Literature Review Lupita Manan by Patricia Beatty

The follwing is a critical analysis of Lupita Manana, written by Patricia Beatty.

Novel Review Lupita Manana Cory Bracy de Zapata
The novel falls under the genre of contemporary, youth (middle school) fictional novel. The setting is present day Mexico and various cities in southern California. The theme addressed in the text is the current struggles and controversial status of illegal immigrants to the US and their plight. The novel depicts real life situations and characters that can be found in the societies portrayed in the setting. The novel also touches on the themes of struggling to find a better life, the loss of cultural values, unfair and/or inhumane laws, the struggles of growing up from the perspective of an outsider, and the personal and legal conflicts that arise from these circumstances. The novel reinforces the importance of family, traditional values and the disaproval of drugs and drinking. It is told from the vantage point of a 13 year old girl, that has immigrated illegally to the US with her brother, after a family tragedy forces them to leave their hometown of Ensendada, Mexico. The language used is florid and descriptive; it genuinely reflects the physical and emotional aspects of the characters and setting. The novel is an authentic and detailed account of the immigrant situation in the US. As I read the novel, I found it to be a realistic portrayal of places and people I have known and their experiences as immigrants, both legal and illegal, to the US. The long list of secondary characters provide a genuine reflection of a traditional Mexican family and the conflicts and struggles that may arise from such an extended and numerous family unit. I was involved and invested in Lupita and her brother Salvador from the onset of the novel. The feelings of danger and despair, longing for home and all of its familiarities was a poignant reminder of the devision between the haves and the haves not, the Mexicans and the Americans, the legals/documented vs. the "illegals" undocumented. The novel criticizes the current treatment and struggles that undocumented, immigrant children and their families face in the US today. The cultural and linguistic conflicts that are played out in Lupita Manana offer a unique insight into the world of the undocumented worker/immigrant, the exploitation and persecution of them and the struggle to provide for themselves and their families. The novel is a relevant resource that will open up the discussion on home, family, language, values and conflicts in the US immigration story, as well as make a connection to anyone struggling to grow up.