Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman

Dani's life will never be the same again.

After a terrorist attack kills Dani's aunt and unborn cousin, life in Argentina - private school, a boyfriend, a loving family- crumbles quickly. In order to escape a country that is sinking under their feet, Dani and her family move to the United States. It's supposed to be a fresh start, but when you're living in a cramped apartment and going to high school where all the classes are in another language - and not everyone is friendly- life in American is not all it's cracked up to be. Dani misses her old friends, her life. Before. In addition, she must deal with an angry father who seems more like a stranger every day.

Just when Dani is about to break, she meets a boy named Jon, who isn’t like all the other students. Through him, she becomes friends with Jessica, one of the popular girls, who is harboring a secret of her own. And then there’s Brian, the boy who makes Dani’s pulse race. In her new life, the one After, Dani learns how to heal and forgive. She finds the courage to say goodbye and allows herself to love and be loved again.   

 

 "Life, After" is a good book to recommend to Hispanic female students or students who may have immigrated to the United States from other countries. Dani is a sophomore girl from Argentina. When "The Crisis" hits the country her family as well as thousands of others are forced into poverty. Dani's family decides to move to New York and essentially start their lives over again. Dani must say goodbye to her boyfriend, Roberto, her best friend, Gaby, and the culture of Buenos Aires. At her new school, she must learn fluent English, overcome persecution/bullying, and help her father overcome his depression. The book covers a wealth of various types of conflicts. It is entirely school appropriate and I loved the use of foreign language throughout. There is so much students can learn about Argentina, 9/11, and the struggles immigrants face.  This title can be found in Mrs. Brown's classroom library.