Lupe Lopez has a big dream - to be the first in her family to graduate high school and earn a softball scholarship. But when she and her best friend Penny discover they're short on required community service hours, Lupe's college dreams are in jeopardy. Reluctantly, Lupe volunteers at the Villa Santa Barbara retirement home. There she meets Mr. Ramirez, a baseball fanatic who introduces her to the ghost of Hall of Famer, Roberto Clemente and teaches Lupe about empathy and the importance of community. At the same time, Lupe's softball team is on a losing streak, putting their chances of earning scholarships at risk. The pressure builds as Lupe also struggles to support her brother after an accident. Throughout this coming-of-age story set in 1990's Santa Barbara, Lupe grapples with her identity as a Latina athlete and the expectations placed on her both on and off the field. With memorable characters and themes of family, friendship, and perseverance, Lupe Throws Like a Girl is a heartwarming young adult novel that reminds us of the power of sports to unite people. If you love stories of self-discovery, the bonds of community, and the challenges faced by young women in sports, you'll be captivated by Lupe's journey. Join her as she learns the true meaning of strength, empathy, and achieving one's dreams against all odds.
Dr. Perez Ferguson is a cross-cultural educator and consultant. Her fiction brings to life the voices of California inhabitants living 200 years ago. She has twice won the Best YA Fiction Award from the San Francisco Writers Conference, 2021 and 2022.
Regarding Broken Promises:
"The tightly wound plot flows effortlessly from one moment to the next.... readers will find themselves inspired by the future Sparrow creates for herself and those around her." — Kirkus Reviews
Her non-fiction promotes the voices of under-represented communities in the twenty-first century. This earned her the 2014 Lacayo Lifetime Achievement Award from the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute. She is an Advisor and Former Chair for the InterAmerican Foundation and a former Visiting Lecturer for the Council for Independent Colleges. She enjoys living and writing on the Pacific coast.
When a family falls apart, or goes through an unplanned transition, many turn to creativity to support their survival. I call it Make Do Resilience. This portion in Lupe Throws Like A Girl speaks to this special skill employed by Lupe's mother who is a new widow, and the mother of two teens, one of whom is in the hospital.
This story speaks to those who know what it is like to scramble for resources and opportunities. It also informs those who have never felt the weight of want.
Lupe Throws Like A Girl is available here at Bublish.com and other major outlets.
I also invite you to visit my weekly newsletter, Diverse Voices - Bravo! where I introduce other Latinx authors and their stories each week. See it at anitatperezferguson.substack.com
Book Excerpt
Lupe Throws Like A Girl
Mama drove the Chevy to the hospital for the next two days, and they spent all day with David. The car was one way that Lupe and her mama could still feel close to Papa. He rebuilt the classic 1957 sedan with parts he collected from the junkyard when Lupe and her brother were in grammar school. He never seemed to worry about money, like Mama. “We can just use what we have, our family and the brains God gave us,” Papa used to say. Sure enough, Mama hand-stitched the seat covers with remnants from a local upholstery shop. The car’s patchwork paint job, not classic but inexpensive, made the car unmistakable with three tones of green set off by black accent stripes.
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