Brownsville Bred: Dreaming Out Loud

by Elaine del Valle

Overview

Brownsville Bred (adapted from her autobiographical stage play) is based on the life of Elaine Del Valle. A young adult novel told in a series of vignettes--some funny, some heartbreaking, some harrowing--it tells one girl's journey about growing up in the toughest neighborhood in New York. Set in 1980's Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY--A spunky Latina must find her own path as she comes of age to face the grim realities of the musician father she once idolized and the deteriorating neighborhood she calls home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781734309973
Publisher:	del Valle Productions, Inc.
Publication date:	01/01/2020
Pages:	126
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	950L (what's this?)

About the Author

Elaine Del Valle is an award winning playwright, director, producer, screenwriter and casting director. She first garnered critical acclaim with her autobiographical, Off-Broadway stage play, Brownsville Bred for which she won the 2011 HOLA award for excellence in playwriting, and was named Trendsetter at the Multi-Cultural Media Forum. The play chronicles Elaine's true Nuyorican (New York-Puert Rican) coming-of-age amidst the deteriorating backdrop of her 1980's Brownsville Brooklyn welfare projects. Brownsville Bred was subsequently published as a Young Adult Memoir and became a quarter-finalist in Publisher's Weekly BookLife Prize (2020). The novel is now a part of Creative Writing and American Latino Cultural studies in NYC public schools. Her books are featured globally on the shelves of the Latinx House libraries at major film festivals.​ Elaine has won numerous Best Director and Best Short Film awards. Her short, Me 3.769, has screened in competition at top tier film festivals and was licensed by HBO. ​ As the owner and operator of Del Valle Productions & Casting, Elaine has become the go-to person for up-and-coming diverse talent and rising stars for many high profile brands, studios and agencies. Elaine was featured in the PBS documentary Beating The Odds, alongside luminaries such as Michelle Obama. Ebby Magazine called her a Tour De Force.​ She is a Sundance Institute grant recipient, and her scripts have been amongst Cinequest's TOP 50 (2019 & 2020) . In 2019 Miami News Times named her as One of 5 Filmmakers to Watch. Elaine was named Madrina ("Godmother" by Prime Latino Media-2017) and as Vanguard (by Official Latino 2019). Both awards reflect her leadership in and support of the Latinx, independent filmmaking community.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments i

1. Out My Window 1

2. Next Car 3

3. Papi’s Swagger 9

4. Needle On Record 15

5. Abuela 23

6. The Pool 31

7. Crime Wave 35

8. First Kiss 41

9. Never Ran 49

10. Lucky 59

11. Church 79

12. Mira Mami 83

13. Dream Loud 87

14. Work It Mami 95

15. High School 97

16. Silver Lining 105

17. Us 113

Editorial Reviews

Coming of age success story for a Latinx girl from Brooklyn --"An ABSOLUTELY AMAZING Latinx story written by Del Valle. So overdue for a coming of age success story of a young woman. Every school should have young women reading this story as motivation." --Michael S. Levine (Baldwin School District)

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY -Brownsville Bred Forty-Eight Books Advance to the BookLife Prize Nonfiction Quarterfinals

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY - THE BOOKLIFE PRIZE

Title: Brownsville Bred: Dreaming Out Loud

Author: Elaine Del Valle

Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir

Audience: YA/Middle Grade

Word Count: 35871

Assessment:

Idea/Concept: Del Valle's autobiographical tale, adapted from her stage play, provides a textured, vibrant reading experience. Through the author’s rich recollections, she offers both a visceral look at her own upbringing—in all its joys and hours of suffering—as well as perceptive commentary on the changes unfolding in a Brooklyn neighborhood.

Prose: The author writes with a fluid, rhythmic cadence that heightens the story’s power. The crackling language effectively mirrors young Del Valle's inner turmoil as well as her zest for life and desire to live meaningfully.

Originality: Memoirs of childhood abound, but Del Valle makes the format her own through her performative writing style and vivid scene building. The work elicits a range of emotions from receptive young readers.

Execution: Del Valle creatively and successfully weaves a poignant story of her transforming childhood home and the effects such changes have on her, her family, and the broader community.

Score:

• Plot/Idea: 10
• Originality: 10
• Prose: 10
• Character/Execution: 10
• Overall: 10.00

Report Submitted: February 4, 2020

From the Publisher