Gabi: A Girl in Pieces

1. Bibliography
Quintero, I. 2014. Gabi: A Girl in Pieces. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN 9781935955955

2. Summary
Gabi: A Girl in Pieces tells the story of Gabriela (Gabi) who is a senior in high school dealing with ordinary high school experiences (enjoying her last year in high school with friends, first loves, and body issues). Along with these experiences, Gabi also has to deal with living at home and facing Mexican stereotypes. What Gabi didn't expect to deal with during her senior year was her best friend Cindy getting pregnant from rape, her other best friend Sebastian coming out to his family and being kicked out of his home, gaining a new member of the family (a baby brother), her father's accidental death caused by a meth overdose, and not being able to walk in her graduation because of a fight she caused with Cindy’s rapist, German. Throughout it all, Gabi finds comfort in food, poetry and her first love, Martin; and, after overcoming all obstacles, Gabi learns that although things may not go as she once planned, in the end, everything will work out the way it is supposed to.


3. Discussion

I enjoyed reading this book from beginning to end. It was one that I did not want to put down. I found it funny how Quintero would describe Gabriela, Gabi, as the “fat friend”; and, being Hispanic, I was also able to relate to a lot of the scenarios that are described, whether it be to the food they eat, or the Hispanic men's “machismo” lifestyle.

Although this book is fiction, I would say it would fall under the umbrella of realistic fiction because, as stated in chapter 11, realistic fiction can discuss topics, such as “death and loss, sexuality and sexual orientation, changing family structures” and more taboo type topics. Gabi: A girl in Pieces discusses all of these topics plus the taboo topics of rape and drug abuse, which can all be realiable (realistic) topics for many readers.

4. Connections

This book would be great to discuss in a middle school/high school setting. Some of the language used, the topic of rape, and the abuse of drugs may be difficult to discuss in the middle school area, but it should be acceptable in the high school level. There are chapters (diary entries) where rape isn’t discussed, and teachers can use those enteries to discuss other aspects of the book. For example, topics of living in a Mexican family where the women are held with strict rules and having to do all the work while the men of the family have everything done for them are included in the novel. Along with this, Hispanic/Mexican students will be able to relate to the living situations and the stereotypes that Gabi goes through with her brother, Beto, which can be great topics to discuss in a classroom setting.


Another topic that would be good to discuss in a classroom setting is how Gabi struggles with body issues and binge eating on food to find comfort.