Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez – Book Review

Title: Furia Author: Yamile Saied Méndez Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers Release Date: September 15, 2020

Camila Hassan lives in two different worlds in Rosario, Argentina. At home, she endures the crushing and antiquated expectations of her family while living in the shadow of her soccer star (fútbol) brother and abusive father. On the pitch, she is a powerhouse fútbol player, La Furia, that possesses a rare talent that could put her life on a soaring trajectory. That is if she can overcome the oppressive forces that aim to keep her – and many other girls like her – under the thumbs of men. Camila also must navigate a budding romance she reignites with Diego, a famous international fútbol star that plays overseas. As Camila’s passion for the field and passion for Diego heats up, the pressure of keeping secrets comes to a boiling point. While a seemingly impossible feat, Camila seeks to find a way to pursue her dreams of playing fútbol in North America with her parents’ permission, maintain her relationship with Diego, and overcome society’s prescriptive expectations for her. Only time will tell if the passion of Furia will help her succeed.

Furia, by author Yamile Saied Méndez, immerses readers in the nuances of Argentinian culture. The story is vibrant, gritty, exciting, and passionate. Young adult readers will fervently cheer for Camila as she overcomes countless conflicts to achieve her dream. Despite several chances to choose an easier and wealthier, albeit submissive path, Camila stays true to herself, demonstrating an incredible maturity. Readers will surely draw on her strength and feel empowered by it. While some may balk at the romance and others rejoice in it, the inclusion of Camila’s love life provides moments of authentic respite in an otherwise fast-paced, gritty tale. Author Yamile Saied Méndez takes time to peel back the layers of society’s subjugation of women, building palpable drama that will keep readers up all day or night to find out how Camila’s story will end. Furia is a formidable tale, celebrating the strength, perseverance, and talent of young girls and women everywhere.

Educators must, at minimum, include Furia on their classroom bookshelves for their young adult readers. The novel would be a fantastic edition to literature circles that explore how female protagonists, especially written by #ownvoices authors, overcome society’s inhibitive expectations about what it means to be “female.” It presents an opportunity to enhance a cross-curricular study of the history of women’s rights. Paired with novels set in different parts of the world, Furia also would lend itself to a rich, illuminating experience for students as they synthesize across texts to explore the intersection of power and gender norms, among many other potential topics.

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and publisher, Algonquin Young Readers, for an eARC of this book.

Classroom Applications

• Literature Circles – Use the novel as part of a study of women and society or women’s rights.
• Book Club or Book Exchange – Share the novel with students that enjoy reading #ownvoices literature and realistic fiction set in different countries/cultures.

Nonfiction Connections

The list below outlines topics that will enrich your students’ understanding of the novel.

• Women’s Rights Issues
• History of Women’s Soccer
• Argentina – History, Culture

Book Companions

The following are great books to pair with Furia. In parenthesis are the specific aspects students could explore when synthesizing across the texts.

• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (Character Connections, Themes, Nonfiction Connections)
• I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez (Character Connections, Themes, Nonfiction Connections)

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