Audiobook5 hours
An Uninterrupted View of the Sky
Written by Melanie Crowder
Narrated by Christopher Salazar
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Modern history unearthed as a boy becomes an innocent victim of corruption in Bolivia's crime world, where the power of family is both a prison and a means of survival.
It's 1999 in Bolivia and Francisco's life consists of school, soccer, and trying to find space for himself in his family's cramped yet boisterous home. But when his father is arrested on false charges and sent to prison by a corrupt system that targets the uneducated, the poor, and the indigenous majority, Francisco and his sister are left with no choice: They must move into prison with their father. There, they find a world unlike anything they've ever known, where everything—a door, a mattress, protection from other inmates—has its price.
Prison life is dirty, dire, and dehumanizing. With their lives upended, Francisco faces an impossible decision: Break up the family and take his sister to their grandparents in the Andean highlands, fleeing the city and the future within his grasp, or remain together in the increasingly dangerous prison. Pulled between two undesirable options, Francisco must confront everything he once believed about the world and his place within it.
In this heart-wrenching novel, Melanie Crowder sheds light on a little-known era of modern South American history—where injustice still looms large—and proves that hope can be found, even in the most desperate places.
Perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys, Matt de la Pena, and Jacqueline Woodson.
Praise for An Uninterrupted View of the Sky:
"Crowder delivers a disturbing portrait of innocent families trapped in corrupt systems, as well as a testament to the strength of enduring cultural traditions and the possibility of finding family in the unlikeliest places."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Readers will feel utterly invested in Francisco's various challenges...A riveting, Dickensian tale."—Kirkus, starred review
"Themes of poverty, social injustice...violence toward women, coming-of-age, romantic love, and a sliver of precarious hope are woven into the plot...[An] important addition to libraries."—School Library Journal, starred review
"[A] trenchant novel...This hard-hitting, ultimately hopeful story will open readers' eyes to a lesser-known historical moment and the far-reaching implications of U.S. policy."—Booklist
"[This novel] is raw, gripping, poetic and bold....Crowder takes you on an emotional pilgrimage that you won't want to end."—RT Book Reviews, five-starred review
Praise for Audacity:
2015 National Jewish Book Award finalist
Washington Post Best Children's Poetry Book
New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
ILA Notable Book for a Global Society
ALA Top 10 Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick
ALSC Notable Children's Book nominee
"Crowder breathes life into a world long past...Compelling, powerful and unforgettable."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"[An] impactful addition to any historical fiction collection."—School Library Journal, starred review
It's 1999 in Bolivia and Francisco's life consists of school, soccer, and trying to find space for himself in his family's cramped yet boisterous home. But when his father is arrested on false charges and sent to prison by a corrupt system that targets the uneducated, the poor, and the indigenous majority, Francisco and his sister are left with no choice: They must move into prison with their father. There, they find a world unlike anything they've ever known, where everything—a door, a mattress, protection from other inmates—has its price.
Prison life is dirty, dire, and dehumanizing. With their lives upended, Francisco faces an impossible decision: Break up the family and take his sister to their grandparents in the Andean highlands, fleeing the city and the future within his grasp, or remain together in the increasingly dangerous prison. Pulled between two undesirable options, Francisco must confront everything he once believed about the world and his place within it.
In this heart-wrenching novel, Melanie Crowder sheds light on a little-known era of modern South American history—where injustice still looms large—and proves that hope can be found, even in the most desperate places.
Perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys, Matt de la Pena, and Jacqueline Woodson.
Praise for An Uninterrupted View of the Sky:
"Crowder delivers a disturbing portrait of innocent families trapped in corrupt systems, as well as a testament to the strength of enduring cultural traditions and the possibility of finding family in the unlikeliest places."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Readers will feel utterly invested in Francisco's various challenges...A riveting, Dickensian tale."—Kirkus, starred review
"Themes of poverty, social injustice...violence toward women, coming-of-age, romantic love, and a sliver of precarious hope are woven into the plot...[An] important addition to libraries."—School Library Journal, starred review
"[A] trenchant novel...This hard-hitting, ultimately hopeful story will open readers' eyes to a lesser-known historical moment and the far-reaching implications of U.S. policy."—Booklist
"[This novel] is raw, gripping, poetic and bold....Crowder takes you on an emotional pilgrimage that you won't want to end."—RT Book Reviews, five-starred review
Praise for Audacity:
2015 National Jewish Book Award finalist
Washington Post Best Children's Poetry Book
New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
ILA Notable Book for a Global Society
ALA Top 10 Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick
ALSC Notable Children's Book nominee
"Crowder breathes life into a world long past...Compelling, powerful and unforgettable."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"[An] impactful addition to any historical fiction collection."—School Library Journal, starred review
Author
Melanie Crowder
Melanie Crowder lives on the Colorado Front Range, where she is a writer and educator. She holds an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the author of the middle grade novels Parched, A Nearer Moon, and the Lighthouse Keepers series and the young adult novels Audacity and An Uninterrupted View of the Sky. Visit her at MelanieCrowder.com.
More audiobooks from Melanie Crowder
Audacity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mazie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to An Uninterrupted View of the Sky
Related audiobooks
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Every Soul a Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The First Rule of Punk Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gracefully Grayson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Habibi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Name Is Not Easy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Endangered Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Silent Thunder: A Civil War Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story That Cannot Be Told Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Inside Out & Back Again Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shakespeare's Secret Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Under the Mesquite Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Running on the Roof of the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5While I Was Away Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gold Eaters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yonder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dreamer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Farewell to Manzanar Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Diamond Willow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Devil's Arithmetic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Galaxy of Sea Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Listen, Slowly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Show Me a Sign (Show Me a Sign Trilogy, Book 1) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ashes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (with a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Santiago's Road Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
YA Law & Crime For You
Shelter: A Mickey Bolitar Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seconds Away: A Mickey Bolitar Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Savage Song Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Our Dark Duet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Found Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Case for Jamie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is Our Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All American Boys Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Thousand Pieces of You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fugitives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Punching the Air Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Whole Truth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Am Still Alive Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dozier School for Boys: Forensics, Survivors, and a Painful Past Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Break to You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nine Liars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last of August Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Under This Red Rock Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Aces Wild Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Study in Charlotte Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dead Zone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Look Back Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Liar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Come Home Safe: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Perfect Candidate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Question of Holmes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Female of the Species Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for An Uninterrupted View of the Sky
Rating: 4.277777777777778 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
9 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Striking story of a boy from Bolivia and what happens when his indio father is arrested and thrown in prison. His mother abandons them, apparently without much thought, and the Francisco and his sister, Pilar must live in the prison. They are not the only ones. Each day they leave the prison and walk to school. They have very little food and have to wash in a bucket since going to the men's showers is out of the question. Through all of this Francisco writes poetry. Encouraged by his teacher he reaches into himself to pour his feelings on paper. Soon he makes friends with a girl who also lives in the prison. This is a story that takes place every day in Bolivia. The U.S. pushed the government to create a law that makes it too easy to arrest anyone who even looks like they may be dealing or making cocaine. And it seems that it is too easy for mothers to walk away from their families too. This book is for those readers who like to investigate what life is like in other parts of the world.