Life, After

by Sarah Littman

Paperback, 2011

Status

Available

Call number

T F LIT

Publication

Scholastic Press (2011), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 288 pages

Description

When poverty forces her family to leave their home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dani has a hard time adjusting to life in New York City, where everything is different except her father's anger, but an unlikely bond she forms with a wealthy, spoiled girl at school helps heal both of their families.

Barcode

1888

Language

User reviews

LibraryThing member Soniamarie
I think adults and young adults both will enjoy this novel. Dani is an Argentine teenager. A terrorist attack took her aunt's life in 1994 and her life has never been the same since. The peso is worthless, her father has lost his business and with it his self esteem and all desire to get out of bed
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and leave the apartment. Her friends are leaving for "greener pastures" in America or Israel and Dani thinks she has hit "rock bottom."

Her parents decide to immigrate to America, but upon arrival, Dani wonders if life is going to improve. Tho the location is new, her parents are the same. Her father is temperamental and refusing to work, her mother is the provider and Dani finds herself taking on more responsibilities than a teenager should. Her boyfriend, Roberto is somewhere in Miami and she doesn't even know if he is her boyfriend anymore. To top all that off, kids in school aren't always nice, especially to a foreigner wearing hand me downs.

A good story about modern day immigration. The heroine is very likeable and has a certain spunkiness that comes to the surface at times especially when she slaps a bully in school. The only reason I am not giving this book a five star rating is because at times, Dani has too much self pity. I get that she is tired of eating eggs every night (omelettes) but at least there is food on the table and I wanted to kick her dad's arse.
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LibraryThing member LMKatz
Dani’s life will never be the same. She lives in Argentina where life for Jewish families is beginning to deteriorate. She has lost her Aunt and unborn cousin in a terrorist attack. Her father has lost his business and there isn’t enough money to put food on the table for her family. But Dani
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just wants life to return to normal. But what is normal? After much thought the family decides to immigrate to New York for a “fresh start”. But a new start in a new city with a new language and no jobs isn’t that easy. Dani’s family moves into a tiny rented apartment provided by the Jewish Family Services with hand-me-down clothes. Dani’s father is clinically depressed and her mother is now the major breadwinner for the family. Dani finds that living in America isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. She misses her old friends, her home, her private school and especially her novio, boyfriend. But suddenly life changes when Dani makes a new friend Jon, who isn’t like the other kids. Soon in this new life she learns about healing and forgiveness and about moving on to the life after….
This is a great story about life changes and coping with a loss. This story, written by Sarah Littman, the author of the 2006 Sydney Taylor Teen Book Award, Confessions of a Closet Catholic, is another authentic story about teens with real feelings. In real situations. A recommended read for grades 6-9th.
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LibraryThing member KarenBall
I loved this one -- it is truly a walk in someone else's shoes. Dani lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where her father runs a successful store, she goes to school, and has her first boyfriend. Her world starts to fall apart when a terrorist bombing kills her pregnant aunt... the country's
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political crisis leads to economic problems, and her father loses the store. As their family sinks into poverty like so many people they know, the violence of their surroundings increases, and the decision is made to immigrate to the United States. Everything is different in Twin Lakes, New York -- except that the family still has very little money, and Papa is even more depressed and sad. Dani has to adjust to a new school, new culture, and new expectations... and nothing seems familiar or steady to her. The one girl who is hardest on her at first is Jessica, the popular queen bee. That changes when Dani stands up to Trevor, who is bullying Jon, one of her few friends (she smacks Trevor and nearly gets suspended). Jon has Aspberger's syndrome, a form of autism, and he is also Jessica's brother. Jessica sees Dani differently after that very realistically written scene, and they discover there is more alike in their lives than either realized. This is about love, family, respect, friendship and starting over -- perfect for middle school, where our students move from their comfortable elementary schools to a bigger, more complicated place. 7th grade and up.
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LibraryThing member akmargie
Okay, I read this. I know I did. It might have been a skim job but I read it. The author was at Anderson's YA Lit conference and I asked the author a question because this book is very different from her other books.
All chit chat aside it was a good story, not great and I liked that it focused on
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family and what happens after first love.
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ISBN

0545151457 / 9780545151450
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