Published by Dial Books
Summary: "Aniana del Mar belongs in the water like a dolphin belongs to the sea. But she and Papi keep her swim practices and meets hidden from Mami, who has never recovered from losing someone she loves to the water years ago. That is, until the day Ani’s stiffness and swollen joints mean she can no longer get out of bed, and Ani is forced to reveal just how important swimming is to her. Mami forbids her from returning to the water but Ani and her doctor believe that swimming along with medication will help Ani manage her disease. What follows is the journey of a girl who must grieve who she once was in order to rise like the tide and become the young woman she is meant to be. Aniana Del Mar Jumps In is a poignant story about chronic illness and disability, the secrets between mothers and daughters, the harm we do to the ones we love the most—and all the triumphs, big and small, that keep us afloat."
My Review: 5/5 Recommendation for Young Readers and Parents of JA Children
Jasminne Mendez’s Aniana Del Mar Jumps In brings an invisible story to life with musicality and understanding. The poems that make up Ani’s experiences from being a youthful and competitive swimmer to burning and throbbing and limping in pain is a reality I know all too well. It is a reality many do not know or take the time to understand the grueling nature of suffering through invisible pain and confusion. The Del Mar family is loving and wants Ani to be her “old self”again, but that “old version” no longer exists. As Ani’s story unfolds, I had to pace myself in the emotional frustrations and grief of the entire Del Mar family because I, too, understand the need to hold onto something that no longer exists as it once did. From Patti’s own childhood trauma of losing her youngest brother to Ani’s own realization that she is no longer without pain; Mendez’s characters are genuine and complex as they journey together through grief and a new reality of childhood illness. The references to the tin man were used authentically by someone who truly understands the physical limitations of stiffness and its immobility. The poem I will find myself going back to is “New Ani.” It reads mantra-like and reveals the cyclical nature of chronic disease… we are a “new” version of ourselves every day and with every new diagnosis that gets thrown our way. As a person who was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis as a young child more than twenty years ago, I didn’t know how much I needed to read Ani’s story.
If I had read this story ten or fifteen years ago, I would have known I was not alone. I did not meet another spoonie until I was eighteen years old, fifteen years after my diagnosis. Thank you, Jasminne, for writing this story and not shying away from the anger and disconnect from the body and family, and the yearning to be seen, heard, and listened to by family and friends. In the end, Ani finds her inner most strength and courage because of her family. I am fortunate enough to say the same about my own family. Listen to your body, and do not be afraid “to speak up, act, and take control” of the changes happening within.
This is a must read for those who want to gain more insight on the physical and emotional experiences of life with a childhood chronic disease, like Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.
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