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Desirée Calderón de Fawaz is the winner of the 2018 Middle East Book Award for her children’s book Tata’s Earrings (Los Aretes de Tata). Now, the former microbiologist brings us her debut novel Quetzalli’s Last Song, an adventure based on experiences from her unconventional Mexican childhood. In this novel, Desirée is determined to combat the misrepresentation of her cultures through Brum Hesles: a stressed, witty, female protagonist that will surely leave readers of POC works yearning for more.
Desirée now lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and three children. When not negotiating peace amongst quarreling chaneques, she practices yoga, learns herbology, and enjoys challenging what you think you know about the world.
Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite
Brum Hesles: Keeper of Resonance by Desiree Calderon de Fawaz is the story of a young girl who learned the hard way that she must be her own hero if she wanted to reunite her family. Brum Hesles was a biracial girl living happily at home. However, that peace was about to be shattered with President Orain’s third term as President. Her fate was to go to a concentration camp, but her luck was good. Her family came in contact with Unity Forces, a resistance group that helped them reach the safety of her great-aunt’s home. Brum, her siblings, and her mother had to leave her father behind because they had no option. But would Brum do something about that if she had a choice? At the house of her great-aunt, she came across a key that might be the answer to all her troubles. However, would she look closer into it and try to get her father back?
Brum Hesles: Keeper of Resonance by Desiree Calderon de Fawaz was a whole experience. The colorful pictures, the sensory descriptions, and details of Brum’s life had me hooked to the book. This is a detailed and descriptive novel, one that takes the reader one step further into the story slowly but surely so that you miss nothing. I’ll be honest, I was not expecting it to be this entertaining. It was the images and the chapter names that drew me in at first, but later it was Brum that held my attention. Brum was surprisingly smart and mature for her age. She adapted to situations well, she wasn’t afraid of trusting new people and making friends. She had a special bond with Tara and the mystery behind the discoveries she made in the house was incredible. I was lost in the pages. I wanted to understand what happened and how the situation would get better. I hope the author releases the second book soon because this cliffhanger was deadly.
