Oyinda Loves Books

Title: Furia

Author: Yamile Saied Méndez

Narrator: Sol Madariaga

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 

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Oh my sweet, lovely, fierce, determined, ambitious Camila. I’m so proud of and in love with Camila’s character. And we happen to share a birthday! How random and amazing is that?! Furia is an awesome feminist YA book that’s just so inspiring, a bright light in the midst of so much darkness. 

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This is a book about hope, dreaming, and making your own way different from the one that’s always been carved out for you.

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The characters in this book were really something. In Camila’s nuclear family, there was an abusive dad. a timid and tired mom, an overexploited brother, and Camila, the daughter whose path has been carved out for her. Camila’s dad is verbally and physically abusive. has no respect for boundaries, and rules the home with a tight fist. Camila and her mom have it worst, but I feel like her brother must have also suffered a lot under the pressure and exploitative nature of his father. In Camila’s school and football team, there’s her amazing best friend, and the ever supportive coach who always pushes Cami to be the best. Thanks to the coach, so many opportunities are open to Camila and the other girls on the team. Diego, Camila’s love interest is another interesting character. As a Juventus FC superstar, he and Cami have a complicated relationship that’s beautiful and to me, seemed a bit problematic (the author dealt with this in a very good way).

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Camila has to keep her football career a secret from her parents, and this is one of the plot points in this book. It is in very striking contrast to her brother’s career, which is exalted by all and sundry. Camila has to live in the shadow of her parents showing off her brother’s football skills knowing that they will never accept hers.

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Feminism was also a very resounding theme in this book and it permeated many layers of this story. I loved the evolution of Camila’s relationship with her mother, and how that led to other developments in their family. There was a backdrop of violence against women and girls in this book, and it was highlighted in how Cami couldn’t walk home alone at night, the domestic violence at home, and the girls and women that went missing and ended up dead.

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Football was at the heart of this book, and since it was set in Argentina, there were many mentions of Lionel Messi, my all time favorite football player.

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The ending was absolutely beautiful. I really recommend this beauty of a book.

Synopsis

An #ownvoices contemporary YA set in Argentina, about a rising soccer star who must put everything on the line—even her blooming love story—to follow her dreams.

In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life.

At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father.

On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university.

But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her.

The Author

Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) is a fútbol obsessed Argentine-American. She’s the mother of 5 kids and 2 adorable dogs. Yamile’s an inaugural Walter Dean Meyers Grant recipient, a graduate of Voices of our Nation (VONA) and the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Writing for Children program.

She’s represented by Linda Camacho, from the Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency.