Bibliograph

Call me Athena, girl from Detroit : a novel in verse, Colby Cedar Smith

Type

Label

Call me Athena, girl from Detroit : a novel in verse, Colby Cedar Smith

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (page 557-562)

Illustrations

portraitsillustrations

Index

no index present

Intended audience

14+ years old

Literary Form

fiction

Main title

Call me Athena

Nature of contents

bibliography

Responsibility statement

Colby Cedar Smith

Sub title

girl from Detroit : a novel in verse

Summary

Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit is a beautifully written novel in verse loosely based on author Colby Cedar Smith's maternal grandmother. The story follows Mary as she and her family emigrate from Greece to Detroit in the 1930s, creating a historically accurate portrayal of life as an immigrant during the Great Depression, hunger strikes, and violent riots. Mary lives in a tiny apartment with her immigrant parents, her brothers, and her twin sister, and she questions why her parents ever came to America. She yearns for true love, to own her own business, and to be an independent, modern American woman - much to the chagrin of her parents, who want her to be a "good Greek girl." Mary's story is peppered with flashbacks to her parents' childhoods in Greece and northern France; their stories connect with Mary as they address issues of arranged marriage, learning about independence, and yearning to grow beyond one's own culture. Though Call Me Athena is written from the perspective of three profoundly different narrators, it has a wide-reaching message: It takes courage to fight for tradition and heritage, as well as freedom, love, and equality

Target audience

adolescent

Classification