Time Capsule
It’s the early 80s in Los Angeles, California. M*A*S*H is the sitcom of the day and the streets have been torn up to add sidewalks. Karleen Pendleton Jiménez takes readers back to a time where disputes were solved by slinging mud balls at each other and if you needed to find information you used the microfilm machine at the library in The Street Belongs to Us, illustrated by Gabriela Godoy.
Alex and Wolf are best friends. Each of them has lost a parent and they are each other’s rocks. When Wolf’s mom died he started wearing only army fatigues and when Alex’s dad left, her older brother began to resent her, saying it was all her fault.
The Street Belongs to Us gave me some serious Wonder Years vibes. I really loved just being in the story and living with Alex and Wolf for the time. This story is the story of friendship, of life’s good times and bad times and the enduring comfort of friendship.
There were so many amazing moments that stood out. Alex’s nana reliving the Mexican Revolution, Alex and Wolf walking through the wash on the way to the swap meet, and the front yard war all combined to make this story an experience. The heartbreaking moments were eased by the kindness the friends show to each other. Wolf and Alex accept each other as they are. Alex is not quite sure how she identifies and is horrified by the growing breast buds she can feel beneath her skin. Wolf has had some trouble at school and even with the police. They are each other’s ride or die. There is a beautiful moment when Alex and Wolf are in the wash and talking about Alex’s growing breasts where Wolf provides so much comfort and insight to Alex, saying just the right thing to comfort her.
Another aspect of the story I really loved was that Karleen Pendleton Jiménez never over explains things. There are allusions to happenings in the past that’s are not fully explained which may frustrate some readers but I found it made the story that much ore intimate. She includes the reader as if they have grown up with Alex and Wolf and know the backstory, they are already part of the team.
We don’t have many books written by Canadians from a Mexican perspective. I loved the history lesson within the pages. We learn through Nana about the Mexican Revolution and the history of the Mexican people in California especially, which mirrors the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Readers will connect with the similar histories which creates so much more empathy and inclusion.
The Street Belongs to us is a time capsule of sorts, addressing topics that continue to be relevant even into the 2020s, and showing readers how childhood has changed but in the same breath, remains the same. This is an incredible story that many readers will be able to connect with.
