Book Review: "With the Fire on High" by Elizabeth Acevedo
“With the Fire on High” by Elizabeth Acevedo
Synopsis: Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago's life has been about making the tough decisions--doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela.
The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.
Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it's not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.
Rating: 4.25
Review: I am embarrassed to admit that I have owned this book since its release, and I only read it last week. I have a massive pile of unread books (it’s actually a little scary), and I had forgotten I bought this one last summer until I started looking for books by Black authors. Elizabeth Acevedo, if you ever see this, I apologize, and I will never again confine one of your books to the bottom of my TBR list.
“With the Fire on High” is the story of Emoni, a teen mom in Philadelphia, living out her senior year of high school. Emma, her daughter, was born the summer after her freshman year, and she’s the light of Emoni’s life. I have only a fur-child, and I feel ill-equipped sometimes to care for her in my mid-thirties, so reading how Emoni balanced high school, romance, college search, and family issues was inspiring. Not only that, it was funny and heartwarming and hunger-inducing — I read this in one sitting, and I regret that it was finished so quickly.
Emoni’s life is anything but easy — she’s trying to figure out how to be a mother and a teenager and also what she wants to do with her life — but one place where everything comes together for her is the kitchen. She’s a preternaturally gifted cook, able to pull together flavors and spices and unusual ingredients in a way that makes people feel big feelings. Did you ever watch the movie “Simply Irresistible”? In my head, Emoni is like the chef there, but without the hallucinogenic fog.
Beyond Emoni, the world that Elizabeth Acevedo created is wonderful and believable, filled with characters that are so multi-faceted. I have never been bi-racial, or gone to a magnet school, or had my grandmother raise me, or come out of the closet in high school, but after reading this, I almost feel like I have. From page 2, I was fully immersed in Emoni’s universe, and even with all of her hardships, it was a lovely place to be.
I had never read anything by Elizabeth Acevedo, but I do have “Clap When You Land” on its way to me from Bookshop right now, and I am so excited for it to arrive. She’s an exceptionally gifted storyteller, with some of the better prose I can remember reading. Emoni’s story was almost lyrical, and that’s even with typical 17-year-old language and cadence.
TL;DR: A book about a teenage mom/wannabe chef that is simultaneously heart-warming and heart-wrenching, in the absolute best way. Fair warning: it will make you want to eat Puerto Rican food and travel to Spain.
If You Liked This, Try These:
“Yes, No, Maybe So” by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Sheed (Bookshop | Kindle)
“Like a Love Story” by Abdi Nazemian (Bookshop | Kindle) - Moira’s review here!
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