A review by jwinchell
The Moon Within by Aida Salazar

4.0

Salazar has done something very special here in creating a novel in verse about menstruation. Other than Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, can you think of any novels for young people about this rite of passage? Like Celi’s cringing, I found myself recoiling at Mima’s insistence on having a moon ceremony for her when the time comes. This is our cultural conditioning to see menstruation as dirty and private and not something to be acknowledged or even celebrated. Celi’s friend Magda/Marco is gender fluid and how each navigates this evolving identity is a big part of the story. (Celi’s apology was a bit too pat for me.) I appreciated the author’s notes at the end and the moon cycle template one can use for journaling.

“I chose to write my version of a Xicana moon ceremony because I believe the forgetting, erasing, and lack of access to this information has contributed to the negative ways many Xicanas see menstruation.”

Here’s to getting this unique book into the right hands.