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Karen Rush
, July 16, 2015
(view all comments by Karen Rush)
In reading the acknowledgements, it was revealed that author Vanessa Diffenbaugh had great difficulty writing this, her second book. Could she match the success of her first, The Language of Flowers? She spent arduous hours writing and researching, almost giving up on this novel that deals with some tough issues. Her hard work paid off. It is a heartrending story of desperation, hope, love and resilience.
Vanessa exposes the prejudices of poor Hispanic families who are struggling to make a better life in America in ‘We Never Asked for Wings’. It was an emotional roller coaster ride. I was angry about Letty Espinosa’s bad decisions and risks, even if made out of desperation and love, happy with blossoming relationships and kindnesses, saddened by burdens put on a teenage boy’s shoulders and temptations to do wrong. I felt compassion and admired the resilience of the characters even if I didn’t like them at times. A good choice for book clubs.
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