The river’s gift

BOOK REVIEW

THE RIVER’S GIFT

Author: Ana Alonso | Ana Alonso From the reader report by: Sophie Hofnung

Iwa is trying to hide the fact that she’s got her first period. This is because for the Wayuu, a people living along the border of Venezuela and Colombia, custom dictates that young girls are locked away without seeing any one or any daylight, alone, and only receiving instruction about becoming a woman. Iwa knows that she would not be able to bear this and decides to escape.

El regalo del rio is a short, well-written tale that skilfully combines tradition and modernity by extoling critical thinking, the fight against injustice, emancipation and taking control of one’s destiny - notably for girls – while demonstrating profound cultural respect. The action is situated at the crossroads of two worlds that coexist without ever coming into conflict, the realism is tinged with mystery, the rational spirit is never condescending about ancestral beliefs and there is no demand to deny one’s identity or culture. The bridge that Kai and Iwa eventually build at the end of the novel, so that children can go to school without risking their lives, symbolises this link between cultures and opening up to new knowledge.

PUBLISHED IN NEW SPANISH BOOKS FR

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS ESPAÑA

Title THE RIVER’S GIFT EL REGALO DEL RÍO

Author Ana Alonso Genre Children and Young Adults Pages 72

ISBN 978-84-67373-22-6 Year of publication 2020 Number of editions 1 Language Spanish Spanish retail price 8.60 €

Author’s biography: Ana Alonso is a poet and author of books for children and young adults. In the field of poetry, she has published 9 poetry collections and has been awarded several prizes including the Hiperión prize, the Ojo Crítico, and the Manuel Acuña prize (Mexico). In the field of children’s and young adult literature she has published a number of novels co-authored with Javier Pelegrín among which the most well-known is, I hate pink (Odio el Rosa, Oxford University Press) which won wide recognition both in Spain and internationally. The author has also written several titles alone (more than 200) and her work has received many awards such as the Barco de Vapor, the Anaya, and the Príncipe Preguntón. Her work has been translated into many languages (French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Turkish). She has also translated some classic authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne, Robert Louise Stevenson, and Henry James. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana_Isabel_Conejo

Synopsis: She has left her wayuu village to avoid getting shut up for two years in order to learn how to behave as an adult woman. Iwa is rebelling against her people’s traditions and against the abuse she suffered in the bosom of her family. She will soon discover, however, that there is no prison that can contain the force of women. In another wayuu village she meets Kai, and together they set off to find a solution so that the girls and boys of their settlement don’t have to risk their lives to get to school. The book is centred around the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and looks at the theme of the right to an education and demonstrates the need to fight for gender equality so that all human beings can have the same opportunities and can learn about other cultures and ways of life. This book is printed on 100% recycled paper using vegetable-based ink in order to reduce its environmental impact.

Publisher: Oxford University Press Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. Our mission is to promote the University’s goals of seeking excellence in research and education by publishing worldwide

Publishing rights available from: Company Oxford University Press España S. A. - CIF A78058492 Avda. de Castilla 2, 28830 San Fernando de Henares, Madrid www.oup.es Contact: Miriam Vázquez Blanco [miriam.vazquez@oup.com] Phone: (+34) 639 440 243

Comments: The book is currently under consideration by the United Nations for inclusion in their SDG reading club.