A teen mother triumphs in Elizabeth Acevedo’s With the Fire on High
From 9A
Ms Fuentes, her best friend Angelica and her abuela. Angelica actually attacks people who scorned Emoni in school, and makes her alliance with her clear for the whole school to see.
Others are neutral, not seeming to care whether Emoni was a teen mother or not. They are more interested in her as an individual, rather than her circumstances, which became a form of support itself.
Then there are those who greet Emoni with contempt, dismissiveness, or open antagonism. One character tries to weaponize her status as a teen mother to try to curry favour with a boy she liked. Baby Emma’s father was quick to move on from Emoni when she was pregnant and didn’t defend or support her when his parents started spreading rumours about her. Emma’s maternal grandmother – despite not wanting much to do with Emma nor Emoni – even goes as far as threatening to report Emoni and her grandmother for being negligent and possibly slapping her with a custody case after the one time neither Emoni nor her abuela were able to pick up Baby Emma from day care.
Despite this, Emoni refuses to regret or resent Emma. She holds her head high and proudly marches forward despite what people think about her or the difficulties she faces. Through her, Acevedo shows that with community and assistance, teenaged mothers can empower themselves and achieve some of the same goals that their childless contemporaries can. It will be harder, and there may be more sacrifice involved, but if their community gives them a chance, they can.
Conclusion
With the Fire on High was a delight to read, with the experience elevated by the sprinklings of poetic language and mild magical realism Acevedo integrated into the novel. While I mostly felt hungry while reading the book, I also felt hopeful and more empathetic to teen moms, who are just doing their best in their circumstances.
I’d recommend this book to any teenager who’s going through that difficult transitory period between high school and the rest of their life, or teen mothers who are unsure about their own futures. Acevedo shows that they can overcome their difficulties and can take advantage of their inherent gifts to make their mark on the world and care for their families, too.
Want to read more of Acevedo’s work? Check out her novels and poetry:
• The Poet X
• Clap When You Land • Inheritance
• Beast Girl & Other Origin Myths
More interested in Acevedo’s slam poetry? Check out her contributions on SlamFind by scanning the QR code below: