Presents
The Latino writer and
inspirational speaker
Alejandro
Gac-Artigas
and his books
US $ 11.95 ISBN:
1-930879-210 [English-Third Edition, 2004,
pp 112]
Available in Bilingual Edition / disponible
en edición bilingüe
Critiques and Comments:
See below.
and
US $11.95 ISBN
1-930897-288
Interviews with the author at the
age of 12
Click here:
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=alejandro+gac-artigas
To buy Yo,
Alejandro (3rd Ed/English) click on
To buy
Off to Catch the Sun click
on "
To buy/para comprar
Yo,
Alejandro,
bilingual
edition, English/Spanish,
2003, click on/pulse en: "
Go
to Alejandro's
Official WEB Page
 New!
Distinctions
National
Finalist: Axa–Achievement Scholarship in Association with U.S.
News & World Report
Finalist
National Merit Scholarship Program
National
Finalist: Elks National Foundation: 2005 "Most Valuable Student"
Scholarship Competition.
Scholar
National Hispanic Recognition Program for the scores in the PSAT
Hispanic
Heritage Youth Awards, Silver Medal, Journalism, Philadelphia.
AP Scholar
with Honor
Harvard University, Class 2009
New! Princeton
University Certificate of Accomplishment
Princeton Prize in Race
Relations, May 12, 2004
Dear Alejandro:
...your activities and
accomplishments exemplify the kind of effort that the
Princeton Prize is intended to recognize. We thank you for the
wonderful work which you are doing to advance the cause of race
relations.
Congratulations!
Critiques
and Comments: specialists, teachers, students
Yo, Alejandro reviewed in Booklist Magazine, ALA (American Library
Association).
"Completing
this, his first book, before his twelfth birthday is only one of
Alejandro's impressive personal conquests. Sharing his innocent
observations with a staggeringly rich vocabulary, he relates two
primary objectives: to fit in with but stand out among his peers
and to win the respect of his teachers... Alejandro's
observations are sharp, and his writing style is endearingly
rustic.
...a promising young talent who has written a book worth savoring,
even by readers older than the target age group."
Roger
Leslie
Booklist Magazine,
American Library Association, March 1, 2001
Yo, Alejandro is included on the recommended reading lists
of the Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth,
Spring, 2001, opening a new category on the reading lists (5-6 and
7-8 grades) entitled "Published by CTY students".
Yo, Alejandro is included in the databases of ERIC,
Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education; and in ECER,
Exceptional Child Educational Resources
…Yo, Alejandro is
such a tale of poignancy. Twelve year old Alejandro recounts with
youthful tenderness his struggles as a young Latino boy trying to
find acceptance in the Unites states without sacrificing his
cultural heritage. For one so young, he captures the painful and
illogical essence of prejudice. Alejandro's tale is not one of
defeat. His book tells how he achieves success, finds acceptance
as an advanced student, and uses his sorrow to promote equality
not hate.
Yo,
Alejandro… is a book worth sharing. This young boy is
certainly a gifted writer whose work can serve as a model for
other children and can be used to promote cultural acceptance.
His
message to let the people know his story, so that it doesn't
happen again is well delivered.
Recently my
students read it. The lively discussion that it provoked reminded me that
sometimes children see the world far more clear than adults!
Patti Coughlan
Promise, the newsletter of the New Jersey
Association for Gifted Children,
vol. 9 no. 4 spring 2001: 17.
Teachers
I absolutely loved the
book. I found it to be wonderfully poignant, descriptive, and
Alejandro's life experiences contained therein seem to swim
straight into the hearts and souls of all who read this book
Darcy Young, Assistant Principal
Pegasus Charter School, Dallas, Texas
The students thought you were
excellent; in fact, they thought you were AWESOME!! I am glad you
touched [their] hearts and opened their minds to be respectful and
considerate of others regardless of their race, color, or
religion. Alejandro, you have a lot to offer to the world with
your expressive and poetic words and personality. I am certain you
will be successful.
Todd Pisani, Teacher of Spanish, Marlboro Middle School. NJ
Writing a book is a terrific
accomplishment for any young man! Also, you are a wonderful model
for our bilingual students!
Katherine Cooner, Teacher of ESL,
Ocean Township Intermediate School, NJ
You are an inspiration for
the Bradley Children.
Fran Green, Bradley Elementary School, NJ
Alejandro, you have a spirit
of forgiveness that will take you far. Not looking back but ahead
with a positive force is a gift. Thank you for teaching me. You
point out a valuable message.
Mrs. Kubaitis, Knollwood School, Fair Haven, NJ.
Alejandro,
you recall your childhood experiences in a voice that is at once
innocent and wise. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me.
Vanessa Kabash, Knollwood School, Fair Haven, NJ
Students
You manage to inspire me in
ways that no other young man could. Your hard work and dedication
are a driving force in this world. And hopefully your message will
spread like a brush fire.
Navid Faryar, 8 grade, Knollwood, NJ
As you, I also came to this
country when I was three. I knew no English and had to learn
English through the TV. I think your book was very inspirational.
Your book not only showed kids that they are not alone, but it
broke the boundary. You showed the world that kids can write and
print a book, not just adults. I think it's quite amazing that at
your age you wrote and published a book, and you are still working
on ANOTHER!
Vivian Nguyen, Marlboro Middle School, NJ
I can understand what you
went through. My mother and I went through similar things, her
being Cuban and me being half Cuban. It's amazing how cruel people
can be when they mean it as a joke.
Eva San Martin, Marlboro Middle School, NJ
I
think it's great what you did. You have inspired me to keep a
diary.
Sofia, Marlboro Middle School, NJ
I think it would be good if
people will change from reading your book.
Erica, Marlboro Middle School, NJ
I bought your book and you
are my favorite writer in the world. PS: I was the kid in the blue
shirt and blue shorts.
Alberto, Marlboro Middle School, NJ
Alejandro
Gac-Artigas was born in October 22, 1988. He published his first
short story in 1995 when he was a second grade student in
Carrollton, Georgia. His poem "The Other Side of Town" was
published in the literary magazine "Monmouth Review"
from Monmouth University, and he completed Yo, Alejandro, his
first book, in September 2000, a month before his 12th birthday.
With
a remarkable mastery of the English language and with all the tenderness
that only a child can express, in Yo, Alejandro the
author tells us his story as a young Latino boy in the United
States and his struggle for acceptance without losing his
identity.
Year
after year, step by step the author shows us the way that little
by little brought him to stand up firmly in his new country. His
story takes us from laughs to tears, from dispair to hope, defying
our sense of right and wrong.
Magical,
real, poetical, thrilling, joyful and sad, Yo, Alejandro
comes to fill a gap in the literature of our epoch, the story of a
new generation in search of a place to build its future, the
radiography of a society through the incredible fight of a Latino
Boy in his own voice, a voice that gives voice to so many, a voice
that breaks the silence to show the most terrible wounds, the
invisible wounds of the soul, a story that could happen in
everyone's town.
Like
all masterpieces, Yo, Alejandro, emerges from the
sorrow without hate. Only the purity of a child's voice, like the
Little Prince or Anne Frank, can captivate your heart in such a
way. Yo, Alejandro represents a gust of fresh air
in the literature of our times.
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