
This is the newest edition of Self-Published Saturday, where I highlight self-published books and their authors. As you know, self-published authors have to do their own marketing, and I hope with this feature to help spread the word about their books.
Due to popular demand, I am changing Self-Published Saturday slightly. I am going to post more than one, and sometimes several, Self-Published Saturday features every Saturday. So this is the first of two Self-Published Saturday features I am putting up today. My first feature is Torn Between Worlds by Nancy Blodgett Klein. Told in diary form, it is a young adult story of immigration from Mexico to the US to Spain. As always, if you buy the book, please remember to leave a review. This is so important for self-published authors.


Torn Between Worlds is the life story told from the diary of Isabel, a nine-year-old girl who is taken by her father from Mexico to the United States, not through Customs, but through the desert in a trip arranged by a coyote. This young adult coming of age story takes Isabel from Mexico to the United States, back to Mexico, and then to Spain. Along the way, she relates historical events such as the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, deadly protests in Mexico, and the horrific 2004 Madrid train bombings. We are shown both Isabel’s daily life and world events through her diary, as her father takes her back to Mexico and she ends up going to Spain with her mother, who is fleeing prosecution in Mexico for her political activism. The author Nancy Blodgett Klein does a good job in this epistolary novel, as we see Isabel grow through her written voice from a 9 year old to a teenager, and then beyond. Although Isabel is a middle-grader for most of this story, I would recommend this only to young adults and above, as it contains very sensitive subject matter, such as violence and rape.
I downloaded a copy of this book on Kindle Unlimited, where subscribers can read it for free.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nancy Blodgett Klein
(In Her Own Words) Torn Between Worlds was my first novel while Life Lessons was my first non-fiction work. Both were published in 2021. I worked as a journalist for 15 years in Chicagoland, starting out as a police reporter in Chicago. I also worked for the American Bar Association Journal, writing hundreds of articles on political, social and legal topics. Later on I was a public school teacher, including to many students from Mexico. I now live in sunny Spain with my husband Rick. I received a bachelor’s from Tulane University in philosophy and a master’s in journalism from Boston University. Later, I earned a second master’s in education from Roosevelt University. I love to read and am a member of two book groups and one writers group in Spain. I am passionate about travelling too. I write a blog called spainwriter.home.blog covering a wide variety of topics.
LINK TO BUY
AMAZON *Kindle Unlimited subscribers can read this book for free.
Two Reminders before you go:
- If you buy the book(s), please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. This is very important to self-published authors.
- Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help self-published authors go a long way!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review of my book. Your self-published Saturday feature is a great way to give exposure to those of us in this do-your-own-marketing world to get noticed. Your hard work and well-considered reviews are much appreciated!
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You’re welcome! I enjoyed it.
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[…] Self-Published Saturday: August 7, 2021/Torn Between Worlds […]
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It´s great to see this book featured on your site, Bonnie. It´s difficult for young people who have to move between countries and even more difficult with only one parent. Nancy shows these difficulties through the eyes of a young person very well. I also liked how world events were woven into the story.
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I agree, Darlene! This book relates those struggles very well
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Very nice indeed!!
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Thanks!
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I love that this book is told through the eyes of a child. The struggle of immigrants is so real and there is not enough literature out there that describes their horrific struggles.
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Thank you, Wendy. That’s mainly why I wrote the book: to tell the story of a young undocumented Mexican immigrant since I don’t think there are many YA books that do that.
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As a fellow indie – living across the Med from you in Italy : ) – congratulations on your new YA novel!
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