Alicia Afterimage

Review
By Dr. Rose Reissman

As a reader, I was emotionally charged and inspired by the sensitively collected and reflected multiple-perspective work, Alicia Afterimage, created by Lulu Delacre. This evocative and meaningful contribution to juvenile literature is not only a sensitively authored tale of how her own daughter’s death in a car accident affected her circle of teen friends and beyond, but also includes the friend “driver” who drove the vehicle, parents and others. In a world where more and more young people deal with loss, death, and grief, this well-written work, which includes Alicia’s art, speaks directly to teens. I would hope it be widely used as part of memoir writing, oral history trainings, and most importantly as a tool for using writing to concretize responses to tragedy. Ms. Delacre offers a model and method for dealing with grief which can foster resiliency, moving forward and opportunities to share the legacies of those who leave loved ones behind. It is a privilege to use this work as a model with my writing workshop inner city students. - Dr. Rose Reissman, President, New York City Association of Teachers of English