Lucila se llama Gabriela. (Lucila is Called Gabriela)

By staff -- Críticas, 2/15/2007

Gr 4-6–The truly inspirational story of a Chilean country girl born into poverty who grew up to be the first Latin American to win a Nobel Prize in literature. This cultural gem documents the struggles of Gabriela Mistral, born Lucila Godoy, in an era when provincial attitudes disdained unmarried, independent women. At the age of 14, Gabriela turned to teaching as a decent means of supporting herself in a family without male kin. Disenfranchised from mainstream society, her teaching assignments were relegated to schools in remote locales where she relished her pupils, but met with the hostility of adults. Committed to working for social justice by educating women, children, and the working poor, Mistral forged ahead. Archival photos and snippets of her writing enhance the collaged illustrations. The book includes some of her poems and also footnotes of all quotations. Highly recommended for grade schools and public libraries serving a Hispanic population—Gisela Norat, Associate Professor of Spanish, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA