ReadWonder: An Inside Look #157 (Author INTERVIEW)

An Inside Look with Ernesto Cisneros

(Author of Efren Divided)

*Welcome to my favorite feature of my blog.

*Season #ONE (June of 2016 to March of 2017)

*Season #TWO (Summer of 2017)

*Season #THREE (School Year 2017/2018)

*Season #FOUR (Summer/fall of 2018)

*Season #FIVE (School Year 2018/2019)

*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)

*Season #SEVEN (Fall 2019)

*Season #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)

*I'm excited to be back for season #NINE with brand new interviews/authors.

*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.

*This is the FIFTEENTH and final interview in which I'm calling Season #NINE.

*Thank you to Ernesto Cisneros for being the One-Hundred Fifty-Seventh author I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.

*Here is my Review of the Novel..

Book Review

Efren Divided

by Ernesto Cisneros

(March 31, 2020)

How did you come to know Efrén?

The character of Efrén was based on my son. Since he was little, he’s always been the first person to get up and offer his seat to an adult in a full bus. It’s also commonplace for him to hold doors (and wait until every last person clears) for complete strangers at restaurants, shopping malls, schools. I can’t tell you how many times complete strangers have stopped me simply to tell me how amazing he is.

What do you think is his most admirable quality?

For sure it is his heart. Efrén is the kind of person who will put his life on hold to help someone else in need. In the story, Efrén does everything in his power to keep his mother’s deportation a secret from his siblings, and in the process becomes a segregate mother of sorts.

Is there anything you wish he would have changed or done differently in his story?

I wish Efrén had trusted a few people a bit sooner and taken a bit of the burden off his shoulders. He definitely took on way too much responsibility for someone his age. Part of what Efrén learns throughout the book is that he has allies to help him out.

What do you think Efrén can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?

I’m hoping that Efrén can help other kids like himself to understand they are not alone. They have allies who are willing to help out. Additionally, I’d like today’s youth to recognize the power that they possess. I hope Efrén motivates and encourages today’s youth to help create change in their community.

In addition, I would hope that children and their parents alike will leave with a sense of appreciation for everything they have been able to accomplish in this great nation of ours.

How did you research Efrén and the circumstances he found himself in?

A lot of what Efrén experiences comes from my own growing up in the same neighborhood where the story takes place. I did take a few trips to Tijuana, Mexico and visit Friendship Park to make sure I captured the setting accurately.

Do you and Efrén share any similarities?

You could say we share the same family. I pretty much based his family on mine own. Like Efrén, I too was forced to grow up well before my time. My parents also worked long hours and were not able to be home as much as they would have preferred.

What was the hardest scene to write about him?
The toughest scene was placing the character in harms way when he embarks on a solo journey across the border. As an author, it is up to us to add obstacles and tension to our work, but as a parent, it is difficult to even imagine anyone going through that trauma.

Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?
Actually, I’d say he had an entire community of people watching over him. Lalo, the father living alone in Tijuana, Ms. Solomon, Mr. Garret, even Jennifer all provided Efren the help he needed to reach his journey.

Why do you think some young people, like Efrén, take on the responsibility of saving and/or fixing their family during difficult situations?
I believe that it is a simple matter of necessity. Throughout my teaching career, I’ve seen plenty of cases where fourth and fifth grade students were left in charge of younger siblings. In most of these cases, the parents are out working and don’t have any other options other than placing that burden on older siblings. I remember being in middle school and having to pick up my brothers from kindergarten and first grade on my bike. It was normal and commonplace, so I never thought it was unusual. I knew my parents were at work, provided for the family… the least I could do was my small part.

What do you think Efrén is doing as the present time?
I’d like to imagine Efrén in the reading a book in the bathtub, while enjoying a bag of Cheetos. However, knowing him, he’s probably helping to educate his community on their rights and helping to campaign for the upcoming presidential election.

*Here are links to the One Hundred Fifty-Six interviews...

SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)

Interview #1 with Elly Swartz (Author of Finding Perfect)

Interview #2 with Jeff Zentner (Author of The Serpent King)

Interview #3 with Nora Raleigh Baskin (Author of Nine, Ten, A September 11 Story)

Interview #4 with Cammie McGovern (Author of Just My Luck)

Interview #5 with Kate Messner (Author of The Seventh Wish)

Interview #6 with Paul Griffin (Author of When Friendship Followed Me Home)

Interview #7 with K.A. Holt (Author of House Arrest)

Interview #8 with Abby Cooper (Author of Sticks and Stones)

Interview #9 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Counting Thyme)

Interview #10 with Claire Legrand (Author of Some Kind of Happiness)