Juliet Takes a Breath

Starred review from July 1, 2016

Nineteen-year-old Juliet Palante writes a you-changed-my-life letter to her favorite feminist author and is granted a summer internship at the author's home in Portland, OR. Leaving her loving Puerto Rican family in the Bronx is difficult, but Juliet also welcomes the chance to enter a new environment: her mother has been communicating with her through closed doors ever since Juliet told her that she is a lesbian and has a girlfriend. In Portland, Juliet discovers a new world-gay, artsy, "crunchy," hippie types who welcome her with open arms and offer her marijuana. She falls in love, her heroes fall, her family supports her, and her friends save her. Juliet also discovers women of color writing science fiction, hot library paraprofessionals, and her own self-esteem. At the end of the summer, Juliet reflects, "I'm a messy, over-emotional, book nerd, weirdo, chubby brown human and I needed to learn how to love myself, even the shameful bits." This humorous and heartbreaking summer coming-of-age tale is reminiscent of Isabel Quintero's 2015 Morris Award winner Gabi, a Girl in Pieces. Teens will appreciate the integrated definitions of words such as polyamory and theodicy in the narrative. Even older teens will appreciate the discussions about microaggressions and white privilege. VERDICT After reading this book, teens will want to fight for social justice. A powerful novel that will resonate with most young people.-Sarah Hill, Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 19, 2019
In this retooling of her YA debut, Rivera explores intersectional feminism through a self-described “closeted Puerto-Rican baby-dyke from the Bronx.” Juliet Palante has just finished her freshman year of college, and after seeing her girlfriend off and coming out to her family, she’s headed to Portland, Ore., to intern for “the Pussy Lady”: Harlowe Brisbane, author of Raging Flower: Empowering Your Pussy by Empowering Your Mind. Brisbane, who is white, is awfully relaxed about the internship and their living arrangements, and her brand of feminism seems limited to Juliet, who is not sure she can be comfortable in New Agey, predominantly white Portland. But Palante means “to move forward,” and in Rivera’s expansive prose (a mix of letters, book excerpts, and narration), Juliet does. In trying to keep it together, and sometimes succeeding, she comes off as wonderfully human, worrying about her first girlfriend (and maybe her second); her mother’s bad reaction to her coming out; and navigating micro aggressions, new ideas, and research before Google. Best of all, Juliet’s eye-opening summer of identity research reflects early adult life—intense experiences and relationships, and the work of finding oneself—in all its messy, confusing splendor. Ages 14–up.

February 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 If there's room in your world for a closeted Puerto Rican baby dyke from the Bronx, you should write me back. Juliet Palante writes to a white feminist author because she loves her ideals, yet she deeply wants to see my round, brown ass in your words. Then the author writes back, and Juliet leaves the Bronx for an internship in the author's lesbian community in Portland, Oregon. Though on occasion the narrative sounds like a primer on contemporary queerness, the issues surrounding that subject, as well as feminism and race, are effectively conveyed through complexly depicted characters whom readers will come to love. This is a story of coming out within a tight, loving, charismatic, and Christian Puerto Rican family and a funny and moving tale of a brown girl finding her place in a world dominated by patriarchy, white lady feminism, and the sort of colonialism that leads to Juliet and her girlfriend fighting over the ethics of shopping at a store called the Banana Republic.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

November 16, 2020
This boisterous graphic adaptation of Rivera’s YA novel, cocreated with newcomer cartoonist Moscote, captures the generous spirit—and spirited provocations—of the original. Juliet Milagros Palante, age 19, is a baby dyke from the Bronx, N.Y., with a secret long-distance girlfriend. It’s the summer after her freshman year of college, and she’s headed to Portland, Ore., for an internship with Harlowe Brisbane, author of Raging Flower: Empower Your Pussy, Empower Your Mind. The night before her departure, Juliet decides to come out to her Puerto Rican family; while her abuela kisses her goodbye on the cheek, her mother is less accepting. So starts a summer of self-discovery, culture clash, and growth. “Feminism... still sounds weird. Too white,” admits Juliet. The pitch-perfect cast of characters she meets up with in Portland, imbued with a particular self-congratulatory brand of activism, provide ample fodder for humor and conflict. Moscote’s exuberant art celebrates Juliet’s curves and curls. The color palette is heavy in pinks, purples, peaches and deep blues—capturing heartbreak, summer crushes, and the sunrise of new beginnings. Rivera pokes at big questions around the intersection of race and queerness, and even if some of her headier message have been simplified here, this brightly drawn version maintains its integrity. Juliet’s original outing won Rivera devoted readers, who will surely champion this accessible adaptation. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary.

December 1, 2016

This humorous and heartbreaking summer story about an older teen's confrontations with privilege, sexuality, race, and microaggressions in Portland, OR, is ideal for teens reflecting on the political and social climate of the United States this past year. (http: //ow.ly/iyXM305ME9V)-Sarah Hill, Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.