# Don't Ask Me Where I'm from - Hardcover

by **Jennifer de Leon** (Author), **Elena Garnu** (Illustrator)

**"A funny, perceptive, and much-needed book telling a much-needed story." --Celeste Ng, author of the _New York Times_ bestseller _Little Fires Everywhere_  
"Written with humor and grace, with intimacy and empathy, _Don't Ask Me Where I'm From_ is the perfect coming of age novel for our time." --Matt Mendez, author of _Barely Missing Everything_ and _Twitching Heart_**

**First-generation American LatinX Liliana Cruz does what it takes to fit in at her new nearly all-white school. But when family secrets spill out and racism at school ramps up, she must decide what she believes in and take a stand.**

Liliana Cruz is a hitting a wall--or rather, walls.

There's the wall her mom has put up ever since Liliana's dad left--again.

There's the wall that delineates Liliana's diverse inner-city Boston neighborhood from Westburg, the wealthy--and white--suburban high school she's just been accepted into.

And there's the wall Liliana creates within herself, because to survive at Westburg, she can't just lighten up, she has to _whiten_ up.

So what if she changes her name? So what if she changes the way she talks? So what if she's seeing her neighborhood in a different way? But then light is shed on some hard truths: It isn't that her father doesn't want to come home--he can't...and her whole family is in jeopardy. And when racial tensions at school reach a fever pitch, the walls that divide feel insurmountable.

But a wall isn't always a barrier. It can be a foundation for something better. And Liliana must choose: Use this foundation as a platform to speak her truth, or risk crumbling under its weight.

### Author Biography

Jennifer De Leon is an author, editor, speaker, and creative writing professor who lives outside of Boston. She is the editor of _Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education_, the 2015-2016 Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library, and a 2016-2017 City of Boston Artist-in-Residence. She is also the second recipient of the We Need Diverse Books grant. She is the author of _Don't Ask Me Where I'm From_ and _Borderless_.

**Number of Pages:** 336

**Dimensions:** 1.2 x 8.3 x 5.7 IN

**Publication Date:** August 18, 2020

**Accelerated Reader:**

**Quiz Name:** Don't Ask Me Where I'm from

**Interest Level:** Upper Middle Grades, 6 and up

**Reading Level:** 4.2

**Point Value:** 11

## Details

- **Price:** 19.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 19.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Don't Ask Me Where I'm from - Hardcover

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