Read Time:1 Minute, 24 Second
Yolanda Garcia has a talent for telling stories—she’s done it ever since she was just a small girl, living with her extended family in the Dominican Republic. Even after her family fled to New York—through her life in boarding school, three marriages, her teaching career, and her travels—she always held on to her love of telling stories.
Her latest book, however, is causing problems. Yo has told her family and her students, “Writers write what they know,” but she hits a little too close to home when her family members begin to recognize themselves in Yo’s stories. Before long, Yo’s sisters won’t speak to her, and her mom’s threatening to sue.
That’s when Yo’s victims get their turn. Yo! is a collection of stories about Yo’s life—as told by the people whose lives she (and her storytelling) affected. Each one is told in a clearly distinct voice—from the illiterate night watchman in the Dominican Republic to the southern ex-boyfriend to the stalker—and it’s often hard to believe that the stories were all written by the same woman.
Slowly, story by story, readers get to know Yo. It’s a good story, but there isn’t really a lot of action. It’s a slower read than most of the books I’ve read lately. Still, it’s worth a read—especially if you’re a writer (or any artist, struggling to be yourself). But be warned—it helps if you understand a little Spanish. The Spanish words pop up from time to time, and I was thankful for my three years of Spanish classes.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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