Hue’s Reviews: The Education of Margot Sanchez

Margot wants to be someone else.

However, her family, friends, and pseudo-community will guarantee her desire won’t happen.

The Education of Margot Sanchez is a coming of age story featuring a Latina coping with two masks: the one she wears when she’s at Somerset Prep and it’s ritzy, privileged crowd and the one, more geared towards her true self, she wears around her father, mother, brother, best friend Elizabeth, and a guy locking her heart down without her permission, Moises.

Pretty in Pink meets the South Bronx it is not. Margot’s dealing with deeper issues than homemade dresses and whether or not she’ll choose Ducky over Blane.

Pros:

1. A Latina character, unsure of herself, while aware she wears two masks society forces her to wear (Another book discussing the masks/code-switching is Piecing Me Together). Can she be her true self around the popular, rich, and white crowd of her prep school while maintaining her roots back in the Boogie Down Bronx, and if so, when will they inevitably collide?

2. Complex issues: Colorism (her dad considers Triguenos bad luck and blanchquitos good luck), drug selling and use, marital affairs, “keeping it real”, classism, gentrification, and one’s place in society are shown.

3. Afro-Latina representation!!

4. A vibrant picture of the Bronx and cultural nuances often ignored.

5. While Margot starts off as vapid, she (view spoiler)

6. Discussion of machismo. My word. I’m glad Rivera discussed as much as she could without becoming too preachy.

7. No insta-love between her and Moises.

8. No real love triangle between her, Moises, and Nick. I’m not counting it as one. Also, don’t count (view spoiler)

9. (view spoiler)

Cons:

1. I knew the outcome of (view spoiler)

2. A little short. Would’ve liked more. Oh well. A little more could’ve been used for a fuller arc, but YA requires shorter time, I suppose.

What baffles me is the low rating on Goodreads. 3.6? This is a fine read, especially for those thirsting for representation by same hands. Bump the rating higher. I recommend this for everyone. 4 out of 5

*This book sits happily on my bookshelf*

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