Book Review: Lucky Broken Girl

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar
3.7/5 Stars
***I received an ARC from Edelweiss for an honest review***
***This review contains spoilers***

After moving to America from Cuba, a young girl gets in an accident and must cope with the aftermath. She ends up in a full body cast with her mother waiting on her. While in the cast she paints and reads much of the time. After the cast, she must learn to walk again.

There are some lovely moments in this story, and I really liked it. Unfortunately, the cast isn't the only thing that Ruthie has to deal with. Below are some things you may want to consider before recommending this book to a sensitive child:

1. I worried a lot about the tone of the father and if the father was possibly violent. It at least seemed to be hinted at. Someone with PTSD might have a hard time with the father, so trigger warning.
2. Ruthie's mother forces an enema on her at one point because Ruthie is constipated. I don't know how I feel about that fact. She wasn't talked to about the enema beforehand, so it felt like a bit of a violation. 
3. A little neighbor boy falls off the patio after dropping a toy. He dies, and their family (which includes one of Ruthie's friends) has to move.

While I loved many parts of this story, I wonder if it shouldn't have been told as memoirs for an adult audience. This story is very autobiographical and involves a time period younger children may not be interested in. The real test is always how children respond to the story. 

I find the author, Ruth Behar, and her early life to be intriguing. Here is a link an author interview to learn more about her:

http://www.penguin.com/school-library/qa-ruth-behar-author-lucky-broken-girl/