NEWS & REVIEWS
Praise and News for BREATHE AND COUNT BACK FROM TEN
"Intricate, nuanced, and empowering." — KIRKUS REVIEWS (STARRED REVIEW)
With attentiveness rooted in the author’s lived experience, Sylvester seamlessly explores bodily autonomy and familial expectations through a perceptive protagonist, sharp narration, and complex relationships. Verónica’s progress toward overcoming the boundaries created by family, friends, and society alike is powerful and engrossing." — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (STARRED REVIEW)
"An authentic portrait of a character who wants to be seen for who she is and not the limitations placed on her. . . . From managing dual identities, sexism, and career expectations from her immigrant parents, Vero's warranted anger and sometimes impossible life is one worth rooting for." — BOOKLIST
BREATHE AND COUNT BACK FROM TEN will be published in Poland by Wydawnictwo Kobiece!
"A poignant and powerful story... Real and beautifully relevant." — Laura Taylor Name, New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow
"Breathtaking and utterly original... A tribute to disabled bodies and a vital addition to YA literature." — Lillie Lainoff, author of One for All
"With its deep honesty, hope, emotion, and tenderness, this is a coming-of-age story I will forever hold close to my heart." — Jonny Garza Villa, author of Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun
"A gorgeous, heartfelt exploration of what it means to know and love the body that you have... A shimmering triumph of a book." — Amanda Leduc, author of The Centaur's Wife and Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space
Praise for RUNNING
“Sylvester's YA debut embodies the theme of our decade: to stand up and speak up for what we believe in." — Mahjabeen Syed, BOOKLIST (Starred Review)
"This powerful novel will provoke much discussion on topics like the political machine, youth activism, and environmental justice. Highly recommended for all libraries." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (Starred Review)
Kirkus Reviews calls RUNNING "a timely call to stand up for your beliefs," adding that "Sylvester adeptly delves behind the scenes in political families' lives while presenting the complexity of a young woman realizing that her parents are not the heroes she always believed them to be." — READ MORE
The Guardian spotlights RUNNING as one of the Best Books to Understand Latinx Culture, saying it "investigates the complexities that exist within immigrant communities, rejecting the notion of the community as a monolith." — READ MORE
RUNNING was named a 2020 Junior Library Guild selection! — LEARN MORE
RUNNING is a Mayor's Book Club Selection in Austin, Tx — LEARN MORE
Remezcla chooses RUNNING as one of the 15 Books by Latino and Latin-American authors to add to your 2020 reading list.
Bitch Media chooses RUNNING for its list of feminist and activist YA to read this year. — READ MORE
Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Surrender Tree and Young People's Poet Laureate Emeritus, calls RUNNING “One of the most empowering young adult stories I've ever read. Enjoyable and entertaining, yet also wise and necessary. This is the environmental protest book teens and their teachers have been eagerly awaiting."
"RUNNING is good for the heart! In this smart novel, Natalia Sylvester deftly interconnects family, community and country, examining the ways each can pollute the other when they collide. Through the Ruiz family, she cracks open the power struggles between reality and perception, truth and lies, public and private lives. Her clever writing stimulates the senses and tickles the mind, making this read as thrilling as it is compelling. I couldn’t put it down, start to finish!" — Debbie Rigaud, author of Truly Madly Royally
Praise for EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME
"A novel that is timely, beautifully written, with descriptions and moments so tangible I was utterly immersed." — ROXANE GAY includes EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME in her 2018 year in reading and writing.
"EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME won the International Latino Book Award for Best Latino-Focused Fiction Book of 2018
"Sylvester’s work is less interested in revelations and happy endings... Like her parents’ reasons for immigrating, Everyone Knows You Go Home revels in uncertainty and refuses easy answers." — THE VILLAGE VOICE
Expertly narrated, this timely multigenerational immigrant story explores the unique challenges families face while examining the corrosiveness of secrets and the redemptive power of forgiveness.” — LIBRARY JOURNAL (STARRED REVIEW)
"You know you’re doing something right when Roxane Gay calls your second novel 'beautifully written, tangible, engaging.' In fact, Natalia Sylvester is doing a lot of things right." — GIRLBOSS
“EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME is prescient, tackling issues of family division, the arduous journey of crossing from one country into the next, and the sacrifices we make in exchange for a better future.” — HOUSTON CHRONICLE
"What Sylvester illustrates goes beyond the danger of crossing the border. The novel acknowledges the complexities of birthplace and identity." — SAN ANTONIO CURRENT
"Natalia Sylvester has carved out a place between the living and the dead that will instantly have you hooked." — HELLO GIGGLES
"Though Sylvester's novel delves into strained familial bonds and the traumas of separation (and sometimes of reunification), the book is also incredibly funny." — MIAMI NEW TIMES
"[A] work of magical realism about hope, redemption and final farewells." — PARADE MAGAZINE
"Sylvester urges readers to see beyond trauma and respect the ordinary." — AN INTERVIEW WITH KIRKUS REVIEWS
“The book transitions smoothly from past to present, and Sylvester is in complete control of her story... A forceful record of migration within a family and the dangers and triumphs of our undocumented population.” — KIRKUS REVIEWS
“Full of grayscale moralities, the family’s tale is one of difficult choices and the consequences that follow.” — HARPER'S BAZAAR
“Elegantly constructed, Everyone Knows You Go Home is briskly and evenly paced, clues carefully placed and plot twists seamlessly woven. Her second novel is a rare thing, driven equally by character and plot.” — LONE STAR LITERARY
"Written in lean, uncomplicated prose, Everyone Knows You Go Home paints an elaborate portrait of the before and after of the immigrant story as told by those who journey it... Sylvester refrains from lending a voyeuristic gaze on human suffering and instead writes of trauma as the threshold through which one must pass on the journey toward elsewhere." —THE RUMPUS
"Sylvester memorably depicts the precarious existence and difficult choices that face undocumented immigrants to America. "
"Everyone Knows You Go Home is a gripping tale of family love, sacrifice and secrets revealed." — LATINO BOOK REVIEW
“Fans of Alice Hoffman and Polly Samson will appreciate [Sylvester’s] ability to blend the supernatural with the humdrum, imbuing each character in this droll yet tender novel with wit and warmth.” — BOOKLIST