Efrain's Secret

Publishers Weekly

Adult author Quintero (Divas Don't Yield) delivers an in-your-face YA debut, a passionate polemic on racial politics in urban America. Couched in an explosive morality tale, the story is narrated by a driven high school senior in the South Bronx with the odds stacked against him (“...although I'm very smart, I'm too brown and too poor. In other words, I could never be smart enough”). To raise money for an Ivy League education, Efrain resorts to selling drugs (“I'm tired of being the good boy who never has anything to show for it.... Doing the right thing is supposed to be its own reward, but that's not enough to pay my tuition”). His efforts to justify his choice, understand his actions, and come to terms with myriad unforeseen consequences—especially after he gets caught—are felt on every page. Relevant SAT vocabulary words (like “pittance” and “apprehend”) begin each chapter, and seamlessly interwoven subplots, including Efrain's complex connection to his philandering father and his evolving relationship with Candace, a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, make the story that much more emotionally resonant. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)

From the Publisher

"A gritty and well-written novel . . . this stands out in the field of young adult urban novels and will be as appealing to readers as it is accomplished."
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

"Quintero delivers an in-your-face YA debut, a passionate polemic on racial politics in urban America."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"It is Quintero’s effortless grasp of teen slang that gives her first-person story its heart."
—Booklist (starred review)

Children's Literature - Patricia Williamson

This is a coming-of-age novel in the same vein as Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers but with a grown-up edge to the story. This book follows the life of Efrain who must, based on his circumstances, make some very difficult life decisions. Efrain wants to go to college and has a dream of life outside his current surroundings. He decides to make some money on the side to help out his family and in doing so sets himself up with a drug lord.. Efrain gets more and more involved in selling drugs, to the point that he can not get out without the fear of retaliation against his family and friends. His situation seems hopeless, but maybe there is a light at the end of his tunnel...you will have to read to find out. This book is not for those who are looking for an easy emotional read. It is very intense and often graphic about the world of those who choose drug dealing. It does not deal with the situation lightly and shows the reality of life for those who do get caught up. Efrain is a typical, dream-filled high school student whose aspirations for things greater than himself get interrupted by some extremely wrong, for what he thinks are the right reasons, choices that he makes. The story does not let him go into the situations lightly nor does it let him escape the consequences. Reviewer: Patricia Williamson

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up—Efrain, 17, is the pride of his Bronx high school. He's respected by students, teachers, and family, and will probably make valedictorian. He tutors failing students after school. He wants to be the first Latino mayor of New York. If he can get his SAT scores up to 2200, he (we're meant to believe) has a shot at Harvard. His guidance counselor thinks he won't cut it at an elite school with his inner-city education, so he shouldn't bother applying. His divorced parents are poor and he knows dealing drugs is the only fast way to make tuition money. So starts an excruciating 50 pages of should he or shouldn't he, followed by 100 more of the slow buildup to Efrain's de rigeur arrest and tailspin. Quintero has an exacting ear for street slang, and despite the occasional expository creak, her dialogue sings. She has an obvious affection for her narrator, yet he never surprises readers. Nestor, his longtime friend and drug-dealing mentor, is more creatively realized. The last quarter of the book is action-packed and emotionally potent—it's a shame that the lead-up is so painstaking. The far-fetched premise—that Efrain feels he must deal to make tuition—calls Quintero's entire narrative into question. Even the worst guidance counselor has heard of student loans, let alone top Ivy League tuition waivers for poor students. Middle school teens, however, may relate to the novel's strong characters and gritty, if contrived, situations.—Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library

Kirkus Reviews

Efrain Rodriguez, on track to be valedictorian at Pedro Albizu Campos High School in the South Bronx, is determined to break the barriers that have kept other low-income students out of ultra-selective universities such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Quintero, aka Black Artemis, author of urban fiction for adults, realistically and painfully depicts an Afro-Latino teen who has everything he needs to succeed. He is smart and handsome, and he feels love blossoming when he meets Candace, a Katrina survivor and exile from the South. But he is caught between his aspirations and his undeniable poverty, and very few encourage him to pursue his dream. In her YA debut, the author cleverly uses challenging SAT vocabulary words and their meanings to head each chapter and direct its theme; the word "repudiate - (v) to reject, refuse to accept" describes the grief of Efrain's mother when she discovers what he is secretly doing to earn money, for instance. Both Spanish and urban African-American vernacular dialogue add credibility to this innovative novel that is sure to spark discussion among students who are pondering their options. (Fiction. YA)