Estela, undrowning / René Peña-Govea.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In her raw and resonant debut novel, René Peña-Govea seamlessly interweaves prose and poetry to uplift the power of language, the courage to fight injustice, and the complex beauty of finding your people--perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X and Carolina Ixta's Shut Up, This is Serious.

Estela Morales is one of the only Latinas who tested into San Francisco's most exclusive public high school. In her senior year, Estela just wants to keep her head down, eke out a passing grade from her racist Spanish teacher, and get into her dream college.

But after placing second in the Latiné Heritage Poetry Contest behind a non-Latino student, Estela is thrust into citywide debates about merit, identity, and diversity.

Things only get messier when her family is threatened with eviction. As Estela's friends organize against bigotry and her landlady increases the pressure, Estela is suffocating and finds release only in poetry and in a breathless new romance. When tensions finally reach their breaking point, Estela must find a way to undrown the community she loves--and herself.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

In Peña-Govea's arresting debut, a high school senior determines to make space for herself as she grapples with racism, injustice, and financial precarity. As one of the few Latinx students at her exclusive San Francisco school, 17-year-old Estela feels pressure to excel academically. But her Spanish class--taught by a prejudiced white instructor--could jeopardize all her hard work. Simmering racial tensions escalate when Estela's non-Latinx classmate enters and wins the "Latiné Heritage Poetry Contest," inspiring student protests citing the school's long-standing atmosphere of impeding Black and brown teens' ability to make safe spaces for themselves. Estela's stress compounds when her family's landlord threatens eviction. Simultaneously, she explores a romantic relationship with a fellow student, a bright spot that folds humor into tense plotting. As Estela contends with complex questions regarding love and sexuality, identity, and how to use her voice to enact change, she comes to understand the value of imperfection and growth, realizations perceptively conveyed via empathetic and personable narration as well as nuanced interactions among the intersectionally diverse cast. Estela's sharp poetry, interspersed throughout, offers intimate glimpses into her shifting thoughts, feelings, and doubts. It's both a poignant reflection on young adulthood and a joyful celebration of adolescence that challenges stereotypes and engenders hope. Ages 14--up. Agent: Sandra Proudman, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Mar.)

Kirkus Book Review

Estela is close to reaching her goals, but first she needs to pass her Spanish class. Estela Morales attends San Francisco's elite Robert Frost High School. To get in, students must take a test, and so she's surrounded by competitive high achievers. Estela, who's Chicana, hits her first academic roadblock when Spanish teacher Sr. Kirkland, "a fossilized white man," emphasizes formal European Spanish and makes snide remarks about "cultural projects," conveying his bias against heritage speakers. Estela, who has her heart set on Berkeley, fears for her GPA. A poetry contest on Latiné identity--with a cash prize--at her predominantly Asian and white school leads to accusations of unfairness and heightened racial tensions. As Estela navigates anxiety (including panic attacks), falling in love with Chinese Mexican Rogelio, and her family's potential eviction, she confronts the deepest parts of herself. Debut author Peña-Govea intersperses Estela's poems amid the prose. The work is at its strongest when it asks poignant questions about bias, opportunity, and racial inequalities and explores techniques for supporting mental health. First-person narrator Estela's intense, dramatic inner voice takes center stage, highlighting her angst and emotional extremes. Estela has supportive friends and family, so at times it is hard to understand her actions and motivations and difficult to sympathize with her; struggles with pacing add to this difficulty. An uneven but passionate coming-of-age story. (author's note)(Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.