Down to the Bone

Title Down to the Bone
Author Mayra Lazara Dole
Dole resides in Florida with her partner Damarys. When she is not writing, she has held various jobs including chef, hairdresser, library assistant and landscaper.
ISBN 978006084113
Publisher HarperTeen (an imprint of Harper Collins)
Copyright Date 2008
Reading Level/Interest Age 15+
Genre Issues: Sexual Identity; LGBT Fiction; Multicultural Issues
Plot Summary
Down to the Bone begins with Laura, a 17-year-old Catholic school student, being kicked out of school after her teacher reads aloud a love letter from her girlfriend, Marlena. The action is off to a flying start – after being kicked out of her house by her religious Cuban mother, Laura is taken in by her best friend Soli (short for Soledad) and her mother Viva. We join Laura for a roller-coaster ride as she struggles to figure out what is more important: being loved and accepted by her family, or being true to herself and living her life out loud.
Critical Evaluation
Dole fills the pages of this book with constant, upbeat, melodic descriptions and dialogue. She peoples the novel with a diverse array of colorful characters, from the narrator Laura who is emotional and compassionate, to her best friend Soli who is loud, brash and impossibly loyal and her friend Tazer, a genderqueer girl who prefers to use male pronouns. The story is rich with Laura’s Cuban cultural experiences and the issues that a multicultural teen would face in coming out. Laura is also a truly sympathetic character, vacillating between the unquestioning stubbornness and confidence of a teenager just learning who she is to the uncertain, insecure and confused younger self that she is trying to grow out of. Though sometimes the dialogue seems a little forced, there is a lot of heart in this book. Particularly raw is the fact that in the end, Laura does not win the respect or acceptance of her mother and must learn to negotiate life in a world that does not always love you for the way you are.
Reader’s Annotation
It’s the last day of her Junior year at her awful Catholic school and Laura is about to celebrate her two-year anniversary with her girlfriend Marlena – things couldn’t be better. But they could get much worse!
Curriculum Ties Could be tied into lessons about LGBT issues, tolerance and prejudice.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Read aloud the first chapter of the book and encourage the audience to read the book to learn more to find out what happens to Laura.
Challenge Issues
Please see "Controversy & LGBT Teen Collections"
Why did I include this book?
ALA Best Books for Young Adults 2009, Rainbow List Starred Pick 2009 (ALA); wanted to include a book that dealt with the particular issues of being Latino and LGBT.