An Island Like You

Written by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Teens navigate identity and culture in the barrio.

3.6 Goodreads · 493 ratings

256 pages· 51,507 words· Est. 5 hour read· 910L

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Bookroo's summary

In a vibrant barrio, Rita faces exile, Luis serves time atop hubcaps, Sandra grapples with beauty standards, and Arturo dreams of escape. These teens confront cultural identity and personal challenges, each story revealing a unique struggle. Will they find their place in a world that pulls them in different directions?

From the publisher

Judith Ortiz Cofer’s Pura Belpre award-winning collection of short stories about life in the barrio! Rita is exiled to Puerto Rico for a summer with her grandparents after her parents catch her with a boy. Luis sits atop a six-foot mountain of hubcaps in his father’s junkyard, working off a sentence for breaking and entering. Sandra tries to reconcile her looks to the conventional Latino notion of beauty. And Arturo, different from his macho classmates, fantasizes about escaping his community. They are the teenagers of the barrio – and this is their world.