More a short story than a novel, Party Girl tells the story of headstrong Kata’s rejection of gang life. Kata and Ana are fourteen years old and best friends, but walking home after a dance competition which the two of them just won, Ana is shot to death by a rival gang. Ana had been pregnant. Kata knows in her heart she must avenge the death of her friend, and is ready to shoot the killer herself. But some people around Kata tell her that she has a choice, and that she doesn’t have to end up like the other girls. At first she doesn’t believe them, but after some fights and lots of crying, she leaves gang life behind.

Who will read this book? It’s a quick read written in simple language, so it is probably aimed at young adults. But I can hardly imagine that young gang members in LA are going to be browsing in their local Barnes & Noble looking for inspiration. Maybe it will be assigned in some high school classes – after all, Lynne Ewing won awards for her previous book for teens, Drive-By. Those students might be able to relate to the book. I suspect that if the book is used in any classes, however, it will probably be for more anthropological use, to give non-gang children a glimpse of the gritty details of city life. Teenagers may find the book interesting and informative, but if they do, it’s because they aren’t critical enough.

Adult readers are going to find the book about as informative about the realities of teen gang life as TV’s Cops or NYPD Blue, but told from another perspective. Ewing’s characterization is weak, and the plot is implausible. This is basically a morality tale, and Kata is not a sympathetic character, despite all her troubles-her alcoholic mother, the bad influences of her peers, and the dangerous street life. Even Kata tells her own story in the first person, she still seems shallow and clichéd most of the time. If you are looking for insight into the psychology of young urban Latinas, I hope that you can find something better than Party Girl.

Categories: Fiction, General