THE PECAN SHELLER

In San Antonio, Texas, in 1937, a 13-year-old must drop out of school to shell pecans to help support her family.

Nothing has been the same since Petra’s father suddenly died. First her distraught stepmother, Amá, couldn’t get out of bed. Now Amá is forcing Petra to quit the school she loves and go to work with her in a pecan-shelling factory to keep them from losing their home. Still dealing with her own grief, Petra struggles to hold on to her dream of returning to school and becoming a writer when hope feels futile. The factory conditions are terrible. Many of the workers become sick with lung conditions linked to inhaling pecan dust in the poorly ventilated space. Workers labor for mere pennies under an uncaring boss. Some of her older co-workers resent Petra for even landing the job, upset that she may be displacing them. Readers’ hearts will go out to smart, kind Petra, who’s forced to bear intense adult pressures while still a child. When tragedy strikes, and the boss threatens to cut their already meager wages, Petra and her co-workers risk everything to fight for their rights and unionize. Petra also learns more about her Mexican American community and the horrors they endured during the Mexican Revolution. The story deftly explores the nuances of both Petra’s and Amá’s relationship and traumas, as well as the strength and hope to be found in family and community.

A poignant, beautifully written tale.