Shame the Stars

Written by Guadalupe García McCall

Narrated by Johnny Rey Diaz

Eighteen-year-old Joaquín del Toro’s future looks bright. With his older brother in the priesthood, he’s set to inherit his family’s Texas ranch. He’s in love with Dulceña—and she’s in love with him. But it’s 1915, and trouble has been brewing along the US-Mexico border. On one side, the Mexican
Revolution is taking hold; on the other, Texas Rangers fight Tejano insurgents, and ordinary citizens are caught in the middle.

As tensions grow, Joaquín is torn away from Dulceña, whose father’s critical reporting on the Rangers in the local newspaper has driven a wedge between their families. Joaquín’s own father insists that the Rangers are their friends, and refuses to take sides in the conflict. But when their family ranch
becomes a target, Joaquín must decide how he will stand up for what’s right.

Shame the Stars is a rich reimagining of Romeo and Juliet set in Texas during the explosive years of Mexico’s revolution. Filled with period detail, captivating romance, and political intrigue, it will bring Shakespeare’s classic to life in an entirely new way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798889562825

Guadalupe García McCall

Guadalupe García McCall was born in Mexico and moved to Texas as a young girl, keeping close ties with family on both sides of the border. She has written five books as well as many poems for children. She moved from Texas a few years ago and now lives in the Pacific Northwest. Though she loves taking nature walks in the great outdoors, she doesn't go out alone at night because she knows there's all kinds of cucuys out there!

Reviews for Shame the Stars

[texasbooklover · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

YA HISTORICAL FICTIONGuadalupe García McCallShame the StarsTu BooksHardcover, 978-1-6201-4278-3, (also available as an e-book), 320 pgs., $19.95September 15, 2016 Joaquín and Dulceña are teenagers in love. Joaquín is the privileged, sensitive, traditional son of a distinguished ranching family in South Texas, Tejanos who have owned Las Moras since 1775. Dulceña, daughter of the local printer, is a spirited, smart, modern, independent young woman who wants to be a journalist and travel the world. Due to a political falling-out between their parents, the childhood sweethearts keep their relationship on the down-low. In 1915 the Mexican Revolution spills across the border and into the couple’s plans. Existing racial tensions, and abuses and vigilante actions of the Texas Rangers, are stoked by the Plan de San Diego and accusations of treason, sedition, and insurrection. When Joaquín’s father’s relationship (“It’s good to know where the snake likes to lay in the brush. It’s the only way to survive”) with Captain Munro of the Texas Rangers (“Munro has no friends, only allies and pawns”) is exposed for the sham it always was, Las Moras, lives, and freedom are threatened. Shame the Stars by Guadalupe Garcia McCall is fine YA historical fiction. Think West Side Story, think Romeo and Juliet, complete with quinceañera masquerade party and a balcony scene. Inspired by her son’s history lessons, McCall set out to learn a part of our history not frequently taught in Texas classrooms. The result is Shame the Stars, a way for the novelist to contribute to our understanding of our shared past, and, hopefully, informing a brighter future. McCall affords her complex characters further development, especially Joaquín. The eighteen-year-old’s first-person narrative begins in the conservative, naïve voice of a child, but develops into the nuanced voice of an adult over the course of the novel as he discovers the world, including his parents, no longer fits childhood conceptions. Joaquín fills his journal with the overwrought poetry of a teenager in love in historical times, as is appropriate. The dialogue sometimes seems stilted and formal, partly reflecting the era, and revolutionary jargon can seem melodramatic. In this example, as Munro’s company of Rangers are approaching the ranch, McCall evidences a gift for the lyrical: “Then, as the minutes ticked off, the devil grew bigger and bigger, gorging itself on dirt and debris, gaining momentum as it galloped toward us, until there was more than dust in its midst and there appeared before us a group of pale riders.” Shame the Stars tackles big themes: justice (particularly the difference between the fickle goodwill of individuals versus the law and civil rights); issues of identity; factions and betrayal; the power of the written word and the vital importance of a free press. The action proceeds quickly and steadily, the plot developing organically but packing staggering plot twists. A couple of subplots involving land dispossession further illumine the period. A beautifully designed volume, Shame the Stars is a treat for the eyes with poems from Joaquín’s journal and actual newspaper articles from the time. McCall provides a necessary cast of characters, along with additional reading recommendations, and sources for the articles reproduced as artwork in the book. Dividing friends and families no less than the U.S. Civil War did, the struggle for civil rights in South Texas confronts Joaquín and Dulceña with the first adult decisions of their lives, as they decide, individually and together, who they want to be.Originally published in Lone Star Literary Life.

[acargile-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This historical fiction novel will teach you about a little known part of Texas history.It’s 1915, and the Tejano people are being uprooted while the Mexican Revolution is going on across the south Texas border. The Tejano are the Mexicans who have lived and owned land in south Texas for generations; they are being pushed out by white people who want the land. The Tejanos are angry and feel slighted by the white people, so they fight back. The Mexican Revolutionaries are crossing the border, contributing to the dangerous and violent atmosphere. In response the Texas Rangers follow no rules and use violence as they see fit. They hang people without trial among other atrocities. Most citizens are caught in the middle, afraid to go out. Women are not safe with the Rangers or the Revolutionaries. It’s a dangerous atmosphere where the “good” guys are hard to identify.In the middle of this historic atmosphere is Joaquin and Dulcena. Joaquin will inherit the family ranch; his family tries to befriend the lead Ranger and go about their business. Dulcena’s family owns the paper and print what’s going on, which the Rangers don’t always like, making this dangerous. The families argue over these stories--are they necessary to show the truth or incendiary to create more violence--breaking the families apart. Joaquin and Dulcena now have to meet in secret without inadvertently joining the violence. As the violence escalates, both families end up in the middle.The author uses primary sources throughout, so the facts and events are all true to what really happened. There are also poems used to describe the feelings of the Tejano. The characters and their plot, however, are fiction. Definitely read the author’s notes at the end of the novel. As a Texas, this novel represents an important part of our history.