Caridad Ferrer Adios to My Old Life

Adios to My Old Life

Caridad Ferrer

MTV, Jul 2006, $9.95

ISBN: 1416524738

Seventeen years old Ali Montero has dreamed of being a superstar Latina performer for years. She is good as evident by how often friends and family ask her to sing and play the guitar. However, without parental permission as she assumes her strict dad would say no, Ali enters the Oye Mi Canto talent search seeking the "Next Latin Superstar".

Shocking herself, Ali makes it to the semifinals of the competition. However, her world has become overwhelming between school, family commands, hiding her secret, and the contest's side demands including interviews and responding to internet fans. Her rivals are nasty competitors who believe in winning at all costs. Ali feels engulfed by it all and begins to reconsider her dream that feels more like a nightmare everyday though she still wants to become a singer but refuses to give up her ethics just to win.

ADIOS TO MY OLD LIFE is an interesting teen character study starring a courageous girl who refuses to compromise on her values to win the competition. This puts her at odds with her opponents who adopt the dictum of Jesse Ventura (the "Body" wrestler persona not the Minnesota governor) that it is not how well you play the game, but how well you cheat. Though the tale takes a bit too long to establish the cast, it is worth the wait as young readers will enjoy this fine contemporary tale that focuses on the price of fame.

Harriet Klausner