Gabi, a Girl in Pieces

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Consider what you know about Mexican American communities in the United States. In what states are these communities prominent? What is the history of immigration from Mexico to the US?

Teaching Suggestion: This question can help connect students with the historical and cultural contexts of the novel’s central family, the Hernandezes, and the family’s daughter, Gabi, the protagonist. Gabi’s parents journeyed from a small village in Mexico to the US in search of the “American Dream.” Information from the following or similar resources may aid in understanding the historical and cultural contexts of the family’s and other families’ journeys and their communities in the novel.

• This teacher-facing primary source set from the Library of Congress shares resources related to Mexican American communities and migration.
• Ramon A. Gutiérrez’s 2019 article provides an overview of “Mexican Immigration to the United States“ through an academic lens.

2. What are the stereotypical roles that different genders play historically in society, in the US, and elsewhere? Are these stereotypes still present in contemporary society, in the US, and elsewhere? How or how not? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: Throughout the novel, Gabi grapples with the double standards and hypocritical expectations that her community has for men and women. The matriarchs in her family enforce traditional gender roles, and the family prefers not to challenge these norms. Examining gender roles across cultures and countries may help generate student interest in the topic and establish contexts from which to better understand the novel. The following teacher-facing resources may prove helpful in filling any student knowledge gaps and provide further points of discussion for the class:

• Cultural Atlas shares information about Mexican culture as it relates to the nuclear family.
• This research summary examines how gender equality is viewed across different countries.
• This academic chapter summarizes research on stereotypes and gender roles.
• This Save the Children article illuminates the link between gender roles and inequality.

Short Activity

A bildungsroman is a type of coming-of-age novel that focuses on the protagonist’s psychological and moral growth, often as they mature from adolescence to adulthood. The genre focuses on character change and the lessons learned along the way. In these stories, the protagonist can experience things like profound loss, a subsequent journey (physical and/or metaphorical), conflict along the way, areas of personal growth, and ultimately, maturity (either in one or more areas or as a whole). Similarly themed movies and other media can also be called bildungsroman in nature/genre.

Apply these characteristics to research a novel, a movie, or another publication or media product (poem, song, video short, graphic novel or comic, etc.) that fits the bildungsroman genre. Prepare a brief synopsis of the plot and the protagonist’s development, providing evidence that the product fits the bildungsroman genre, and share your synopsis with the class.

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Activity is an entry point into the novel’s style as a bildungsroman. Consider allowing students to work in partners or small groups to facilitate searching and collaboration. Students may also benefit from a class-wide discussion of the similarities and differences across the bildungsroman examples that are shared—how are characters, characteristics, plot elements, storylines, formats (journal entries, letters, etc.) unique/engaging or predictable/hackneyed? Consider accessing or sharing the following or similar resources with students to help them get started:

• Penguin Publishers compiled a list of the best coming-of-age novels, chosen by Penguin readers.
• MasterClass provides a brief overview of the bildungsroman genre, including its history and examples.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who demonstrate linguistic-verbal intelligences and/or are interested in writing, consider allowing students to either outline or draft their own life’s bildungsroman novel based on their experiences/growth/maturation thus far, annotating their product to show which elements of their narrative fit which elements of the genre. Consider allowing students interested in film and cinematography to record their own mini-bildungsroman, narrating it to demonstrate the genre’s elements, and students interested in other visual arts to create a labeled storyboard or similar product.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Do you have a piece of literature that empowers or inspires you? Identify this piece and reflect on the reason why you connect with this particular work.

Teaching Suggestion: Throughout the novel, Gabi identifies different poems that she connects with, and, in some instances, finds empowering to make decisions about her own life (please see the “Paired Resources”). These poems are also integral to her growth as a writer, as she begins to understand more about herself, her interests, and the world around her, as well as embrace the idea that Happiness Comes From Being Comfortable With Yourself. This Personal Connection Prompt links directly with the Discussion/Analysis Prompt, where students will be asked to connect their response with the novel.