Gabi, A Girl in Pieces

Gabi, our heroine in Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero, has a lot to deal with. In addition to worrying about whether or not she will get into the University of California, Berkeley and if the boys she has a crush on in high school will find her too fat, she also is dealing with her best friend, Cindy, having an unplanned pregnancy, her friend, Sebastian, coming out as gay, and her father's meth addiction. She also has to deal with pressure from her mother and aunt on how to be "a good and proper young lady" and her mother's desire for her to stay at home instead of Gabi's desire to move out of the house and attend Berkeley.

At the beginning of the novel, I just wasn't quite getting into it and thought that Gabi's "typical teenage problems" would just seem to be too cliche. But as the novel progresses and Isabel Quintero describes the agony Gabi goes through when she overeats and why she overeats; the frustration that Gabi feels living in a community where it is okay for guys to do anything because after all "boys will be boys!"; and the harrowing experience of living with a parent who is a meth addict; I changed my mind. I became invested in Gabi and worried about what was going to happen to her. Would she make it in spite of the odds against her? Would she realize her dream of going away to college? Would she find a boyfriend who would both respect and admire her?

As Gabi's teacher (Ms. Abernard) teaches Gabi's poetry class, Gabi begins to write poetry and use her writing as a vehicle to express who she really is and who she wants to be. By finding her voice as a writer of poems, she finds the courage to use her voice in everyday life, which enables her to have the strength and courage to pursue her dreams.