Finding the Truth Within
My son’s teacher read Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan out loud to his class, a chapter a day. Every day of that month of reading Martin came home eager to tell me about what was happening with Naomi, her brother, and her great grandmother with whom she lives in the small town of Lemon Tree, California. But after few minutes of gushing, he’d stop himself and say, “No, Mom, you have to read this book for yourself. It’s just too good for me to share it all.”
It wasn’t until he came home with the question “What is a halfway house?” that I found myself a copy and began to read. And Martin was right: Becoming Naomi Leon is a great book for kids. The narrator, fifth-grader Naomi Leon Outlaw, works through the struggles in her life by composing lists: “Things I am Good At”; “How To Get Boys to Stop Making Fun of My Name”; and “Regular and Everyday Worries in My Life.” But when her mother shows up at the door after a seven-year’s absence, Naomi finds her lists aren’t enough to answer the questions raised by her mother’s sudden and overwhelming presence, including “Where is my father?”; “Why does my mother want me, and not my brother?”; and the most important questions of all, “Who am I, and where do I belong?”
Becoming Naomi Leon is full of unforgettable characters, big and small, including Naomi’s great grandmother, tiny in stature but huge in heart; her brother Owen, smart as a whip and endearingly positive; her new friend Blanca, talkative and kind; her mother of many moods and hair colors; mom’s new boyfriend, creepy and opportunistic; and her father, an example of fortitude and love, and a master carver. These talents he passed on to Naomi; they were fostered by great grandma; and, in the end, these strengths allow Naomi to declare, loud and clear, who she is and with whom she belongs.
Not only does Ryan create wonderful characters in Becoming Naomi Leon, and an age-appropriate plot line (good for nine to twelve year olds), but she also provides interesting background, filled in by fascinating facts. The roots of Naomi’s soap carving skills go back to her father’s native city of Oaxaca in Mexico. Every year at Christmastime, Oaxaca hosts the Night of the Radishes (La Noche de los Rabanos), a festival of radish carving (like no radishes you’ve ever seen, some of these root vegetables are as big as a boulder) in which the town square is filled with wondrous tableaux, all created with carved radishes. When Naomi is invited to participate, she finally understands that the manner in which she carves, by discovering the element of truth within the material she works, applies to herself as well. Not only will Naomi carve a true and noble lion, she will find, under layers of history, family, and circumstances, the truth and the beauty of her own self. A good book to read aloud to your kids, Becoming Naomi Leon is also one they can read easily on their own. Just be ready for the questions, including inquiries as to halfway houses and requests to go Oaxaca for Christmas.
