Clap When You Land, the title of Elizabeth Acevedo’s first novel, refers to passengers clapping hands when a plane touches down, a custom popular among Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and others. Although it is a novel, the writing style is lineated poetic prose, which makes sense if you know Acevedo is a successful slam poet. The story line pivots around the second-deadliest plane crash ever, when, two months after 9/11 American Airlines flight 587, bound for the Dominican Republic, crashed in Queens, New York, shortly after takeoff. All 260 people in the plane and five more on the ground were killed. But in Acevedo’s novel, one of those who died is Papi, who led a double life as the father of two teenage girls born of two different marriages, Yahaira in the U.S. and Camino in the Dominican Republic. Neither of the girls knows the other exists. But that changes when Papi dies in the plane crash. The book has a strong YA feel and Acevedo is widely regarded as a voice for Black and Latinx teens. But the audience for this book is anyone who enjoys honest emotion and a good story. Except for the mythic but flawed Papi, the well-developed secondary characters are all women. Kirkus Reviews gives Clap When You Land a “standing ovation” and I do, too:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/elizabeth-acevedo/clap-when-you-land/
