The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lillian Rivera

I hated this book until around the last 50 pages. Margot was a spoiled, self-centered brat, and it was hard for me to follow her life because of how little sympathy or connection I had with her. Her worries were petty, her complaints were many, and her attitude was terrible. I rolled my eyes at least 20 times while reading this book. But those last 50 pages made me care.

A lot of the situations in the book were predictable, but sad nonetheless. It's upsetting to me that it takes addiction, cheating, and the giving up of innocence to change some people. I guess it just shows that there is a silver lining in many bad situations, whether we acknowledge it or not. The situations that we face can either make us or break us, but regardless they shape us.

The topic of cheating and betrayal is one that gets my blood boiling. Magot's Papi cheating was the turning point for me. In that instance, Magot's family dynamic was forever altered. He was no longer a man in her life that she could always trust and rely on. At that point, he becomes an enemy. Bad fathers punch me right in the gut. And then with Margot's Mami, my anger was also at a peak. She was prepared to live and essentially deny all the wrongs her husband had done. NO ONE SHOULD STAND FOR CHEATING! My heart hurt for Margot and her Mami. Such a betrayal is one that'll mess you up for life. It's hard to recover from. How do you even begin to learn to trust again?

I'm glad Margot started to become a better person. I finished the book with a better image of her and more of a sense of appreciation for the book. Although the topics that originally stressed Margot out were quite annoying, this is what a lot of teenagers worry about; fitting in, the opposite sex, saving face, looking good. As a future teacher of teenagers, this is something to keep in mind. Something to also keep in mind is that no one is stuck the same for the rest of their lives. People change.

Despite all the ways teenagers can identify with this book, I wouldn't teach it. I find little to no educational value in this book. I also am uncomfortable with the sexual lingo used in the book as it is not tasteful. I don't know that I would even recommend them book to a student to read on their own time. Because of these reasons, I couldn't tell you how I would go about implementing it into lessons. I wish I had more to offer, but not every book is going to be a winner. Again, that's not to say there is no value at all, there is just not enough in my eyes to constitute using class time to teach.