In 1970s Argentina, political dissent can be fatal. So when Silvia's brother Eduardo is "disappeared" to a secret jail for speaking out against oppressive policies, Silvia knows she must do everything she can to save him. As she begins to date the son of a powerful politician, she imagines telling Eduardo, "I will make him care so much for me that he will ask his father for your freedom." Will Silvia's plan cost her and her brother their lives?
Summary In 1977, many within the Argentinian government have begun to enforce harsh measures on those who attempt to oppose their policies. Eduardo, a university student, joins the ranks of the protestors after one of his professors is “disappeared” by the government. When one of Eduardo’s friends is kidnapped and begins naming names in order to save himself, one of the protest leaders approaches Eduardo and demands that he bomb the house of his friend’s family. Eduardo refuses, and the man turns Eduardo in to the government. Secret police break into Silvia and Eduardo’s house one night and kidnap Eduardo, taking him to a jail where he is tortured. Silvia decides that she must free her brother, even if that means wooing the lecherous son of the cruel General López.
Topics Buenos Aires, Argentina. Secret police. Doctors. Methods of protest. Poetry. Ignoring suffering. Los Desaparecidos (The Disappeared). Taking risks. Prison. Torture. Political essays. Blackmail. Political violence. Modeling. The World Cup. Lying. Severe hunger. Codes. Gauchos. Mansions. Caged birds. Interrogation. Subterfuge. Moral compromise. Memory. Escape. Seville, Spain.
SRC Level 4.700000
SRC Points 9.000000
Lexile 780L
Trim Size 5 1/2" x 8 1/4"
Language English
JLG Release Date Aug 2008
Minimum grade 9
Maximum grade 12
Reading level High
Format Print
Young Adult (Grades 9 & Up)
Young Adult
Young Adult (Grades 9 & Up)
For Grades 9 & Up
Your older teen readers will appreciate the 12 selections in this category, a diverse mix of fiction and nonfiction covering complex issues and more mature content, from crushes and body changes to friendships and sibling rivalry.