"And sure, everyone talked about how ~resilient~ I was...
but is it surviving when it's other people holding you up?"

Happy Pub Day to my amazing friend @andreabeatrizarango and this beautiful book Iveliz Explains It All! I am so grateful that this book exists and my heart is so full after reading it and sobbing at the end.

This book is full of big feelings and so much heart. The prose is beautiful and cuts so deep. Iveliz has a way of just cutting through all the tough layers of humanity and exposing what lies deep within when we are bold enough to name our feelings, use our voice and learn to fight for ourselves by allowing others in. Even as I write this I have tears in my eyes because I saw so much of myself and people I know in Iveliz. Iveliz takes you on a journey and shows you what it looks like to find your way back from the loss of grief and what hope and possibility look like when you take chances not only on yourself, but others. This book is pure perfection in the ways that it highlights youth and mental health and how important it is to listen more and judge less. 

There was so much to love about this one but these are just a few highlights:
🇵🇷 Puerto Rican representation & Spanglish
🇵🇷 stigma of mental health in latinx community
🇵🇷 pressures & expectations placed on youth to always be resilient and bounce back
🇵🇷 the ways that professionals & adults fail youth struggling with mental health
🇵🇷 healthy communication in middle school friendships
🇵🇷 the grief process from a young person's perpsective 
🇵🇷 the willingness to be vulnerable and ask for help and love
🇵🇷 the importance of naming & verbalized thoughts and feelings
🇵🇷 how racism & daily microaggressions contribute to self esteem and mental health issues
🇵🇷 the importance of native language to identity & pride in community

I can go and on about why this book is so important and adds so much depth to the Puerto Rican experience but I can't stress enough how crucial it is that you support this book and request it everywhere. I read this as an adult and I cried so much because in some ways I have been and still am Iveliz. There are so many young people that will relate too.

Thank you @andreabeatrizarango for sharing this gift of your words and story with me. I am so so proud of you and all the "heart" work you put in to bring this story to the world. It is one that I will forever keep close to my heart and be excited to share with friends and loved ones. I already know some young people who will be blessed by your book. For all the educators and adults who work with young people, you NEED this book in your libraries. If you're #boricua run and experience this one for yourselves. Your heart will thank you.