Overview
Natalia de la Cruz Rivera y Santiago, conocida como Nat, les ganaba dinero en apuestas a los niños del vecindario mientras nadaba en la piscina local de Boyle Heights cuando su vida cambió en un instante. Las L.A. Mermaids hicieron su presentación, emergiendo del agua con sus trajes de lentejuelas, y fue entonces cuando la natación sincronizada le robó el corazón.
¿Cuál es el problema? Que su madre activista y su padre profesor piensan que es un deporte que pone demasiada importancia a la apariencia: ser delgada y blanca. Nat creció siendo la menor en una casa llena de chicos, así que sabe muy bien cómo luchar por lo que quiere, usando su ira como combustible. La gente suele subestimar sus habilidades de natación al ver los rollitos en su estómago, pero ella sabe mejor que nadie que no vale la pena preocuparse por lo que piensan los demás. A veces, se siente más como un submarino que como una sirena, pero se pregunta si podría ser ambas cosas.
Apenas a flote explora lo que significa brillar en tu propia piel, construir una comunidad con personas que te apoyan y seguir flotando cuando las aguas se ponen turbulentas.
ENGLISH DESCRIPTION
A dazzling story full of heart about how one twelve-year-old channels her rage into synchronized swimming dreams, from the author of The Education of Margot Sanchez and Never Look Back, Lilliam Rivera
Natalia de la Cruz Rivera y Santiago, also known as Nat, was swimming neighborhood kids out of their money at the local Boyle Heights pool when her life changed. The L.A. Mermaids performed, emerging out of the water with matching sequined swimsuits, and it was then that synchronized swimming stole her heart.
The problem? Her activist mom and professor dad think it's a sport with too much emphasis on looks—on being thin and white. Nat grew up the youngest in a house full of boys, so she knows how to fight for what she wants, using her anger to fuel her. People often underestimate her swimming skills when they see her stomach rolls, but she knows better than to worry about what people think. Sometimes, she feels more like a submarine than a mermaid, but she wonders if she could be both.
Barely Floating explores what it means to sparkle in your skin, build community with those who lift you up, and keep floating when waters get rough.
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