Finding Your Voice

Becoming Naomi Leon was one of the most moving books I have ever read. It is a page turner that I simply could not put down once I started. It is about a girl who lives with her brother and great-grandmother in a trailer in San Diego. Her mom left them when they were very little and their dad has never been a part of their lives. Life is a little difficult, Owen suffers from a few physical disabilities, Gram is getting older, and Naomi has difficulty making friends at school and finding her voice to fight and stick up for what she believes. She and Owen have a few emotional issues. However, Gram and their neighbors/friends do the best in raising them.

I really identified with Naomi because for most of the book, she tries to make the best of her difficult situations. Her mom comes back, out of know where with a no good boyfriend and an alcohol problem, but Naomi gives her the benefit of the doubt. I often do this with people who repeatedly hurt me. It’s like sometimes I am under an illusion that this time around I won’t get hurt, if I do get hurt, I deserve it, I know better, or that somehow/someway this situation is just better than previous ones that were seemingly identical. Naomi for most of the book remains her timid self, worries herself sleepless, and really hopes that things will work out, like I often do. However, we differ because in the end she finds her voice and stands up for herself and the people she loves. She’s 10. I’m nearly 21 and still have trouble mustering up the courage to find my own voice. I eventually stand up for myself, but it takes a lot for me to get there. I was so proud of Naomi when she told the judge and jury all that happened. I even pumped my fist in the air after I read that part because I was so happy. My heart also went out to Owen. When “Skyla” returns, she clearly does not want anything to do with Owen and thinks that he can just be “fixed.” I was almost brought to tears because I cannot imagine having a child (or anyone in my family) and acting as though they do not exist, judging them for something in which they have no control, and the reason they are constantly bullied. Gram’s compassion and care kept me from tears because she sees and appreciates Owen for the sweet and thoughtful boy he is. I wanted to give Owen a hug as I read this book.

Another part of the book that pulled my heartstrings is when they all travel to Mexico in order to escape Skyla and Claude and have a little bit of fun for the holidays. When Naomi sees and connects with her father, it is inspiring. While I have known my father my entire life, and have had a great relationship with him, it is great for readers who haven’t met their dad to see that a happy reunion is possible. Yet, it is not overdone or over exaggerated. They do not run to each other and become the best father and daughter relationship model. In fact, nothing really changes, but everything changes. At the end of the book, she will still stay with Gram and attend the school in Lemon Tree she’s always gone to, but she knows who she is now – she has made peace with the León part of her and knows that the life she is living is the life she wants to live –with Gram and Owen. In the end, she finds her voice and stands up for the people she loves. She finds satisfaction at 10 that many people spend their entire lives searching for.

I want to teach this book in my class. It is not only an inspirational story because of what Naomi does for her family, but it is inspirational because it seems many multicultural students can identify with Naomi or her situation (I imagine, I can’t fairly say this since I am not in that category). A student being raised by people other than their birth parents can identify with Naomi because she does not live with her parents. A student who does not know who their father is or what he is like can identify with Naomi and Owen because they have never been around their father until years after they are born (at least at what they can remember). Furthermore, any student with a strained relationship with their mom can identify, or a child who does not feel the love of their mother can identify with both Naomi and Owen. They many cultures of families are represented within this book. Mexican culture is presented beautifully with the carvings Bernardo and Naomi make, and the festival they attend at Christmas time. Mexican-Americans can identify with this because of the vocabulary and some of the situations, but overall anyone who has ever had any familial strain, had to overcome being timid, find out who they are, or overcome a physical and emotional handicap can find common ground with this book. I did, and to think, when I picked up this book and read the back cover, I thought I really wasn’t going to enjoy it.

Aside from being inspirational and easy to identify with, I want to teach this book in my classroom because I can introduce in a multicultural unit, a family unit, or a unit on award winning books. You can take this book and go in any direction to teach with. The bottom line is it is of high quality and exposes children to the diversity of ethnicity, families, and how to find your own voice.