Furia Hardcover – September 15, 2020

Camila Hassan wants to be a futbolera, a soccer star, even though the world stands against her. Her parents do not want her to play soccer, and instead they are supporting her brother in his soccer ambitions. Camila's childhood love, who went on to soccer stardom, is back in town, tempting her to put him first and her dream second. What everyone doesn't realize is that on the field, Camila transforms into La Furia, a terrifying force of nature that devours the soccer field with skill and ferocity. She knows she has what it takes to surpass everybody's expectations of her, and she is not willing to back down for the sake of love or her family's expectations. Her only problem is that she's been keeping her soccer playing from her parents, and her team's qualified for a competition that she needs parental approval to attend. La Furia won't back down from this challenge either.Camila, a.k.a. La Furia, is the star of this amazing story, so I want to talk about her first. Camila is an incredibly strong character who is so fierce, and is not willing to let anyone take advantage of her hard work or take credit for it. She works so hard to improve her soccer skills in order to reach her goal, and I admire that determination. Her relationship with her brother was also very solid, and I liked that he did what he could to help her. Even so, Camila doesn't want to be saved by others, she wants to save herself. I loved how strong she was to defy her parents and reach for her dreams, even though her parents, particularly her father, felt like she should walk a path they set out for her. While I believe it is important for children to be there when possible for their parents, children also do not need to live their lives in their parents' image or for the sole sake of lifting their parents up. Being a parent is not a free ticket to control children, for one day they grow up to make their own future.I loved the symbolism and role that literature played in La Furia's story. Camila speaks of countless stories and female poets from Argentina who open her eyes to the possibilities she can dream about, and pave her way to strive for those dreams. I thought it was moving when Camila passed this inspiration on to Karen, a girl she mentors, so that another girl could find her own dreams and reach for them, just as Camila does. Stories connect us and inspire us to reach into our hearts for the dreams we dare not contemplate on our own, and I was thrilled to see that illustrated so clearly in Camila's life. Camila also longs to study and play soccer in North America, and it was really great for it to be shown that people can love new places for the opportunities and potential they offer, while still holding on to the good things about their original home and culture.You know that feeling when you haven't even finished a book and you already know you want to own it in every format available? That is what I felt as I was reading Furia. I couldn't put this book down and I read it in just one sitting because it was so good! If I could change just one thing, I would ask for this story to be longer, because I felt like I needed more of these characters! All books come to an end, but I would have gladly read countless more pages to stay with these characters. I wish I had been able to read Furia and other books like it when I was growing up, because its message is so wholesome. To read and know that it is okay to choose yourself and your dreams over romance, family, and other people's whims and demands is a powerful message, and one I think all youth (and some adults) need in their lives. It is too often expected of women that love means sacrificing personal dreams and aspirations for the sake of the relationship, but those expectations don't have to be reality. I think it is great to see that stories where the protagonist chooses their dreams and ambitions over romance are becoming more mainstream, not just in the Latinx community, but in general. Too often the misleading fairy tale is sold to people that life is not complete unless there is a love interest, and that narrative isn't true.Furia is a powerful story of a girl reaching for her dreams no matter who expects her to compromise them. Every one of us could take a page out of La Furia's playbook to make fewer compromises as we reach for the stars. Furia earns my highest recommendation as a story of empowerment, aspiration, and the determination to love yourself more than anything or anyone else, and to push yourself beyond your limits to turn your aspirations into reality.

I really enjoyed Furia! The book was exciting, inspiring, and well put together. It drew me in with its characters and story, and I couldn’t put it down! I read the whole book in a night because I had to know what happened. Yamile Saled Méndez did a wonderful job combining romance, family struggles, soccer, and the life of a teenager in Argentina into a well put together and thoughtful book. I loved the way she used Spanish words and phrases in her book to make it more authentic and to remind the reader that they aren’t in America, but in Argentina. It was such a great way to add more culture and authenticity into the book, without taking away from the story or making it hard to understand for those that don’t speak Spanish. It was obvious that she put a lot of thought into this book and how she was going to put it together which was one reason this book was so good. Méndez also created characters and experiences that one could relate to easily which helped to make this book more personal and to keep the reader engaged. This story inspires the reader to not give up on their dreams, to not let others take you away from your dreams, to stand up for yourself, and so many other things. Furia transported me to Argentina and sucked me in from the beginning and is definitely a must-read for anybody looking for an inspiring, romantic, girl power read!

I'm always looking for the kind of feminist read that doesn't shy away from the fact that as a woman, we have to make hard choices in this world. The kind of feminist read that looks the realities of cruelty head on and says, "I will not stand for this." Furia is that read.Throughout the story, Camila chooses to make her own path, without leaning on any of the men in her life, even the ones she loves, like her brother Pablo or her great love Diego. She follows her passion, no matter the cost, and is able to succeed by the nature of her hard work.This is a book with love and heart, one that will challenge you. All the characters in this book are flawed, but this does not make them unlikable; it lends to their strength and vitality. The characters in this book feel real, and you will be rooting for Camila and praying for her success every time you turn the page.Méndez is a clear, beautiful author, who knows how to weave words and paint a world. You can feel the atmosphere of Camila's barrio, you can feel the tension present in Camila's home. This is an excellent debut, and I can't wait to see what else this author can do.

Furia is a great book about a girl named Camila and her struggles to chase her dreams even when those dreams run contrary to the expectations of her family and friends. From the multifaceted characters to the seemingly insignificant details, Yamile Saied Mendez creates a world that feels real and instantly transports readers into the shoes of Camila. To add to the realism, Mendez shows the everyday challenges of her characters in multiple areas including school, soccer, and family. This helps create the depth needed to engage readers and to link the story to larger issues such as abuse and women’s rights. The story has a fast pace and keeps readers glued to the page as we follow Camila down her path to achieve her dream of playing professional soccer, which is filled with unexpected twists and turns. One of the things that I like the most about this book is that while the ending would still be considered happy, it’s not perfect. In order to achieve her dream Camila must make significant sacrifices and not everything goes according to her original (or even her back-up) plan. Despite these setbacks, Camila continues to pursue the path she wants in life and doesn’t allow the expectations or desires of others keep her back from her dream. Mendez has created a book that is perfect for all the incorrigible women in the world that reflects the sacrifices so many have made to pursue their while also showing that there is hope for those of us that are still on that journey even when the going is hard.

Amazing book, took me right home. It explains the complexity of gender in futbol and in society, specifically in Argentina; without missing the thrill in the story. The way she describes moments, feelings, situations, is mesmerizing. I loved it!

I highly recommend this book............

I felt her pain, her dreams, her hope against all odds and shared in her disappointments. The love that Diego had for her was magnificent. I realise that being a teenager he was impulsive in expecting her to run with him. However it came from a place of love but also from the weight of his education and culture where men are supposed to be the knight in shining armor and where men and women are not equal. The money component also put a weight on expectations. He was a rich and successful football player and society just wouldn’t understand how she would say no and choose hardship instead. To be fair and it’s probably my biggest issue with the book, Camilla expected Diego to understand things that she never voiced. She never even mentioned playing, he found out on his own. How could he know how important it was to her? Instead of talking to him she tried to push him away. As for the secondary characters, I was disappointed in Roxanna at one point. Why was she so upset about Diego? Cutting Camila off was childish but then again she’s a teenager (a upper middle class one) who couldn’t really relate to a lot of Camila’s struggles. She just couldn’t understand how deep Diego and Camila’s bond was beyond love. It was created through hardship and therefore almost sacred. As for her mother, it was so sad to witness how beaten down she was, with all her broken dreams and years of physical and emotional abuse. The one who really disappointed me the most though was Pablo. After growing up in this household, it was sad to see that he couldn’t break the cycle. Getting tangled up with all the trappings of a young football player including the underage pregnant gold digger. I would have really hoped that he would have been closer to Camilla but instead he seemed to be like his father with his “ideas” and expectations. Even his behavior with Diego and Camilla wasn’t supportive but instead dismissive and cutting. His jealousy of both their talents and Diego’s money was off putting. How dare he say that “the family needs money” when from what I could see he wasn’t helping her financially. He didn’t even come to see her off before she left for the States. The book ended far too abruptly though. I hope there will be a sequel. I would love to see her come into her own, triumph both on and off the field. As an aside, this book gave me Bend it like Beckham (English movie) vibes.