for every collection. School Library Journal, starred review
_ The candid, clear-eyed poetry contains powerful inquiries about [Sarai s] diasporic Nuyorican identity and canny observations about the endemic social and racial inequities that surround her. . . . Together, these vignettes capture Sarai s multilayered, heartbreaking, and hopeful coming of age. Horn Book, starred review
A beautiful story whose deep messages will have lasting effects. Booklist
"With verses that are unapologetically fierce and honest, Elisabet Velasquez captures the Brooklyn city streets with a Nuyorican vibe that can t be duplicated. When We Make it is the perfect coming-of-age tale with rhythmic poetry that is certain to cement Velazquez as an exciting new young adult voice to celebrate." Lilliam Rivera, Pura Belpré Honor-Winning Author of Never Look Back
"The energy. The clarity. The beauty. Elisabet Velasquez brings it all. And takes me home to Bushwick in the most resonate and evocative of ways. The writing is clear-eyed, moving and funny. Her voice is FIRE!" New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson
This is the kind of book that makes you feel seen, the kind you read around the kitchen table to your sisters and friends. It will make you laugh and cry and remind you that you aren t alone. Elisabet s book will touch so many people s lives. It has already touched mine. Angie Cruz, author of Dominicana
Velasquez renders the heart in conflict with itself, the swag and bilingual sonic charge of Bushwick, an uncompromising love, and the reality of being a young Puerto Rican woman, using poetry to make sense of conflict and chaos in her relentless search for truth. When We Make It is an unforgettable debut. Willie Perdomo, author of The Crazy Bunch
