I would like to share a new book with you called I Hunt For Stars Alone by Ricardo Quintana-Vallejo (Author) this book is for adults and has mature content inside the book. I received a PDF Copy of the book from the Author and Voracious Readers in exchange for this review. Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the items you purchase.
I Hunt For Stars Alone centers on a teenage boy from Mexico and his immigration to the U.S. The narrator (the protagonist as an adult) illustrates out hero navigating his new world in the Midwest America in the early 2000s. As the story progresses, he must figure out how to deal with bigotry, a new stepfather, and a dissolving relationship with his brother. To overcome these challenges, he turns to music, books, movies and a few good friends. Still, he’s faced with obstacle after obstacle, wins and loses, tiny victories and big mistakes.
The Author uses free verse and sonnets, which at first turned me off but the more I read of the story the more I realized what was going on, and the verses and sonnets seemed very fitting for the story being told. The Author brings us both immigrant and queer communities and touching on queer communities I know a lot of my friends wouldn’t want to read the book because of the queer aspect and at one time that would have been me as well.
With the world changing and being a mom I need to know more about these communities and how they affect people so I can make sure my son is informed and isn’t blindsided. I would like to thank the Author for bringing this to the forefront and I plan on sharing the book with Charlie so we can discuss what happens in the story.
Meet the Author: Ricardo Quintana-Vallejo
Born in Mexico City, Ricardo Quintana-Vallejo is a Professor of English at Rhode Island College. He researches the representation of diaspora and migration in contemporary literature. His academic titles include “Children of Globalization” (Routledge 2021) and “Growing Up in the Gutter: Diaspora & Comics” (Arizona UP 2024). He also wrote the novel “I Hunt for Stars Alone” (North Meridian Press 2024). @ric_in_rhody
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
