Moa Backe Åstot

Ante loves the reindeer herding traditions of his Samí village in Sweden and is happy in the knowledge that he will take over his father’s herd. But some parts of traditional indigenous life are causing him to worry that he may not fit in as a member of the culture, as he’s beginning to have feelings for his best friend, Erik, that go beyond simple friendship.

A sweet story of first love, mixed with the hurdles of negotiating past generations’ traditions with new and progressive ways of thinking. Mostly enjoyable, although the angst was a little much based on the payoff.… (más)

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Ánte’s life has been steeped in Sami tradition. It is indisputable to him that he, an only child, will keep working with the reindeer. But there is something else too, something tugging at him. His feelings for his best friend Erik have changed, grown into something bigger. What would people say if they knew? And how does Erik feel? And Erik’s voice just the push of a button away. Ánte couldn’t answer, could he? But how could he ignore it?

Fire From the Sky is a sharp and intelligent story about heritage, family ties and age-old commitments to the past. But also about expectations, compassion, feelings that course through your body like electricity.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: It is very much an intelligent story, and one with 15-plus-appropriate explorations of desire (WITHOUT consummation). As one would expect, it's angsty as all get-out. I was very interested in the Sámi people's culture as presented here. I now know more about reindeer than I ever suspected I didn't know before.

I was less convinced about the boys' separate characters. I think something missing in a lot of YA for my reading taste is that very sense of separate *personhood* not simply different dialogue tags. I sometimes lost track of Erik or Ánte being the speaker. That feels like a quibble as I write it...so, on balance, a "yes, but" recommendation for the Elizabeth Acevedo or MT Anderson reader.… (más)

Fire From The Sky is a beautifully crafted, emotion packed LGBT YA novel. But I assure you, as an older adult, I too enjoyed this story immensely. It is a coming of age story of a young man with all the usual problems associated with the teen age years, but the massive complications added by the awareness that you are falling in love with another boy. Further complicating matters for Ante is the fact that he is part of a Sami community, a tight knit group where family and tradition are everything; clinging to the bits of culture they have been left with after having so much stripped away from them by years of unethical practices perpetrated on them. Ante feels this loss of his people keenly and holds dear the Sami traditions.

The emotions and behavior of a teenager was depicted so realistically; the rebelliousness, the rude behavior to parents, the struggles in general--all of it was portrayed. Ante has to come to terms with the fact that he does not like girls and he stumbles along the way, hurting others, too. In his community, there is basically no tolerance for homosexuality which puts Ante in a nearly impossible situation. Amazingly, it is his bond with his grandmother that helps him break through his emotions and start to come to grips with the fact that he can be himself and love who he chooses.

I was drawn to this story because of the bits of the Sami cultural life described in it and I was not disappointed. I found those details to be fascinating and part of the storyline regarding the cultural aspects of the Sami was drawn from real events.

It was amazing to me that the story was still so full of beautiful elements and sailed along smoothly, and even poetically; because it is a translation. I generally steer away from translations unless it is a classic, because I have found that usually so much is lost in the translation. This story shone through even after translation.… (más)