YOLI'S FAVORITE THINGS

Twelve-year-old Yolanda “Yoli” Sahagún often compares life with her eight siblings to scenes from The Sound of Music.

Her connection to the movie deepens when her cousin, who was a nun in Mexico (where Yoli’s parents are from), comes to stay with them in San Diego. Yoli and her best friend, Lydia, dream of becoming nuns themselves, a plan they’ve shared since they were 8. Set in the late 1960s against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, the story follows Yoli as she faces the growing fear that Chuy, her favorite brother, will be drafted. With the love and support of her tightknit family, Yoli navigates parties, a crush on an altar boy, and the start of junior high. But when Chuy is drafted, she’s devastated. The pain is compounded by insensitive classmates’ racist remarks toward the Vietnamese and her own feelings of helplessness. She makes a private bargain with God: If Chuy stays safe, she’ll go to Vietnam and dedicate her life as a nun to helping people. Yoli’s diary entries and vivid daydreams help her process the upheaval around her. She’s a deeply faithful and introspective character, someone whose strong voice and inner world reveal how her belief in God offers both solace and struggle. References to pop culture and current events ground this heartfelt coming-of-age story in its historical moment.

A resonant story that beautifully captures the complexities of faith, family, and growing up during turbulent times.