The Color of My Words by Lynn Joseph

The Color of My Words
By: Lynn Joseph

This weekend I finished reading this book by Lynn Joseph and I enjoyed every. single. word. of. it! The book is set in a seaside town in the  Dominican Republic and is told from the perspective of Ana Rosa Hernandez, a twelve-year old girl who dreams of being a writer.

Ana Rosa's handsome older brother, Guario, is her hero and he supports the family with his job at a Cafe. Her mother quietly encourages Ana Rosa to follow her dreams, even though she worries about her writing. This passage explains it well:

  "You are this river, Anna Rosa," she whispered. "But you must flow softly around the rocks on your way to meet the sea. There you can do as you wish."
  Mami's words were gentle. But her brown eyes were slits of worry like moon slices on a dark night. There was no happiness in the smile she gave me. 
  Many days and nights I thought about Mami's words. But no matter how I turned them or shook them or chased them from my mind, they always came back telling me the same thing. Mami was scared.
  Mami did not have to tell me what everyone on my Island knows. And what I know too.
  Writers have died here. At least those brave enough to hurl words at our government.
  "But Mami," I whispered as I hugged the wall between my bed and hers, "I write poems and stores."
  And in the hot, sticky darkness I heard Mami's answer, "Sometimes it is better to keep those things inside- for a while."

Ana Rosa faces many challenges and struggles in the story and you would have to read it to find out more. In the end, the reason I enjoyed it was the beautiful language that the author used to describe settings and feelings. She uses simple but powerful language in her descriptions and I could just see the people and places described.  For example, she describes what she sees when she is sitting up in her beloved gri gri tree:
I could see the river, meandering over rocks, hungry for rain. Far off in Puerto Plata, I could see Mount Isabel de Torres, a green giant with mist white curls dancing 'round her head.

The Kirkus Review calls it "An achingly beautiful story." The Horn Book quotes it as  "Poetically structured, vividly imagined". If you like a story about family, growing up, following your dreams, and transforming the world around you with the power of words, then this might just be the book for you!
Ages 10 and Up- If you want to read it, check in the library or you can borrow my copy!