I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom

Plot Summary
Marisol Martin is spiraling out of control. After her mother's death, she goes from honors classes to juvenile school due to her struggles with alcohol. Her childhood friendships have disappeared, and her father just does not know what to do. As she returns to school and gets her life back on track, she is haunted by the choices she made.  How could she betray her closest friendship in her grief, and is she responsible for her mother's death? New friendships and potential romances will guide Marisol back to the land of the living, but she has to tread carefully. Since imploding her life, the adults are on high alert, watching Marisol Martin, the drunk teen who picks fights at school. 

Critical Evaluation

    This book was a love letter to complicated family relationships and grief. I especially felt close to Marisol when she described the pain of seeing a mother and daughter treat each other with affection. When I was younger, both of my grandfathers died months apart. The first year, I couldn't see an old man and a child together without holding back tears. It's irrational to be so pained by someone else's joy, but grief does not follow logic.
I also felt very sad for Marisol that her father prevented her from connecting to her mother's culture multiple times. It seemed that he felt guilty for taking his wife away from her home, but keeping her culture alive would have been a way to respect that sacrifice. Also, keeping in mind that they had limited income, I tried to understand why Marisol and Bernie had not gone to the Philippines at least once to meet their grandparents before they passed. I would be interested to see if Marisol's story continues as a series, and her father experiences growth in reconnecting with family relationships. Marisol did not mention any Filipino family coming to the funeral, but after her mother's death would be an appropriate time to visit those who loved her to share stories of her life. What I need is a sequel, where Marisol goes to the Philippines.   

Creative Use for a Library Program

  Culture Club: In I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom, Marisol feels a connection to her mother in scenes where she observes a Filipino tradition, a culture she belongs to but has little knowledge of. Invite teens to present a tradition, food, craft, or performance from their cultural background during recurring meetings. Some teens in the club will have a strong connection to their heritage and may have immigrant parents who teach them about their family roots. Other teens may need help digging into their genealogical background for a country to research. If no one is signed up to bring a cultural treat, library staff should provide refreshments for that meeting. Consider pulling contemporary fiction and nonfiction titles from the countries being discussed as a reader's advisory table. 

Book Talk

  High school sophomore Marisol Martin and her Filipina-American friends go to school and church, then cover for each other to go to parties. Marisol cannot stand the expectations of her immigrant mother to look nice, say her prayers, and do as she is told. She wishes she could take back all of the endless fights with her mom when she dies in a car crash after their biggest fight. Marisol navigates life without her mother and the pain that scorches everything she counted on in her old life. 
 

Reason for Inclusion

The immigrant's journey is a theme with no shortage of representation in literature. It is only recently that there has been a growth in narratives that explore the journey of immigration from the perspective of their American-born children. Marisol longs for a connection to her mother's culture, but her father always avoided conversations about the Philippines because it made her mother sad to be so far away from her family. She reflects often about the choice to live in New Mexico and if it was worth it for her mother to miss her home so often. Her father tries to soften the blow with gifts, but there is no effort to go back for a visit. She recognizes that her mother's overbearing expectations are so that Marisol can earn more respect in American society than she can. There are so many layers to Marisol's experience that I believe many second-generation immigrants can relate to. 

Potential Challenges and  Defense Preparation

 I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom does not have a history of censorship. The best defense against censorship for any library is a strong reconsideration policy.