Ribbons of the Sun by Harriet Hamilton

Grade 8 Up–Rosa, 12, lives with her family in a small Indian village in Mexico. She wants desperately to visit the city and prays to her gods that she might travel there with her father. After the crops fail, he takes her to Santa María, but her dreams are shattered when he sells her into service as a servant. When the patron sexually abuses Rosa, she believes she has dishonored her family. She soon becomes pregnant and is turned out onto the street. Struggling with spiritual as well as physical survival, she decides to end her life, but must first find a safe place for her baby. She arrives at a mission where she remains. With the staff's help, she searches for identity, learns to solve her own problems and care for Flor, gains self-confidence, and develops the skills needed to make a future for herself and her daughter. Hamilton does not flinch from describing the harsh realities of Rosa's life. She is a fully realized character who experiences despair over the conflict between her people's traditional ways and city life. Cultural details are smoothly woven into the story. At times lyrical, the writing depicts social problems frankly, without sensationalizing or oversimplifying. Based on fact, this compelling story brings attention to issues of child exploitation and abuse and fosters a deeper understanding of the dilemmas faced by many young people across the globe.–Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PA
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• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 159 pages
• Publisher: Brown Barn Books (October 31, 2006)
• ISBN-13: 978-0976812623

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