Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Danilo was Here by Tamika Burgess, - ADVISABLE

Danilo was Here
by Tamika Burgess
,
304 pages. HarperCollins, 2025. $20. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (flashback to Danilo's experience during the Panama invasion) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Danilo is an amazing baseball player and has been the star of his team in Panama. He's been scouted by a coach who trains little league players in America and has invited him to come to San Diego and train with him for a couple of months. However, Danilo has been going through a lot lately; his neighborhood was hit during the US Panama invasion a few months earlier and now his mom and sister are living in tents on an airfield. His dad, a former ball player himself, has gone to America but has stopped sending money, or even calling. Danilo doesn't even like baseball anymore, but thinks this might be an opportunity to find his dad who lives in California, too. 

Burgess has infused just enough history about 1989 Panama for the reader to understand Danilo's situation without all the political stuff. The tension surrounding meeting his father as well as his difficulty connecting with the team and playing his best made for an engaging read. Not completely full of sports action although we see the goings on at a few games. Danilo is Panamanian 
Lisa Librarian 

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