‘RETRO’

Aurora Dominguez

If you’re interested in thrillers with secrets and betrayals that have Riverdale vibes, then check out “Retro” by Jarrod Shusterman and Sofía Lapuente.

WHAT DOES “READING WITH PRIDE” MEAN TO YOU?

Sofía: For me Reading with Pride means you’re reading with an open mind. It’s reading without judgment, no matter what color, class, creed, sex, or gender your characters may be representing. And it’s closely related to the sensation I feel when I write with pride. It’s about having the courage to be unabashedly yourself, whatever that may mean. It’s about not putting characters in boxes, or typecasts. They always say that writing is the art of “exclusion;” where there are a thousand ideas you could have and you have to choose the right few. And all though that may be true technically, I like to see it as the art of "inclusion" where everyone should read and feel represented in some way in our work! Writing is raising your unique voice — and that’s why there’s much Hispanic representation and LGBT representation.

WHY DO YOU FEEL REPRESENTATION OF A VARIETY OF PEOPLE IS SO IMPORTANT WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING BOOKS?

Sofía: For us it is cardinal. Instead, because the very diverse world that I live in is LGBT and Hispanic rooted I felt an obligation to bring my culture to YA literature, because it is just so underrepresented. I love to break stereotypes, and I hate it when people try to categorize me or put me in a box. And as an adult it’s nice to be seen and heard and feel like you’re there in the pages or included in the conversation. But where it really matters is for young people. To believe that they can be that superhero. Because as authors, it’s our job to make you empathize and connect with characters, and we have many tricks to get you to do it. That way the character becomes a conduit for your experience, and you really feel like that is you. When we cut adults off from that it’s sad because it’s a failed opportunity to connect and communicate (which is our main job) but when you go out of your way to deprive young people of the chance to connect and feel represented, it’s just cruel. This is why in "Retro" we feature characters across the entire spectrum of life!

WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT FROM “RETRO”?

Jarrod: You can expect a really light-toned, FUN thriller with twists and turns, lies, secrets, and betrayals. But you can also expect to fall in love with a ton of characters.

Spirituality