prison without the father's income, the entire family moved into the prison with him. Yeah. Horrifying. Crowder doesn't pull any punches about exactly how horrifying, especially for the girls. She does this without being terribly graphic and with a pulled back lens, but it is impossible to misinterpret what the reality is. In the Author's Note she explains how she learned about this through work she did in Bolivia at the time as a college student. She does an excellent job showing the human cost that politicians so often overlook in their bid to create empires and further agendas.
This book is as real as it gets and is an excellent work of historical fiction. In that, Crowder has developed themes of family, community, and art, and how they can be found even in the harshest, darkest of places. She also shows how hope is an integral part of all that. For all its hard truths, this is a book full of beauty, heart, and hope.
Everyone should read it.
October 21, 2018
The way the author describes the main characters feelings throughout this book and the way the main character can keep something such as poetry so close to him throughout the book even through the toughest, darkest times for his family is a miracle. And how ones lifestyle can be from staying in a house with everybody together and so quickly be put in jail is a horrible thought.
April 10, 2018
Devoured in virtually one sitting, an amazing book with some tragic and upsetting elements from life in Bolivia, but full of hope. Utterly beautifully written, and in spite of a bit of "language", suitable for young adults. A must-read.
August 4, 2019
I haven't been so touched by a historical fiction novel in a long, long time. When I began this book about Francisco and his plight, I had to look up what was being said about a law in Bolivia back when this story takes place in 1999. The Bolivian law is known as 1008, and it was implemented in large part due to the United States and the pressure it put on Bolivia to make drug arrests. Evidently, the U.S. was aiding Bolivia financially and threatened economic sanctions on their country if they didn't make arrests of people with any connection to COCA, even if it violated the citizen's rights, and it usually did. That began a horrific time period in Bolivia where even entire families, children included, would end up in prison with a family member, as Francisco and his sister Pilar did.
I can't even begin to express how difficult a situation Francisco and his family were put in after his father was falsely arrested for drug trafficking. I really don't want to give anything away, but I will say that once the children were inside the prison, they too became known basically as the scum of the earth. The children were allowed outside of the prison walls during the day to go to school, but they had to be back before the gates closed. Also, there were times they couldn't go out if the prison was on lock-down. In order to be "safer" than they'd be otherwise, families had to PAY for a cell, which Francisco's father did to help keep his family safe, especially 8 year old Pilar.
Please read this book and know that while Francisco's story is fictitious, the 1008 law was not. I Googled it and I was shocked to learn that children literally lived in the prisons too. It's a book that is worth every minute of the read.
I can't even begin to express how difficult a situation Francisco and his family were put in after his father was falsely arrested for drug trafficking. I really don't want to give anything away, but I will say that once the children were inside the prison, they too became known basically as the scum of the earth. The children were allowed outside of the prison walls during the day to go to school, but they had to be back before the gates closed. Also, there were times they couldn't go out if the prison was on lock-down. In order to be "safer" than they'd be otherwise, families had to PAY for a cell, which Francisco's father did to help keep his family safe, especially 8 year old Pilar.
Please read this book and know that while Francisco's story is fictitious, the 1008 law was not. I Googled it and I was shocked to learn that children literally lived in the prisons too. It's a book that is worth every minute of the read.
June 12, 2017
A gut wrenching yet heart warming story about the unconsidered consequences of the US war on drugs on families in Colombia. Told with honesty and sensitivity.
January 13, 2019
I really enjoyed An Uninterrupted View of the Sky by Melanie Crowder. Fransisco grows so much as a character and a person throughout the whole book. I could not put it down! This book is a must read for everyone.
October 4, 2019
Another book that leaves you wanting to research and find out more about a true event. I loved the character growth in this book and was left wanting to know more about them.
July 11, 2017
No one will argue that stories like these are the stories that should be written about but not all books should be on the shelf just because there needs to be more content like it. 1999, Bolivia, war on drugs and penal codes = disaster for Francisco's family after their father's false arrest.
But there was no real character development in that I felt no connection or empathy for Francisco or his family when I really really wanted to. It was about family loyalty and seeking a light at the end of the tunnel. Doing right, but alas, I could not engage.
I would be more interested in Crowder writing the real-life stories of the families that she met while in Bolivia herself that she references at the back of the book. Now that would be powerful. Creating fictionalized characters, not so much.
But there was no real character development in that I felt no connection or empathy for Francisco or his family when I really really wanted to. It was about family loyalty and seeking a light at the end of the tunnel. Doing right, but alas, I could not engage.
I would be more interested in Crowder writing the real-life stories of the families that she met while in Bolivia herself that she references at the back of the book. Now that would be powerful. Creating fictionalized characters, not so much.
July 9, 2017
This book is so important: it's a story that needs to get told. With lyrical writing and a voice that is real and multi-faceted, An Uninterrupted View of the Sky opens a dialogue about the political, economical, and social situations in Bolivia and the U.S.'s role in all of it--while never losing sight of the people that are affected. This is a human book, and it's masterfully written.
June 12, 2019
Great, great, engaging book. Can't stop thinking about it..
September 1, 2019
Holy smokes. This is one powerhouse of a novel.
November 14, 2019
My heart hurts.
April 9, 2020
CW: Attempted sexual assault of a child by a prison inmate
4.5 Stars
4.5 Stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2020
Absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. It was gripping, sad, made me angry - lots of emotions and hard to believe that this story is not fictional.
December 24, 2024
Francisco wants space and freedom from his family. Graduation is a secondary priority to his plans to sell athletic shirts with his best friend on the streets of Cochabamba, Bolivia.
That is, until Francisco’s life is entirely flipped upside down. His father is arrested on a false drug charge and imprisoned without trial. Without the money to pay for a lawyer, his family’s future appears terminally on hold and his mother—seemingly unable to deal—abandons Francisco and his younger sister, leaving them with no option except to join their father living within the prison’s walls.
Though prisoners' family members are technically free to come and go from the prison during the day, life outside is now irreparably damaged. Pilar’s school demands its students stay clean—though the prison’s bathrooms are both unhealthy and unsafe. Most of Francisco’s former friends and futbol teammates don’t dare interact with someone associated with a drug charge. Money is scarce and growing scarcer.
Everything has changed without Francisco’s permission. The only question is whether his own inevitable evolution will be one he chooses or has chosen for him.
A unique, eye-opening glimpse into the corruption, inequities, and prejudices within Bolivia’s prison system, An Uninterrupted View of the Sky is also a story about the strength of familial love, roots, friendship, and hope. One of those books that can change your world view and one’s view of life close to home as well.
That is, until Francisco’s life is entirely flipped upside down. His father is arrested on a false drug charge and imprisoned without trial. Without the money to pay for a lawyer, his family’s future appears terminally on hold and his mother—seemingly unable to deal—abandons Francisco and his younger sister, leaving them with no option except to join their father living within the prison’s walls.
Though prisoners' family members are technically free to come and go from the prison during the day, life outside is now irreparably damaged. Pilar’s school demands its students stay clean—though the prison’s bathrooms are both unhealthy and unsafe. Most of Francisco’s former friends and futbol teammates don’t dare interact with someone associated with a drug charge. Money is scarce and growing scarcer.
Everything has changed without Francisco’s permission. The only question is whether his own inevitable evolution will be one he chooses or has chosen for him.
A unique, eye-opening glimpse into the corruption, inequities, and prejudices within Bolivia’s prison system, An Uninterrupted View of the Sky is also a story about the strength of familial love, roots, friendship, and hope. One of those books that can change your world view and one’s view of life close to home as well.
August 7, 2018
Francisco is a typical 17-year-old who only wants to play futbol and dreams of dropping out of school, but when his father is arrested for having coca leaves, he and his sister end up living with Papa in a men’s prison. Francisco’s father is arrested under the Bolivian 1008 drug law which was enacted under pressure from the US as part of the “War on Drugs.” Although indigenous Bolivians chew coca leaves to relax, coca leaves are also used to make cocaine. The harsh 1008 law overwhelmed prisons and the legal system. In this beautifully-written historical novel, Francisco must step up to take care of his family and plan for their future. Francisco also rediscovers his father’s poetry as he learns to write his own. This 2018-2019 nominee for the Maine Student Book Award for grades 6-8 is both heartbreaking and beautiful.
May 30, 2022
Been on my classroom shelf for awhile so finally decided to read this. Very well written, and heartbreaking story of Francisco, a 17 year old in Bolivia whose father is imprisoned under Law 1008, a strict anti narcotics law. Since their choices are limited, the family, (Mom and sister Pilar) decide to move in to the prison with Papa. Mom cannot take it, so she abandons the family. This leaves Francisco with the heavy burden of finishing school, planning a way to get his father released, and caring for his family. When he meets Soledad, another vulnerable indigenous child of a prisoner, he takes on another responsibility. In the dire, dehumanizing environment of San Simon prison, Francisco learns to find poetry in his existence, and resilience in his actions. Very good. Eye opening.
December 25, 2024
Short chapters, big text, vivid imagery and more!
I loved reading about Francisco and his family’s struggles. The first half of the story was kinda boring but I loved the second half because of the mystery of what may or may not happen. I really enjoyed Francisco’s character development and his determination to stay with his family and protect them.
Small spoiler:
The ending had a cliffhanger, which made me upset, but I’m also glad there was one since I couldn’t have handled a sad ending bc I’m very attached to the characters.
Overall, definitely a quick, short and easy read! 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I loved reading about Francisco and his family’s struggles. The first half of the story was kinda boring but I loved the second half because of the mystery of what may or may not happen. I really enjoyed Francisco’s character development and his determination to stay with his family and protect them.
Small spoiler:
The ending had a cliffhanger, which made me upset, but I’m also glad there was one since I couldn’t have handled a sad ending bc I’m very attached to the characters.
Overall, definitely a quick, short and easy read! 🌟🌟🌟🌟
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2019
The story of police corruption in Bolivia, as seen through the journey of 17 year old Francisco, will pull at your heartstrings so tightly that you won’t soon forget these characters and their journey.
December 7, 2021
Written for a YA audience but very well done and I learned a lot about how the US's drug laws affected indigenous families in Bolivia. Great characters, good plot, good afterward by the author.
May 17, 2023
Beautifully written, however it ended quite abruptly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2019
Francisco's life in Bolivia has revolved around one thing and one thing only, futbol. His love for the sport and desire to open a shop selling gear has diminished desire to finishing schooling, a sore topic between him and his father. Then, one day, his Papa is arrested under the 1006 law. While visiting his father in prison with his younger sister, Pilar, and their mother, his mother abandons them. Now, Francisco and Pilar must move into the prison with Papa. Francisco is faced with making the critical decision between living in the streets and trying to provide for Pilar, or moving to the Andean highlands. His indigenous abuelos await the children in the highlands, but Francisco does not wish to assimilate into their culture. Francisco's own desires, outside influences, and Pilar's need for a provider make his decision that toughest one he will probably ever make.
I would use this novel in a 8th-10th grade classroom due to mature content (sexual assault of a young child). I would pair this novel with a poetry activity. I would have students identify key events in Francisco's journey and have them write poems about the event. The poems can describe what happens during the event, how it impacts Francisco or his family, or how the students think the characters feel. I would also like students to learn about the corruption in Bolivia's government during the 1990's.
I would use this novel in a 8th-10th grade classroom due to mature content (sexual assault of a young child). I would pair this novel with a poetry activity. I would have students identify key events in Francisco's journey and have them write poems about the event. The poems can describe what happens during the event, how it impacts Francisco or his family, or how the students think the characters feel. I would also like students to learn about the corruption in Bolivia's government during the 1990's.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2018
I recently was able to complete this book in December.
This book takes place in 1999 in a crime and government corrupted country of Bolivia. Fransisco lacks off in school, he plays soccer, and in his view, he is living his happy lives. But then his world turns upside down when his father is arrested on false charges and sent to prison. Seeing that, his mother abandons the family without much thought. Now, Fransisco must he must make a heart-wrenching choice. Fransisco can either stay to take care of his father and his sister in a world filled with murders and thieves, or he can listen to father's command to abandon him and take his sisters to the mountains where his grandparent are living.
One thing I liked about this book was how this book showed the corruptness of the government and the law, making the sufferer harder for the poor, illiterate, and the indigenous people. It shines some light on the problems the people faced and how much they have suffered.
I believe that people who enjoy facing struggles and going through them will enjoy this books.
This book takes place in 1999 in a crime and government corrupted country of Bolivia. Fransisco lacks off in school, he plays soccer, and in his view, he is living his happy lives. But then his world turns upside down when his father is arrested on false charges and sent to prison. Seeing that, his mother abandons the family without much thought. Now, Fransisco must he must make a heart-wrenching choice. Fransisco can either stay to take care of his father and his sister in a world filled with murders and thieves, or he can listen to father's command to abandon him and take his sisters to the mountains where his grandparent are living.
One thing I liked about this book was how this book showed the corruptness of the government and the law, making the sufferer harder for the poor, illiterate, and the indigenous people. It shines some light on the problems the people faced and how much they have suffered.
I believe that people who enjoy facing struggles and going through them will enjoy this books.
February 12, 2018
Francisco lives in Bolivia with his mother, father, and little sister. It's 1999. His dad drives taxi; his mom works in a bank. One day his dad gets (falsely) arrested. Mom abandons the family and so Francisco and Pilar must move into the prison with dad. (Yes, it's a very different system than here in the US). Everything changes for Francisco as he now must protect Pilar at all costs, and he realizes now why his dad says education is so important.
I was fascinated by this story because Francisco is half indigenous on his dad's side and half Bolivian on his mom's side and these two facets of his life are frequently in conflict with each other. I was just in South America earlier this year and would like to know more about the people who live in the Andes. Their way of life is often seen as antiquated or whatever - and yet, they were/are able to do amazing things with crops and buildings. I know it's Peru, not Bolivia, but look at Machu Picchu... These people are amazing. Just because there way of life is different does not mean they are less than. Anyway, sorry. Off the soap box. This book does a great job of exploring how the US has forced Bolivia to pass laws about drugs because of our demand for cocaine and the trickle down effect it has on the Bolivian people and economy. It was also fascinating to read about how vastly different their prison system is from ours. I could not fathom how entire families would live in the prison. It must have been terrifying for the few girls who live(d) there. For all the children, really but especially the girls. As an educator, it is a constant reminder that we have no idea what happens to our students once they leave our classrooms...
Even though the setting is 1999, it is still entirely relevant. Appropriate for grades 6 and up
I was fascinated by this story because Francisco is half indigenous on his dad's side and half Bolivian on his mom's side and these two facets of his life are frequently in conflict with each other. I was just in South America earlier this year and would like to know more about the people who live in the Andes. Their way of life is often seen as antiquated or whatever - and yet, they were/are able to do amazing things with crops and buildings. I know it's Peru, not Bolivia, but look at Machu Picchu... These people are amazing. Just because there way of life is different does not mean they are less than. Anyway, sorry. Off the soap box. This book does a great job of exploring how the US has forced Bolivia to pass laws about drugs because of our demand for cocaine and the trickle down effect it has on the Bolivian people and economy. It was also fascinating to read about how vastly different their prison system is from ours. I could not fathom how entire families would live in the prison. It must have been terrifying for the few girls who live(d) there. For all the children, really but especially the girls. As an educator, it is a constant reminder that we have no idea what happens to our students once they leave our classrooms...
Even though the setting is 1999, it is still entirely relevant. Appropriate for grades 6 and up
February 7, 2019
This was a moving, beautiful novel which highlighted the depths and darkness of poverty, and one boy's journey to escape.
Fransico doesn't care about school, or his parents' opinion, for that matter. He can't wait to finish high school and open a shop with his best friend. Then his father is arrested.
Fransico knows his father is innocent, but with no money, no lawyer, and, suddenly, no mother, he has no choice but to move himself and his sister in with his father. His father, who lives in a men's prison. Suddenly, everything costs something. Food, a mattress, protection, and Fransico is living a brutal life.
Can Fransico make the life-changing decision to save his sister? Or will he always live in prison?
I thought this was so deep and heartbreaking to read. I recommend to anyone who wants to know more about the lives of those in poverty. Or anyone who wants to be moved to tears.
Fransico doesn't care about school, or his parents' opinion, for that matter. He can't wait to finish high school and open a shop with his best friend. Then his father is arrested.
Fransico knows his father is innocent, but with no money, no lawyer, and, suddenly, no mother, he has no choice but to move himself and his sister in with his father. His father, who lives in a men's prison. Suddenly, everything costs something. Food, a mattress, protection, and Fransico is living a brutal life.
Can Fransico make the life-changing decision to save his sister? Or will he always live in prison?
I thought this was so deep and heartbreaking to read. I recommend to anyone who wants to know more about the lives of those in poverty. Or anyone who wants to be moved to tears.
June 1, 2019
This was a moving, beautiful novel which highlighted the depths and darkness of poverty, and one boy's journey to escape.
Fransico doesn't care about school, or his parents' opinion, for that matter. He can't wait to finish high school and open a shop with his best friend. Then his father is arrested.
Fransico knows his father is innocent, but with no money, no lawyer, and, suddenly, no mother, he has no choice but to move himself and his sister in with his father. His father, who lives in a men's prison. Suddenly, everything costs something. Food, a mattress, protection, and Fransico is living a brutal life.
Can Fransico make the life-changing decision to save his sister? Or will he always live in prison?
I thought this was so deep and heartbreaking to read. I recommend to anyone who wants to know more about the lives of those in poverty. Or anyone who wants to be moved to tears.
Fransico doesn't care about school, or his parents' opinion, for that matter. He can't wait to finish high school and open a shop with his best friend. Then his father is arrested.
Fransico knows his father is innocent, but with no money, no lawyer, and, suddenly, no mother, he has no choice but to move himself and his sister in with his father. His father, who lives in a men's prison. Suddenly, everything costs something. Food, a mattress, protection, and Fransico is living a brutal life.
Can Fransico make the life-changing decision to save his sister? Or will he always live in prison?
I thought this was so deep and heartbreaking to read. I recommend to anyone who wants to know more about the lives of those in poverty. Or anyone who wants to be moved to tears.
August 16, 2018
It’s the biggest thing prison has taken from me-from us: the idea that there’s something good waiting just around the corner.
This book is based in Cochabamba, Bolivia in 1999. The basic premise of the book was the Law 1008 which was implemented in South America and the havoc it wrecked on the lives of innocent people. Law1008 was aimed at finding and imprisoning people with any connection to coca (a substance from which cocaine is produced), without considering the violation of citizen’s rights that were protected under the Constitution. So many innocent people were arrested that it caused an overall malfunction of the judicial system with the prisons overfull with people awaiting their trials.
(I would highly suggest that you read the Author’s Note at the back of the book.)
“What people don’t understand is why coca became the enemy. You see, we take so much money in aid from the U.S-when they say jump, our government jumps, even if it’s over a cliff.
Francisco’s father was one of these innocent people. But, what was really heartbreaking was how his 8-year daughter, Pilar had to live in an all men’s prison because they had nowhere else to go.
CHARACTERS
I fell in love with each and every character of this book. It is impossible for me to choose a favorite (probably Pilar). The way all of them were trying to be hopeful and happy (almost) in such a bleak situation was inspiring.
1.Francisco
I could really see a change in Francisco’s behavior and thoughts as the novel progressed. At first, he is stuck in his ways and doesn’t want to listen to anything his father tells him. But, by the end of the novel, he simply grew up. The way he takes care of his sister, Soledad and his father is so pure.
2.Pilar
I can’t even begin to explain to you how brave and strong she was. She was just 8-years old and she had been through some shit that most of us adults couldn’t even begin to process. But, still, she was always thinking about other people’s happiness rather than her own, which in her case would have been completely justified. She kept collecting little trinkets to put up on the walls of the prison cell for her father.
3. Papá
I just felt so bad for him. He had so many dreams for Francisco’s future. He wanted his son to be the first one to pass secondary school and go to University from their family. Throughout the book, Papá is just worried about Francisco.
4. Soledad
She was a wildcat. Pure and simple. No one could mess with her and get away with it. She had been living in the prison for such a long time that she developed a thick skin.
P.s- There is no romance in this novel. Soledad and Francisco like each other, but romance is not part of the main plot. Do not get your hopes up.
Overall, there were some moments in this novel which had me on the verge of crying. Crying from hopelessness for the characters and sometimes outright anger because of the unfairness of it all.
This was easily one of the best books I’ve read this year.
March 6, 2018
Seventeen-year-old Francisco has his plans for the future derailed when his father is arrested on false drug charges and sent to prison in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in 1999. When his mother abandons them, Francisco and his little sister, Pilar, must move into the prison to stay with their father. Conditions there are horrendous with little privacy, little space, and inmates must pay for everything that comes their way, even a mattress upon which to sleep. Pilar is at risk from the predators in the prison, and her spirits begin to suffer as she is afraid all the time. It's clear that the prison, justice and legal system is corrupt, compromised in part on the war on drugs in the United States that has a trickle-down effect in countries such as Bolivia that depend on the country's politicians for aid, support, and trade. As things go from bad to worse and his father begins to lose hope, Francisco realizes that his dream of opening up a shop with his friend Reynaldo must be postponed due to the immediacy of his own family's desperate situation. Suddenly, as he begins to look for help and comes to realize that perhaps a career in law might be the only way he can help his father prove his innocence, Francisco begins to take school seriously again and study for the exams he will need to pass if his ambitions have any chance to come to fruition. Against his will, he finally agrees to take his sister and Soledad, a classmate who also lives in the prison, to the Altiplano where his paternal grandparents live. Although he hates to leave his father alone, Francisco realizes that this may be the only way any of them will be able to survive. This is an emotional read, riveting, and heartbreaking, and readers will gain some insight into how decisions made in our country affect others in other lands, and wonder how any hope can exist under such bleak circumstances. Readers will be interested in seeing just how perilously close Francisco comes to crossing that moral line in the sand upon seeing the changes in his friend who has now gotten caught up in drug trafficking himself. His relationship with Soledad grows slowly and steadily, and the fact that both father and son write poetry is noteworthy. Once again, though, a story shows how governments take advantage of the poor, the uneducated, and the marginalized. I'm so glad to have this book to read and to be able to savor my own uninterrupted view of the sky whenever I wish, a luxury not afforded to residents of San Sebastian, the prison where the family lives for a time. I did wonder, as I read the book and noted Francisco's renewed dedication to school, why studying started coming so easily to him. But perhaps that was because he finally had a purpose for it and knew it might help save his life and those of his family.
April 30, 2018
Seventeen-year-old Francisco can’t decide whether to finish high school or to start a business with his best friend in the lively marketplace of Cochabamba, Bolivia. But his lower-middle class life is turned upside-down when his father is imprisoned by a corrupt and unfair legal system that targets the indigenous population. A domino effect topples his family’s station in life, and gut-wrenching factors force Francisco and his little sister Pilar to move into the prison with their father. The danger of the streets that they had tried to avoid before now surrounds them.
This powerful and moving contemporary young adult novel is a wake-up call to American teenagers, who may take for granted the luxury of our high standard of living and rule of law. This story gives readers an injection of gratitude for the things we might feel entitled to in a prosperous democratic society. Beyond having a general idea that life in the Third World is tough, it’s important to learn on an emotional level just how difficult it is to survive for most other teenagers around the globe. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky does just this in spellbinding fashion.
And readers who deal with challenging circumstances at home will relate to the semblance of security and normalcy that schools can provide otherwise chaotic lives. Likewise, Francisco and Pilar are permitted to leave the prison in the mornings to go to school, but they must return to brutal conditions before curfew at dinnertime each evening. Francisco’s previous annoyance with all the rules, social codes, and demands of teachers in high school pales next to the imminent danger faced daily in prison. He is obliged to re-evaluate his priorities and the importance of an education when confronted with these riveting turns of events.
This powerful and moving contemporary young adult novel is a wake-up call to American teenagers, who may take for granted the luxury of our high standard of living and rule of law. This story gives readers an injection of gratitude for the things we might feel entitled to in a prosperous democratic society. Beyond having a general idea that life in the Third World is tough, it’s important to learn on an emotional level just how difficult it is to survive for most other teenagers around the globe. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky does just this in spellbinding fashion.
And readers who deal with challenging circumstances at home will relate to the semblance of security and normalcy that schools can provide otherwise chaotic lives. Likewise, Francisco and Pilar are permitted to leave the prison in the mornings to go to school, but they must return to brutal conditions before curfew at dinnertime each evening. Francisco’s previous annoyance with all the rules, social codes, and demands of teachers in high school pales next to the imminent danger faced daily in prison. He is obliged to re-evaluate his priorities and the importance of an education when confronted with these riveting turns of events.
May 11, 2022
Francisco a 17 year old futbol loving boy with an easily flared temper that gets him into trouble is ready for school to be over in 6 weeks so that he and his bestfriend can set up their own shop selling futbol jerseys. His father longs to see Francisco continue his education at a university, and this is the primary point of their disagreements. But when his father is arrested on false drug charges, they don't have enough money for rent and their mother abandons their family as well forcing Francisco and his 8 year old sister Pilar to go live in the men's prison with their father, turning his plans upside down. Francisco must make a huge decision for his family, danger in prison in imminent especially for Pilar and once Francisco turns 18 he can no longer live in the prison, their only option is to go live with their grandparents in an old Altiplano community that Francisco does not want to go to, and if they do it means they will be leaving their father alone in this terrible place. With time running out and limited options Francisco must make some big decisions.
This book discusses complex systematic injustices that many people face. In this instance the 1008 law was passed because of pressure from the US, because they were facing a drug crisis and blamed the Bolivian people because they used coca leaves in sacred rituals. Ultimately though putting indefinite numbers of innocent people and family's in prison with no prospect of ever getting freed. So one way you could use this book is to discover how else the US has manipulated countries by pressuring or forcing them to do things, or what other laws are created like this, or what prison conditions are like for people and families. There are a lot of social justice aspects you could discuss using this book.
This book discusses complex systematic injustices that many people face. In this instance the 1008 law was passed because of pressure from the US, because they were facing a drug crisis and blamed the Bolivian people because they used coca leaves in sacred rituals. Ultimately though putting indefinite numbers of innocent people and family's in prison with no prospect of ever getting freed. So one way you could use this book is to discover how else the US has manipulated countries by pressuring or forcing them to do things, or what other laws are created like this, or what prison conditions are like for people and families. There are a lot of social justice aspects you could discuss using this book.
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