Burn Baby Burn (novel)

It's the summer of 1977 in Queens, New York and all Nora López wants to do is get old enough to move out and live on her own. Her home life is difficult, as her father left home and remarried when she was little and will only occasionally send them money to cover the family's rent - something made more vital when Nora's mother begins to gain fewer hours at work. Nora's younger brother, Hector, is violent and abusive, as he will frequently beat both Nora and their mother whenever he gets angry. Her mother is dismissive of Hector's abuse as she feels that it is just a phase, or boys being boys and always tries to get Nora to calm Hector, to little effect. Nora is loath to let her best friend Kathleen MacInerney know exactly how bad things have gotten at home. Kathleen has a nice house and a loving family, including a firefighter father and a feminist mother. She doesn't think Kathleen will understand what she's going through, so she hides her bruises and poverty.

Things seem to get better when a cute college boy named Pablo begins working with her at the local deli and they begin dating. However, it doesn't last and paranoia and fear creep in when fires and shootings start becoming commonplace. Not only that, but Nora always has to look over her shoulder to avoid becoming a victim of the Son of Sam, a real, notorious serial killer who's real name is David Berkowitz. The Son of Sam who pleaded guilty to eight separate shootings in New York.

While writing the novel Medina drew upon her personal experiences growing up in New York City during 1977, which she states was " just an epic year in New York City’s collective history. It felt like everything was at the brink of disaster, and yet there was this energy, this scary yet thrilling chaotic energy."[1] This included the public's fear that anyone could be a victim of the Son of Sam, as this was prior to him being caught and identified as David Berkowitz and there was fear that he could be "anywhere and anybody".[2] Medina chose to also feature the character of Nora experiencing second-wave feminism, commenting that she felt that it was important for modern readers to see feminism as something they could impact and appreciate.[1] It took Medina three years to complete the book, half of which was spent writing and the other was spent editing and fine-tuning.[3] As she was only thirteen when Berkowitz was captured and arrested in 1977, Medina conducted extensive research and interviewed people who were teens or adults during that point in time.[3]

Critical reception for Burn Baby Burn has been positive.[4] The School Library Journal wrote a favorable review, stating "A devastatingly intense story, this work is a must-have for all collections, especially where Ruta Sepetys’s books are popular."[5] Publishers Weekly and Booklist also praised the book, with Booklist calling it a "stellar piece of historical fiction".[6][7]

• Official website