Coming of age stories by Aleman and Berg

BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN by Daniel Aleman (Indivisible) is a young adult novel which features a sixteen year-old main character, Maria de la Soledad (called Sol), who clearly struggles with age appropriate identity issues: “even when I try my hardest to be Sol [sun/happy], Soledad [solitude/lonely] has a way of winning ...” All of that is complicated by her status as an American citizen although the rest of her family (including two brothers) have Mexican citizenship and live in Tijuana. The text deals with themes of grief, responsibility, immigration, racism, familial ties and expectations. Sol crosses the border each day to go to school and eventually moves North to continue high school and live with friends while working part-time to support her family. I personally found the effort she made to be crushing and unfair. It reminded me of a cousin who, with little guidance, chose to work 40 hours a week during high school and is now a widow with four young children, perpetuating a life of limited opportunity, even though her siblings graduated college and enjoy six figure incomes. BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN highlights the tensions and pressures faced by students who do not have a strong safety net and adult support. Sol’s deceased Mami was correct when she stressed the importance of education and I do think that teachers would have been more aware and understanding, but they are mere shadows in this story. Sol perseveres, though – she is resilient despite the loneliness she faces. Fortunately, friends like Ari (plus her mother, Nancy) and co-worker Nick fill some of the gap and reinforce a sense of hope. The publisher provides an online book club guide with discussion questions for this emotional text.

In EARTH'S THE RIGHT PLACE FOR LOVE Elizabeth Berg offers a prequel to The Story of Arthur Truluv, sharing Arthur’s coming of age story as a teenager in 1947 Mason, Missouri. The story reflects Berg’s typically gentle, heartwarming writing style, but there is not much action. Arthur falls in love and deals with several family situations, particularly his relationship with his older brother, Frank. Praised by authors like Adriana Trigiani (Big Stone Gap), Rachel Joyce (Miss Benson’s Beetle), and Debbie Macomber, EARTH'S THE RIGHT PLACE FOR LOVE is sure to please loyal Berg readers who will enjoy this relatively short novel with its small town setting and homespun feel.