Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar

Behar, R. (2017). Lucky broken girl. NY: Delacorte

Summary: Ruthie Mizrahi is a young girl who has recently immigrated to the United States from Cube with her family and her new life in Queens, NY. Ruthie has difficulty adjusting to her new school because she is in remedial classes. Ruthie is not dumb but does not speak good English and it therefore placed in remedial classes. She is able to practice English with her friend, Ramu and hopes to do well enough that they take her out of remedial classes and place her in to the "regular" ones. She has a hard time adjusting but understands why her family left; the revolution in her country. Eventually she is moved out of the remedial class but unfortunately Ruthie is involved in a wreck with her father and breaks her leg in multiple place. This leaves Ruthie in a full-body cast and she is bed ridden for months. To keep up with her studies, her family hires her a tutor named Joy. Ruthie witnesses her grandparents and father able to practice their religion freely in their home and her friend Ramu gives her a Shiva statue from his religion. Ruthie becomes frustrated with her situation and is angry with her friends for not visiting. Ruthie is assigned a physical therapist to help with her legs and her parents become stresses due to the financial burden placed on them because of her condition. The story ends with Ruthie being able to walk again with the help of her therapist even though she will have a limp for the rest of her life. Her friend Ramu moves to India and they correspond through letters and Ruthie begins to live her life again.

Strengths: Lucky Broken Girl allows readers to understand the struggle if immigrants that have left their homes due to violence and war in their own country. It also deals with issues of immigrating to a country with a different culture. Culture shock, language gaps and friendships are explored. 

Book Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etCLlFl1jnw

Similar Books:

• Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
• The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya
• The Vulnerable Observer by Ruth Behar

Other books by Ruth Behar:

• Traveling Heavy: A Memoir in Between Journeys
• An Island Called Home: Returning to Jewish Cuba
• Translated Woman: Crossing the Border with Esperanza's Story

LSSL 5385 Requirement Met: Read Lucky Broken Girl