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What Can(t) Wait (2011)

by Ashley Hope Pérez(Favorite Author)

3.82 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0761361553 (ISBN13: 9780761361558)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Carolrhoda Books

review 1: Marissa is smart and dreams of a future outside of her immigrant Houston family but family responsibilities and pressures repeatedly draw her back in What Can(t) Wait. As a teen she is expected to stay home from school and take care of her niece, work a full time job at the local grocery store to assist in paying bills, cook the majority of the family meals, marry young, have children, and never complain. She is not expected to be successful in school, have hopes of a future and visions of a career. Her differences of opinion repeatedly cause conflict with her parents and she questions if she is being a good daughter when she attempts to pursue a scholarly future. Another book this reader should have read a few years ago. Perez offers unique insight into the culture of our... more Latino teens and the familial pressures they face. Perez really makes the reader feel the daily conflicts our Latino teens feel. What Can(t) Wait and How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon should be required reading for educators in urban school districts.
review 2: What can(t) Wait is a pretty good book. What I enjoyed about this novel was the common conflict of not wanting to leave the family to follow our dreams. Marisa played a character with a relatable personality and the feeling of hopelessness at some times. I admire Marisa because although she had a lot of responsibilities, she had high grades and wanted to accomplish her dreams, even though her father was pushing her down. An example of this is, “Girls and numbers don’t mix, mija. Leave the mathematics to men”(12). There is one thing that had bothered me at the beginning of the book, but after a while, I got used to it, and that was the Spanish words throughout the book. I got very frustrated because I couldn't understand those words and I'm not the only one to think that. Sarah Maddaford, on March 11, 2011, said,"At first, all the Spanish phrases were a bit frustrating, but then I got into the flow of the story and they started to be a part of the flavor of the story rather than a barrier to understanding Marisa." Although it was annoying not knowing the words, it showed their native language and how they spoke to each other at home, so it was understandable.I picked this book because I thought it would be interesting to see a relatable topic being portrayed in a book, and not knowing which way to turn. Also, I was hoping to learn more about Latino Culture, their culture, and how their home life/ families are. So, I would recommend this book to the people with the same intentions as me, because for the most part, they were shown thought out. Teens should also read it because common situations happen to other teens while they have to choose between dreams or family. I was excited to reach the ending and discover what happened with Marisa's big decision! less

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