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When We Make It
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Poetry (2021)Sarai is a first-generation Puerto Rican eighth grader who can see with clarity the truth, pain, and beauty of the world both inside and outside her Bushwick apartment. Together with her older sister Estrella, she navigates the strain of family traumas and the systemic pressures of toxic masculinity and housing insecurity in a rapidly gentrifying Brooklyn. Sarai questions the society around her, her Boricua identity, and the life she lives with determination and an open heart, learning to celebrate herself in a way that she has been denied.
When We Make It is a love letter to girls who were taught to believe they would not make it at all. The verse is evocative and insightful, and readers are sure to be swept into Sarai's world and rooting for her long after they close the book.
When We Make It is a love letter to girls who were taught to believe they would not make it at all. The verse is evocative and insightful, and readers are sure to be swept into Sarai's world and rooting for her long after they close the book.
5 pages, Audiobook
First published September 21, 2021
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September 23, 2021
So much gratitude to everyone who took the time to read and review this book!
Mad love.
Elisabet
Mad love.
Elisabet
October 18, 2021
When We Make It packs such an emotional punch and I was not prepared. I bookmarked SO many poems because some of them just left me feeling in awe or utterly heartbroken. This was such a splendid debut and Velasquez is an author to watch out for.
- Told in verse, the story follows Sarai, a first-generation Puerto Rican living in poverty in Bushwick. The story follows her on her journey across three years, from 13 to 16 years old, and follows her on pivotal moments of her life.
- What struck me the most was this story's unfiltered and candid portrayal and exploration into living in poverty - what it really means to be poor, how it feels to worry about a safe place to stay and have no housing insecurity.
- It also explores Serai's fraught family life and her relationships with her mother and sister. More, it delves into her relationship with her Boricua identity and her family's history in Puerto Rico.
- The more I think about it, the more this book really explores so much as it illustrates a rich portrait of Sarai's life. The story explores religion and how it tethers people and communities but how there's also hypocrisy and sexism, teen pregnancy, how adults can be 'well-meaning' but are ignorant because of their own privileges.
- Above all, this is a story with so much raw emotion; about anger and hunger and hope for a better future, about what it means to 'make it'.
Content warning: drug use, domestic abuse, death, anti-fat rhetoric, teen pregnancy, miscarriage, postpartum depression, racism, rape, sexual assault
- Told in verse, the story follows Sarai, a first-generation Puerto Rican living in poverty in Bushwick. The story follows her on her journey across three years, from 13 to 16 years old, and follows her on pivotal moments of her life.
- What struck me the most was this story's unfiltered and candid portrayal and exploration into living in poverty - what it really means to be poor, how it feels to worry about a safe place to stay and have no housing insecurity.
- It also explores Serai's fraught family life and her relationships with her mother and sister. More, it delves into her relationship with her Boricua identity and her family's history in Puerto Rico.
- The more I think about it, the more this book really explores so much as it illustrates a rich portrait of Sarai's life. The story explores religion and how it tethers people and communities but how there's also hypocrisy and sexism, teen pregnancy, how adults can be 'well-meaning' but are ignorant because of their own privileges.
- Above all, this is a story with so much raw emotion; about anger and hunger and hope for a better future, about what it means to 'make it'.
Content warning: drug use, domestic abuse, death, anti-fat rhetoric, teen pregnancy, miscarriage, postpartum depression, racism, rape, sexual assault
May 28, 2022
*Thank you, Penguin Teen, for sending an ARC of this book*
"We don't talk about being Puerto Rican.
We just live it. You know?"
I do. I do know.
I've read and re-read this book three times now since receiving it and it's already marked up.
And I cried, which I don't feel means much anymore because I cry often for a lot of reasons while reading, but this book means so much to me now.
Written in beautiful free-verse, we explore girlhood, identity, colorism, poverty, racism, young feminism, teen pregnancy, grief, and the Puerto Rican diaspora.
There's pain and hope ingrained in every poem/chapter and certain poems hit close to home as a young Boricua also struggling to feel fully connected to this identity.
CW: (on top of topics listed above) references to sexual harassment, spousal abuse, death, substance abuse
"We don't talk about being Puerto Rican.
We just live it. You know?"
I do. I do know.
I've read and re-read this book three times now since receiving it and it's already marked up.
And I cried, which I don't feel means much anymore because I cry often for a lot of reasons while reading, but this book means so much to me now.
Written in beautiful free-verse, we explore girlhood, identity, colorism, poverty, racism, young feminism, teen pregnancy, grief, and the Puerto Rican diaspora.
There's pain and hope ingrained in every poem/chapter and certain poems hit close to home as a young Boricua also struggling to feel fully connected to this identity.
CW: (on top of topics listed above) references to sexual harassment, spousal abuse, death, substance abuse
August 8, 2021
"What if making happens every day. To each of us. Differently."
Thank you so much to @elisabetvelasquezpoetry for this #ownvoices gem.
I finished this one last night and my heart just swells with Bushwick pride. Elisabet Velasquez put Bushwick on her back and showed the world who we are, what we've survived and how we continue to make it. As I was reading I had to keep pausing and sharing bits and pieces with friends and family. I couldn't help but savor every word, every poem, every thought and every reference. I have waited my whole life for a book to capture exactly what it means to come from Bushwick, to die in Bushwick and to survive Bushwick.
What really struck me were how vivid the memories and references were. As I was reading, I could hear Elisabet's voice and it felt like she has been writing this book her entire life. I still live in Bushwick and every mention of certain places that still exist and are still holding the neighborhood down, took me back to childhood. It made me feel pride in my people who are still here pushing back against the gentrification that wants eliminate and erase us.
Sarai's experiences were so similar to my own, at times I felt like her story was my own. Sarai's story is also the embodiment of the struggle of my people to simply just be seen and live to see another day so they can "make it." Although it's a book in verse, the themes explored are so deep: poverty, violence, mental illness and addiction, misogyny, cultural identity, religious hypocrisy, gentrification, "crimes" of survival, & sexualization of girls.
When We Make It is the hug I didn't know I needed. It's the affirmation that the lives of Puerto Ricans matter and that survival is who we are. By the ending I was sobbing but out of pure release. When We Make It helped me release the breath I didn't realize I had been holding all these years. I was left with the feeling that finally someone sees us and knows what we are still doing to try to "make it" and simply exist.
If you're from Bushwick, it mandatory that you GET THIS BOOK AND BUY A COPY FOR A FRIEND. It will change your life. There's nothing left to say but PRE-ORDER ASAP!
Thank you so much to @elisabetvelasquezpoetry for this #ownvoices gem.
I finished this one last night and my heart just swells with Bushwick pride. Elisabet Velasquez put Bushwick on her back and showed the world who we are, what we've survived and how we continue to make it. As I was reading I had to keep pausing and sharing bits and pieces with friends and family. I couldn't help but savor every word, every poem, every thought and every reference. I have waited my whole life for a book to capture exactly what it means to come from Bushwick, to die in Bushwick and to survive Bushwick.
What really struck me were how vivid the memories and references were. As I was reading, I could hear Elisabet's voice and it felt like she has been writing this book her entire life. I still live in Bushwick and every mention of certain places that still exist and are still holding the neighborhood down, took me back to childhood. It made me feel pride in my people who are still here pushing back against the gentrification that wants eliminate and erase us.
Sarai's experiences were so similar to my own, at times I felt like her story was my own. Sarai's story is also the embodiment of the struggle of my people to simply just be seen and live to see another day so they can "make it." Although it's a book in verse, the themes explored are so deep: poverty, violence, mental illness and addiction, misogyny, cultural identity, religious hypocrisy, gentrification, "crimes" of survival, & sexualization of girls.
When We Make It is the hug I didn't know I needed. It's the affirmation that the lives of Puerto Ricans matter and that survival is who we are. By the ending I was sobbing but out of pure release. When We Make It helped me release the breath I didn't realize I had been holding all these years. I was left with the feeling that finally someone sees us and knows what we are still doing to try to "make it" and simply exist.
If you're from Bushwick, it mandatory that you GET THIS BOOK AND BUY A COPY FOR A FRIEND. It will change your life. There's nothing left to say but PRE-ORDER ASAP!
September 17, 2021
Elisabet Velasquez knows how to write and she knows how to write powerfully. this book moves fast but not easy to read at times and i recommend reading the TWs before picking this up. this is a novel in verse about a Puerto Rican born and raised in NY just trying to make it and the struggles of being American when you’re not white, rich, or lucky. the American dream broke a long time ago and yes, though it’s heartbreaking, it’s a fact of life and i think books like these are necessary for us to read. i really love the way Elisabet frames her stories and i think y’all will too
June 23, 2021
This book is phenomenal!
It has a rhythm and movement outside of poetic meter and pacing.
It deeply embedded in the words and in lives that influenced this body of work.
I know the lives in this story. I grew is a neighborhood just like this one. This story hit home and put me in a nostalgic place. This book is gripping, moving, heartbreaking and beautiful. I love it.
It has a rhythm and movement outside of poetic meter and pacing.
It deeply embedded in the words and in lives that influenced this body of work.
I know the lives in this story. I grew is a neighborhood just like this one. This story hit home and put me in a nostalgic place. This book is gripping, moving, heartbreaking and beautiful. I love it.
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October 10, 2021Set in 1996, this verse novel follows 13-to-16-year-old Sarai over these hugely pivotal years coming-of-age in Bushwick, Brooklyn. She's Puerto Rican and wants so badly to know about her heritage, as well as the story of how she, her mother, and her sister are to survive in a community that is among the most dangerous and challenging at the time.
There are a LOT of big, meaty topics in here, and it's very clear why Sarai is angry, why it is she doesn't trust adults, and why she makes the choices she does throughout. She does have a best friend, and despite her older sister's periodic disappearances, Estrella is absolutely there for her, too. There's teen pregnancy in here, housing instability and insecurity, a broken and challenged family, as well as interesting looks at sex work, at education (Sarai will be the only one of her family to ever graduate 8th grade), and about leaning into one's heritage and WHY that matters so much. Colorism certainly plays in here, too, which will resonate with so many readers.
Think Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X meets Lilliam Rivera's The Education of Margot Sánchez with a touch of Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street. I'm eager to read more from Velasquez!
There are a LOT of big, meaty topics in here, and it's very clear why Sarai is angry, why it is she doesn't trust adults, and why she makes the choices she does throughout. She does have a best friend, and despite her older sister's periodic disappearances, Estrella is absolutely there for her, too. There's teen pregnancy in here, housing instability and insecurity, a broken and challenged family, as well as interesting looks at sex work, at education (Sarai will be the only one of her family to ever graduate 8th grade), and about leaning into one's heritage and WHY that matters so much. Colorism certainly plays in here, too, which will resonate with so many readers.
Think Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X meets Lilliam Rivera's The Education of Margot Sánchez with a touch of Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street. I'm eager to read more from Velasquez!
September 20, 2021
content warnings: addiction (drugs), body shaming, child abuse, death, domestic abuse, drug use/abuse, drug overdose, fatphobia, police brutality, teen pregnancy, miscarriage, pregnancy, racism, rape, sexism, sexual assault, sexual content, mentions of child protective services
September 7, 2021
EXQUISITE. Full review to come.
August 23, 2021
Thank you to Penguin Teen & Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
When we Make it is a coming of age novel in verse, about young Sarai as she navigates poverty, family trauma and housing insecurity. Sarai is always told about how when she makes it things will get better, but Sarai is still trying to figure out what "making it" looks like to her.
This book was quite heartbreaking. So many sad and traumatic things happen to Sarai and her family. I really loved Sarai's voice: her curiosity was such a driving force. I loved how so much story was told in so few words. The verse was beautiful and tragic. Sarai's story is one that won't leave me for a while.
Rep: Boricua mid-size female MC, and mixed Boricua supporting cast.
CWs: Addiction (drugs), body shaming, child abuse, death, domestic abuse, drug use/abuse, drug overdose, fatphobia, police brutality, pregnancy, racism, rape, sexism, sexual assault, sexual content.
When we Make it is a coming of age novel in verse, about young Sarai as she navigates poverty, family trauma and housing insecurity. Sarai is always told about how when she makes it things will get better, but Sarai is still trying to figure out what "making it" looks like to her.
This book was quite heartbreaking. So many sad and traumatic things happen to Sarai and her family. I really loved Sarai's voice: her curiosity was such a driving force. I loved how so much story was told in so few words. The verse was beautiful and tragic. Sarai's story is one that won't leave me for a while.
Rep: Boricua mid-size female MC, and mixed Boricua supporting cast.
CWs: Addiction (drugs), body shaming, child abuse, death, domestic abuse, drug use/abuse, drug overdose, fatphobia, police brutality, pregnancy, racism, rape, sexism, sexual assault, sexual content.
July 7, 2021
I feel privileged to say I actually know the author of this book, she was an integral part of our school community as a Dream Director. In that capacity she helped students realize their goals, short term and long term, so it is so amazing to see her realize her goal, AN AWESOME BOOK!
I loved everything about this book so I compiled a list of the top five!
1. The Bushwick depicted here- it is depressing and beautiful all at once and the author’s love of where she is from and the people who live there shines through.
2. The language- I loved her depiction of learning new words and learning how to integrate them with the language of being a Boriqua in Bushwick without the language to show her emotions.
3. The story- Obviously, Sarai is growing up and trying to find her way, in a world that doesn’t seem to want to make space for her or have a place for her. She is a fighter and a dreamer and she is learning, however she can, about how to be different and how to live differently.
4. Sarai’s Family- Her mom, so tough and hard, she was made that way by the world she was and the way she had to fight everyday for herself and her daughters and her son who is disabled. Her sister Estrella, a star in her own story and a light in Sarai’s life as they share laughter even in the dark moments.
5. Poems- Not only are the poems beautiful and thought provoking and full of fear, anger, hate and love but they are full of hope and dreams and the fight for a space in the world. The author even provides the reader with a list at the end of the poems she is in conversation with, providing more reading material for her readers. As an educator I loved this because it will help my students to find other poems that speak to them and their experiences.
I can not wait to use this book in my classroom. I hope this year it can be the linchpin in my poetry unit. READ THIS BOOK!!
I loved everything about this book so I compiled a list of the top five!
1. The Bushwick depicted here- it is depressing and beautiful all at once and the author’s love of where she is from and the people who live there shines through.
2. The language- I loved her depiction of learning new words and learning how to integrate them with the language of being a Boriqua in Bushwick without the language to show her emotions.
3. The story- Obviously, Sarai is growing up and trying to find her way, in a world that doesn’t seem to want to make space for her or have a place for her. She is a fighter and a dreamer and she is learning, however she can, about how to be different and how to live differently.
4. Sarai’s Family- Her mom, so tough and hard, she was made that way by the world she was and the way she had to fight everyday for herself and her daughters and her son who is disabled. Her sister Estrella, a star in her own story and a light in Sarai’s life as they share laughter even in the dark moments.
5. Poems- Not only are the poems beautiful and thought provoking and full of fear, anger, hate and love but they are full of hope and dreams and the fight for a space in the world. The author even provides the reader with a list at the end of the poems she is in conversation with, providing more reading material for her readers. As an educator I loved this because it will help my students to find other poems that speak to them and their experiences.
I can not wait to use this book in my classroom. I hope this year it can be the linchpin in my poetry unit. READ THIS BOOK!!
October 20, 2023
Well written, but this included too many themes and was all over the place. It was hard to connect to any of the characters and it felt like the timeline jumped back and forth too fast. I would have liked there to be more scenes with both sisters and their newborns. Quick read, but unfortunately one that didn’t grab my attention or stick with me.
November 30, 2021
It was good until a trope I hate happened not once but TWICE towards the end. The ending also felt super rushed, but I appreciated a majority of the poems & the overall story, setting, and character growth. I think that the author made a good choice when writing this in verse as opposed to normal prose.
October 2, 2021
Thank you penguin teen for the gifted book. All thoughts are my own.
This book. It was just beautiful. I wasn’t sure what to expect, it’s the first book in verse I’ve read.
Elisabet had such a beautiful way with words. I couldn’t get enough.
This book. It was just beautiful. I wasn’t sure what to expect, it’s the first book in verse I’ve read.
Elisabet had such a beautiful way with words. I couldn’t get enough.
September 7, 2022
“To those who feel their emotions before they can name them.” Damn damn damn. I’m pretty sure I ruined this book with tear stains. Elisabet Velasquez is a proud Boricua author and this book felt like a love letter that never once shied away from the ugly parts, the broken shards, or the painful bits that often mold what is strong and beautiful.
Written in eye-catching but gut-punching verse, the story follows Sarai who is first-generation US born Puerto Rican teenage girl trying her best to navigate life in a world that makes it hard to try anything at all. We see themes of identity, poverty, religion, machismo, and family trauma among other raw but very real moments in Sarai’s Bushwick neighborhood.
It’s very easy to F E E L the importance behind this book and each story told. And I absolutely loved the overarching message that, sometimes, “making it” means something new each day. “Making it” gives us hope to continue to tomorrow.
How do I put into words how the insurmountable emotions this made me feel? I can’t. I can’t recommend this enough.
Written in eye-catching but gut-punching verse, the story follows Sarai who is first-generation US born Puerto Rican teenage girl trying her best to navigate life in a world that makes it hard to try anything at all. We see themes of identity, poverty, religion, machismo, and family trauma among other raw but very real moments in Sarai’s Bushwick neighborhood.
It’s very easy to F E E L the importance behind this book and each story told. And I absolutely loved the overarching message that, sometimes, “making it” means something new each day. “Making it” gives us hope to continue to tomorrow.
How do I put into words how the insurmountable emotions this made me feel? I can’t. I can’t recommend this enough.
February 8, 2023
CAN I BE PUERTO RICAN? If I was born in Brooklyn? If I’ve never been to Puerto Rico? If I mix my English with my Spanish? If I cop quenepas from the Chino spot? If I don’t know the Boricua national anthem? If I can’t name our national heroes? Can I be Puerto Rican? If the closest I’ve come to the beach is la pompa? If I can’t dance salsa? If all I got is a feeling? Can I be Puerto Rican? If all I got is a feeling?
I love this book so so much. I want to buy multiple copies and highlight all my favorite parts and hand them out to my family. 🥺 Definitely a favorite that I'll hold in my heart forever.
I love this book so so much. I want to buy multiple copies and highlight all my favorite parts and hand them out to my family. 🥺 Definitely a favorite that I'll hold in my heart forever.
September 21, 2023
4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 AYO?! This was soooo good!!
It reminded me a lot of House on Mango Street, and I really love that book too.
What I really enjoyed ab this one was how it really felt like a conversation almost, bc Sarai was fr asking the questions and presenting the ideas in such a vivid way that it felt like I was sitting next to her and just talking at times.
Elisabet Velasquez is so talented at beautifully stringing words together in a way that makes you feel them and makes them stick with you.
I love poetry & spoken word, and it’s so incredible that this just happened to show up on my recommendations from the library!
It reminded me a lot of House on Mango Street, and I really love that book too.
What I really enjoyed ab this one was how it really felt like a conversation almost, bc Sarai was fr asking the questions and presenting the ideas in such a vivid way that it felt like I was sitting next to her and just talking at times.
Elisabet Velasquez is so talented at beautifully stringing words together in a way that makes you feel them and makes them stick with you.
I love poetry & spoken word, and it’s so incredible that this just happened to show up on my recommendations from the library!
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September 23, 2022I would recommend this book to others because the book tells about the history and reality of a chicana's life. The quote I chose is, "Nobody's gonna save us but us. Nobody's gonna protect us but us." I chose it because it connects to me the homies and homegirls and how we only got each other and no one else got us.
February 25, 2022
A beautiful and contemplative story, full of raw emotions and self-discovery. It reminded me of The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, so if you enjoyed that book I would never recommend When We Make It.
November 4, 2021
Wow. Elizabet Velasquez is an amazing poet. I saw this at my local book shop and immediately put it on hold at my library. Do your self a favor and pick this book up.
November 20, 2021
The main character practically jumps off the page in this story told in verse. Her ferocious energy and clear eyed, insightful assessments of the people and situations around her make this a powerful story. The subject matter ranges from poverty, hunger, abortion, miscarriage, mental health, racism, danger in the neighbourhood from guns and from police, to lack of opportunity.
December 24, 2021
I’m a longtime follower of boricua poet Elisabet Velásquez, and as an Island-born boricua, I am so thankful for how she sheds light on the experiences of nuyoricans and other ~diasporicans~ (the latter’s a group I belong to now)—groups that my younger, snobby self took for granted in the past (despite my love of things heavily inspired by diasporicans, like salsa).
This book follows Sarai, a Puerto Rican 8th grader, as she navigates living in a toxic environment in the increasingly gentrified neighborhood of Bushwick, reflecting on her puertorriqueñidad & questioning her faith & church (porque su familia es ~de la religión~).
I would list everything I adored about this book—it really is one of my faves of this year—but I don’t want to give too much away! I do want to say that the setting was done beautifully—so beautifully that Bushwick felt like its own character, with the bodeguero & Mr. Maví (que dios lo bendiga).
It is also worth noting that this book is NOT about Sarai ~making it out of the hood~ (ick) & accomplishing aaaaaall her goals & dreams. She’s a bright, inquisitive, complex character who has gone through a LOT (check storygraph & goodreads for CWs) & grows—but success for her isn’t about leaving her neighborhood or joining the Ivy League. Life doesn’t work like that for a lot of folks, & ~making it~ doesn’t have to look a particular way... & I really respect that. A veces la piña está agria & you gotta do what you gotta do to make it.
This book follows Sarai, a Puerto Rican 8th grader, as she navigates living in a toxic environment in the increasingly gentrified neighborhood of Bushwick, reflecting on her puertorriqueñidad & questioning her faith & church (porque su familia es ~de la religión~).
I would list everything I adored about this book—it really is one of my faves of this year—but I don’t want to give too much away! I do want to say that the setting was done beautifully—so beautifully that Bushwick felt like its own character, with the bodeguero & Mr. Maví (que dios lo bendiga).
It is also worth noting that this book is NOT about Sarai ~making it out of the hood~ (ick) & accomplishing aaaaaall her goals & dreams. She’s a bright, inquisitive, complex character who has gone through a LOT (check storygraph & goodreads for CWs) & grows—but success for her isn’t about leaving her neighborhood or joining the Ivy League. Life doesn’t work like that for a lot of folks, & ~making it~ doesn’t have to look a particular way... & I really respect that. A veces la piña está agria & you gotta do what you gotta do to make it.
February 13, 2024
I feel like this was solid 3 1/2 star. Though there are some aesthetically-pleasing quotes to pull from this book, it wasn't entirely enough to make up for the lack of plot for me. You can't even say this novel is character driven. If it were, I think I would know more about them, but they still feel like vague people in a news story by the end. The author accomplished her goal in displaying some social justice issues surrounding being Nuyorican (Puerto Rican New Yorkers) and being born into a different country and culture than ones parents. I just felt like nothing really happened until the last one hundred pages and then it was a total tone shift.
Was that supposed to be a happy ending? A convoluted one? Was it supposed to make me think she was more powerful by the end? She just seemed like a product of the system to me, which is awfully dark for a YA novel.
This is one of those "poetry" novels that's just slightly poetic prose arranged in couplets for no reason. Every now and then she'll mess around with the format... for no reason. It's like Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (Goodreads is being unkind and not allowing me to link it) but the poems are even more disjointed from each other. You'll get attached to one plot line and then it will switch to a new one. You just have to hope you get the resolution eventually.
You know, this is more like a 2 1/2 star read. I'll round up and leave it at the 3.
Was that supposed to be a happy ending? A convoluted one? Was it supposed to make me think she was more powerful by the end? She just seemed like a product of the system to me, which is awfully dark for a YA novel.
This is one of those "poetry" novels that's just slightly poetic prose arranged in couplets for no reason. Every now and then she'll mess around with the format... for no reason. It's like Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (Goodreads is being unkind and not allowing me to link it) but the poems are even more disjointed from each other. You'll get attached to one plot line and then it will switch to a new one. You just have to hope you get the resolution eventually.
You know, this is more like a 2 1/2 star read. I'll round up and leave it at the 3.
April 21, 2022
The ways this book made me feel were complicated, and intense, and almost too big for words. It’s rare, to see a book, a story that really feels like home and this was that. It was like peeping through a looking glass and seeing myself once upon a time. True I had more siblings and my dad still lived with me. But the insecurity of life that is portrayed in this book was my reality. The whistle of bullets the soundtrack of my childhood. I was the first born of teens trying to do better then their parents had done. Getting into high school being the peak because my grandparents hadn’t made it out of middle school. It’s not an easy thing to see from the outside looking in, and so easy to judge, but it’s reality, this was our reality. To see on page that others understand, that they too were a Diasporican and survived, thrived and made it to here, to celebrate that history? Nothing could be greater.
Check TW’s
Check TW’s
October 28, 2021
(Note: reviewed for work, reflective of my thoughts but I was asked to keep it on the positive side. My criticisms are noted below.)
Told entirely in heartbreaking but hopeful prose, When We Make It by Elizabet Velasquez is the story of Puerto Rican-American teen Sarai navigating her life in a world that wants her invisible. The novel is inspired by Velasquez’s own experiences. She is unflinching in her depictions of systemic oppression and its effects on the Puerto Rican-American community. From the financial burdens of living below the poverty line to police brutality to sexual assault, she holds nothing back. Her poetry welcomes the reader into Sarai’s world as both a guest and witness to this violence.
Sarai’s world is explored on two stages--the world within her home and the world outside of it. These locations serve to explore the ways in which systemic oppression weaves into every aspect of her life. The violence inflicted upon Sarai and her peers bleeds into their lives at home. Abuse of power exists within institutions and the home alike. Sarai questions these unfair dynamics as she explores them. She finds that, while her identity has stripped her of privilege, life is still full of joy. There is joy in the laughter she shares with her sister, in the visits to her disabled brother, in the moments she escapes into the world of her more privileged friend. Joy peeks through like a flower in concrete, a show of resilience that is one of many themes in When We Make It.
Velasquez explores many themes in regards to systemic oppression, but hones in on that of the story. What makes a good story? What makes a story worthy of being told? Why are some stories deemed more valuable than others, and by whose metric? Why are some stories shared while others are buried? It’s no secret that disenfranchised peoples face significantly more hurdles in having their voices heard. Absence of representation is yet another form of systemic violence that Puerto Rican-Americans face. Without diverse portrayals of themselves to look up to and reflect upon, they are forced to perceive their environment as the norm. Stereotypes and bigotry only worsen the situation by cornering them into characters of a never-ending tragedy. But Sarai’s story is about more than just pain. It’s about the ways in which she, as a disenfranchised American, finds her own definition of worth. Her story is told with each laugh she shares, each person she interacts with, each moment where the rarity of hope finds her. Making it isn’t just about defying the world--it’s about the triumphs experienced in everyday life.
Though most of its contents are heavy, When We Make It is ultimately a story of perseverance. Velasquez’s publication is irrefutable proof that stories like Sarai’s are beginning to shine on a mainstream stage. But it is only a beginning. More work needs to be done in order for people like Sarai to thrive in spite of, and eventually without, the violence of systemic oppression. I have no doubt that Sarai’s story will educate others as well as inspire them to hope.
Personal thoughts: 3.5 stars rounded down. Wanted to rate this higher but unfortunately the overly repetitive nature of the poems and some unchallenged ableism bogged the narrative down. Still worth the read if you’re into novels written in prose, as Velasquez is a very talented writer.
Told entirely in heartbreaking but hopeful prose, When We Make It by Elizabet Velasquez is the story of Puerto Rican-American teen Sarai navigating her life in a world that wants her invisible. The novel is inspired by Velasquez’s own experiences. She is unflinching in her depictions of systemic oppression and its effects on the Puerto Rican-American community. From the financial burdens of living below the poverty line to police brutality to sexual assault, she holds nothing back. Her poetry welcomes the reader into Sarai’s world as both a guest and witness to this violence.
Sarai’s world is explored on two stages--the world within her home and the world outside of it. These locations serve to explore the ways in which systemic oppression weaves into every aspect of her life. The violence inflicted upon Sarai and her peers bleeds into their lives at home. Abuse of power exists within institutions and the home alike. Sarai questions these unfair dynamics as she explores them. She finds that, while her identity has stripped her of privilege, life is still full of joy. There is joy in the laughter she shares with her sister, in the visits to her disabled brother, in the moments she escapes into the world of her more privileged friend. Joy peeks through like a flower in concrete, a show of resilience that is one of many themes in When We Make It.
Velasquez explores many themes in regards to systemic oppression, but hones in on that of the story. What makes a good story? What makes a story worthy of being told? Why are some stories deemed more valuable than others, and by whose metric? Why are some stories shared while others are buried? It’s no secret that disenfranchised peoples face significantly more hurdles in having their voices heard. Absence of representation is yet another form of systemic violence that Puerto Rican-Americans face. Without diverse portrayals of themselves to look up to and reflect upon, they are forced to perceive their environment as the norm. Stereotypes and bigotry only worsen the situation by cornering them into characters of a never-ending tragedy. But Sarai’s story is about more than just pain. It’s about the ways in which she, as a disenfranchised American, finds her own definition of worth. Her story is told with each laugh she shares, each person she interacts with, each moment where the rarity of hope finds her. Making it isn’t just about defying the world--it’s about the triumphs experienced in everyday life.
Though most of its contents are heavy, When We Make It is ultimately a story of perseverance. Velasquez’s publication is irrefutable proof that stories like Sarai’s are beginning to shine on a mainstream stage. But it is only a beginning. More work needs to be done in order for people like Sarai to thrive in spite of, and eventually without, the violence of systemic oppression. I have no doubt that Sarai’s story will educate others as well as inspire them to hope.
Personal thoughts: 3.5 stars rounded down. Wanted to rate this higher but unfortunately the overly repetitive nature of the poems and some unchallenged ableism bogged the narrative down. Still worth the read if you’re into novels written in prose, as Velasquez is a very talented writer.
August 25, 2021
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for an arc of this book.
Content Warnings at end of review.
When We Make It is a book written in verse about the teenage years of Sarai as she struggles to find herself as well as hold hope for the future in the midst of a difficult present
Sarai is a wonderful character. I really enjoyed seeing the world through her eyes and seeing how she felt throughout the poetry. The verse in this book is so beautiful! If you are a fan of Elizabeth Acevedo, you should definitely pick this up. It reminded me a lot of The Poet X and I really enjoyed reading it.
This is definitely not a happy book and a lot of bad things happen, but I do think that it is hopeful for the future and could definitely be considered inspiring. Great read!
Pub date: September 21, 2021
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Grief, and Child abuse
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Police brutality
Content Warnings at end of review.
When We Make It is a book written in verse about the teenage years of Sarai as she struggles to find herself as well as hold hope for the future in the midst of a difficult present
Sarai is a wonderful character. I really enjoyed seeing the world through her eyes and seeing how she felt throughout the poetry. The verse in this book is so beautiful! If you are a fan of Elizabeth Acevedo, you should definitely pick this up. It reminded me a lot of The Poet X and I really enjoyed reading it.
This is definitely not a happy book and a lot of bad things happen, but I do think that it is hopeful for the future and could definitely be considered inspiring. Great read!
Pub date: September 21, 2021
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Grief, and Child abuse
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Police brutality
September 23, 2022
LOVED this book first and foremost because i read it with my students and we collectively were addicted to the characters and powerful messaging ❤️ it is empowering, real and BOLD! Recommended for all the young mujeres out there trying to be YOU in a world that wants to silence you.
Estrella & I
are so alive,
our mouths
throw their own house party.
It's why we can't stay still
when we talk.
This isn't body language.
It's how we get free.
I don't know why we get in trouble for laughing.
If they saw how much time we spent crying
they would be encouraging our laughter instead.
One day our laughter will be revered.
Our laughter will have its own holiday & parade.
Our laughter will be a mandatory course
of study in school.
Our laughter will be researched
& analyzed by scientists.
Religious organizations will call our laughter
a false prophet, fearing we found a new god
in our smile.
We'll blast our laughter out of car stereos
in the summer so loud that thev'll want to feature it
in the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
Maybe our laughter will be the torch.
Estrella & I
are so alive,
our mouths
throw their own house party.
It's why we can't stay still
when we talk.
This isn't body language.
It's how we get free.
I don't know why we get in trouble for laughing.
If they saw how much time we spent crying
they would be encouraging our laughter instead.
One day our laughter will be revered.
Our laughter will have its own holiday & parade.
Our laughter will be a mandatory course
of study in school.
Our laughter will be researched
& analyzed by scientists.
Religious organizations will call our laughter
a false prophet, fearing we found a new god
in our smile.
We'll blast our laughter out of car stereos
in the summer so loud that thev'll want to feature it
in the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
Maybe our laughter will be the torch.
January 10, 2024
Reading this book while abroad made me miss home so much, especially hearing the audio book in Elisabet Velásquez’s New York English with Boricua Spanish. The story follows a young Nuyorican named Sarai as she navigates life in Bushwick, Brooklyn as the daughter of two Puerto Ricans. So many feels reading this book, so many laughs, and so many hard truths. Proud to be a Puerto Rican boy from the Bronx!
September 24, 2021
What a poignantly beautiful story about heartbreak and joy, despair and hope...made my heart full.
September 22, 2022
it was a really good book
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