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Reviewed by:
  • Carmen
  • Claire Gross
Myers, Walter Dean. Carmen. Egmont, 2011. [144p]. Library ed. ISBN 978-1-60684-192-1 $19.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-60684-115-0 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-60684-199-0 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 8–12

The celebrated and prolific Myers returns with a reframing of the story of Carmen (of Bizet’s opera) set in modern-day Spanish Harlem and presented in play format. When a shakedown of a local business brings the luminous, cynical, uncontainable Carmen into contact with police officer José, she recognizes him from her childhood and pursues him as a way of pursuing the echo of a younger self, a Carmen who still believed in dreams. Eventually, though, it becomes apparent that José is dangerously short-tempered and proud, and he sees her not as herself but as “a flower . . . a rose . . . something that you can own.” Exercising her solid instincts for self-preservation and self-respect, she sets herself free. However, this only fuels José’s downward spiral; as anyone familiar with the opera will know, this love story does not end well. Myers clothes the bones of the story with new purpose, subtly exploring the characters’ tendency to objectify each other, a tendency not limited by gender or social role. Absent any surrounding descriptions or tags, the dialogue can seem flat, but its simplicity is deceptive: Myers chooses each word carefully, so that every exchange hides a wealth of motivation and inflection that invites interpretation and debate. In addition, many of the monologues and song texts (music not seen in galley) take on a poetic aspect rich with rhythm and wordplay that will be familiar and welcome to fans of Myers’ other works. Complex but accessible, with various options for reader participation and group involvement, this slender volume is equally strong as a gateway to other versions of the classic story and as a tragic, thought-provoking tale in its own right. [End Page 33]

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