The Color of My Words
Copyright © 2008 www.lynnjosephbooks.com
Summary: Twelve-year-old Ana Rosa is a blossoming writer growing up in the Dominican Republic, a country where words are feared. Yet there is so much inspiration all around her -- watching her brother search for a future, learning to dance and to love, and finding out what it means to be part of a community -- that Ana Rosa must write it all down. As she struggles to find her own voice and a way to make it heard, Ana Rosa realizes the power of her words to transform the world around her -- and to transcend the most unthinkable of tragedies.
Inspiration: This is my favorite book that I have written. It is the book that I am most proud of and I have read it many times. I like it. I like the characters, the memories of the places in the Dominican Republic and the people. I felt as if I had written everything I could about Trinidad and I was looking for a new island to inspire me. I visited several islands before I discovered the raw beauty of the Dominican Republic in December 1995.
I foolishly thought I could hang out there for two weeks and write a book. It took me two years of going back and forth experiencing the island, the music, the people, hearing their stories, sitting on their porches, observing their joys in the midst of poverty, experiencing their anxiety to build a future in a place that offered little employment and few opportunities for advancment, even if one did find a job. I learned to dance merengue, bachata, salsa, spoke Spanish badly, and began cooking Dominican dishes like mofongo and tostones, fried green plantains, my absolute favorite food. After two years, the island’s vibes sank into my soul. Then this book emerged.
Although I grew up on an island, I never experienced the kind of material deprivations that Ana Rosa did. She did not even have a notebook to write in. But many of the families who befriended me were just like Ana Rosa’s family. Some events in the book stem from stories I heard from my dear friend, Angel Hernandez. It is his larger-than-life personality that fills up the pages of this book. He is both Ana Rosa and Guario, and they are both him. That is why I dedicated the book to him. And in the dedication I wrote: I hope you find the future you are searching for. And, I am happy to say, these many years later, that he has indeed found it. What a joy!
In this book, I recount a rebellion by villagers over the government taking the villagers’ land to sell to a big hotel company. This incident stemmed from a real-life event in a village on the North Coast of the D.R. I read about it first in the newspaper, and later that week when I drove through the village and saw the smoking truck tires and rocks and big sticks in the road, it left a great impression on me.
It was a great joy for me to work with editors Joanna Cotler, and Justin Chander, in pulling together the poems and stories for this book, the Color of My Words.
I foolishly thought I could hang out there for two weeks and write a book. It took me two years of going back and forth experiencing the island, the music, the people, hearing their stories, sitting on their porches, observing their joys in the midst of poverty, experiencing their anxiety to build a future in a place that offered little employment and few opportunities for advancment, even if one did find a job. I learned to dance merengue, bachata, salsa, spoke Spanish badly, and began cooking Dominican dishes like mofongo and tostones, fried green plantains, my absolute favorite food. After two years, the island’s vibes sank into my soul. Then this book emerged.
Although I grew up on an island, I never experienced the kind of material deprivations that Ana Rosa did. She did not even have a notebook to write in. But many of the families who befriended me were just like Ana Rosa’s family. Some events in the book stem from stories I heard from my dear friend, Angel Hernandez. It is his larger-than-life personality that fills up the pages of this book. He is both Ana Rosa and Guario, and they are both him. That is why I dedicated the book to him. And in the dedication I wrote: I hope you find the future you are searching for. And, I am happy to say, these many years later, that he has indeed found it. What a joy!
In this book, I recount a rebellion by villagers over the government taking the villagers’ land to sell to a big hotel company. This incident stemmed from a real-life event in a village on the North Coast of the D.R. I read about it first in the newspaper, and later that week when I drove through the village and saw the smoking truck tires and rocks and big sticks in the road, it left a great impression on me.
It was a great joy for me to work with editors Joanna Cotler, and Justin Chander, in pulling together the poems and stories for this book, the Color of My Words.
Reviews: Publishers Weekly
In finely wrought chapters that at times read more like a collection of related short stories than a novel, Joseph presents slices from the life of Ana Rosa just as she is about to turn 13. Through the heroine's poetry and recollections, readers gain a rare intimate view of life in the Dominican Republic. Ana Rosa dreams of becoming a writer even though no one but the president writes books; she learns to dance the merengue by listening to the rhythms of her beloved ocean; and the love of her older brother, Guario, comforts her through many difficulties. The author's portraits of Ana Rosa and her family are studies in spare language. . . The brevity of the chapters showcases Joseph's gift for metaphoric language (e.g., her description of Ana Rosa's first crush: "My dark eyes trailed him like a line of hot soot wherever he went"). When the easy rhythms of the girl's island life abruptly change due to two major events, the author develops these cataclysms so subtly that readers may not feel the impact as fully as other events, such as the heroine's unrequited love. [A] testimony to the power of Joseph's writing . . Ages 8-12. (Aug.) Publishers Weekly Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
School Library Journal
Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego
Joseph paints the world of Ana Rosa and her family in this gem of a novel. The girl dreams of being a writer, but knows that this is a very unusual wish in the Dominican Republic. Like her ever-drinking father, she is a dreamer, but like her Mami, who fears for her daughter's safety if she writes, she learns that time is like the river that rushes by and never passes again. When the government tries to destroy the houses in the village to make room for foreign investors, Ana Rosa writes an article quoting her beloved older brother, Guario, and tries to get support for protecting their homes. Her article is distributed by three newspapers, but her words are not powerful enough to divert money, contracts, bulldozers, and guns. . . . Although Ana Rosa lives in a Caribbean country, readers everywhere will connect with her story, especially those who have dreams, disappointments, tragedy, environmental concerns, and a love of words and writing. Each chapter opens with a poem that sets the mood. A finely crafted novel, lovely and lyrical, this book is a unique addition to library shelves.
School Library Journal
Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Beautiful words, December 7, 2007
LATeach "L.A. Teach"
This book is amazing. I bought enough copies to use as a classroom novel because this is an OUTSTANDING story. The added bonus is its rich demonstration of the beauty and power of words. So often when teachers teach about 'words' it is all about building vocabulary and root words. Or we show discrete examples of similes and alliteration - terms to memorize. Here is an OUTSTANDING story full of wonderful characters, a powerful message - and rich, exciting, tasty words.
I am presently using this book as a classroom novel in all my classes. The response to this book is fantastic! Students can't get enough of it. They want to read more, talk more, discuss characters and issues, act it out... Amazing! Because of the use of similes, metaphors, alliteration, and so on - this book is a great way for my class to review for State testing and loving it.
In finely wrought chapters that at times read more like a collection of related short stories than a novel, Joseph presents slices from the life of Ana Rosa just as she is about to turn 13. Through the heroine's poetry and recollections, readers gain a rare intimate view of life in the Dominican Republic. Ana Rosa dreams of becoming a writer even though no one but the president writes books; she learns to dance the merengue by listening to the rhythms of her beloved ocean; and the love of her older brother, Guario, comforts her through many difficulties. The author's portraits of Ana Rosa and her family are studies in spare language. . . The brevity of the chapters showcases Joseph's gift for metaphoric language (e.g., her description of Ana Rosa's first crush: "My dark eyes trailed him like a line of hot soot wherever he went"). When the easy rhythms of the girl's island life abruptly change due to two major events, the author develops these cataclysms so subtly that readers may not feel the impact as fully as other events, such as the heroine's unrequited love. [A] testimony to the power of Joseph's writing . . Ages 8-12. (Aug.) Publishers Weekly Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
School Library Journal
Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego
Joseph paints the world of Ana Rosa and her family in this gem of a novel. The girl dreams of being a writer, but knows that this is a very unusual wish in the Dominican Republic. Like her ever-drinking father, she is a dreamer, but like her Mami, who fears for her daughter's safety if she writes, she learns that time is like the river that rushes by and never passes again. When the government tries to destroy the houses in the village to make room for foreign investors, Ana Rosa writes an article quoting her beloved older brother, Guario, and tries to get support for protecting their homes. Her article is distributed by three newspapers, but her words are not powerful enough to divert money, contracts, bulldozers, and guns. . . . Although Ana Rosa lives in a Caribbean country, readers everywhere will connect with her story, especially those who have dreams, disappointments, tragedy, environmental concerns, and a love of words and writing. Each chapter opens with a poem that sets the mood. A finely crafted novel, lovely and lyrical, this book is a unique addition to library shelves.
School Library Journal
Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Beautiful words, December 7, 2007
LATeach "L.A. Teach"
This book is amazing. I bought enough copies to use as a classroom novel because this is an OUTSTANDING story. The added bonus is its rich demonstration of the beauty and power of words. So often when teachers teach about 'words' it is all about building vocabulary and root words. Or we show discrete examples of similes and alliteration - terms to memorize. Here is an OUTSTANDING story full of wonderful characters, a powerful message - and rich, exciting, tasty words.
I am presently using this book as a classroom novel in all my classes. The response to this book is fantastic! Students can't get enough of it. They want to read more, talk more, discuss characters and issues, act it out... Amazing! Because of the use of similes, metaphors, alliteration, and so on - this book is a great way for my class to review for State testing and loving it.