The Bluest Sky by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Bluest Sky by Christina Diaz Gonzalez Wesley Jacques Gonzalez, Christina Diaz The Bluest Sky. Knopf, 2022 [320p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780593372791 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593372814 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-8 Bookish, baseball-loving sixth grader Héctor has no interest in giving up his beloved Cuba, his twin best friends and neighbors Teo and Isabel, or his dreams of proudly representing his country in the upcoming International Math Olympiad. Circumstances in the Caribbean nation, however, are changing rapidly in 1980 and his mother is determined to reunite with Héctor and his older brother's dissident gusano father in the United States. While he may not fully grasp the dangers and anxieties of the political climate, Héctor thoughtfully narrates a seemingly sudden shift from being a proud child of the revolution as his family becomes targets of actos de repudio, peppering Cuban Spanish idioms and phrases throughout. It is an acto de repudio that leads to Teo's untimely death as a violent mob falls upon Héctor's home when rumors of his mother's plan to expatriate spread. As Héctor, his mother, and brother abandon all they know for the precarious journey to the U.S., they face violent retaliation and bureaucratic challenges, including a Sophie's Choice of a decision at the port that may split the family apart indefinitely. A bittersweet ending poignantly recontextualizes the importance of family in the face of political divisions. [End Page 49] Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois