A novel about waking up and standing up, and what happens when you stop seeing your dad as your hero—while the whole country is watching
In this authentic, humorous, and gorgeously written debut novel about privacy, waking up, and speaking up, Senator Anthony Ruiz is running for president. Throughout his successful political career he has always had his daughter’s vote, but a presidential campaign brings a whole new level of scrutiny to sheltered fifteen-year-old Mariana and the rest of her Cuban American family, from a 60 Minutes–style tour of their house to tabloids doctoring photos and inventing scandals. As tensions rise within the Ruiz family, Mari begins to learn about the details of her father’s political positions, and she realizes that her father is not the man she thought he was.
But how do you find your voice when everyone’s watching? When it means disagreeing with your father—publicly? What do you do when your dad stops being your hero? Will Mari get a chance to confront her father? If she does, will she have the courage to seize it?
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“Embodies the theme of our decade: to stand up and speak up for what we believe in…Sylvester expertly puts readers inside the pressured lives of a family in politics and reaffirms the adage that, indeed, knowledge is power.”
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Booklist (starred review)