Europe in With the Fire on High

i just finished listening to With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (5/5 stars, highly recommend). it was great, it's not your average white american high school drama. if you enjoy cooking, it really adds something extra. the author herself narrated the audiobook which was also nice. maybe i'd like to read it as a physical book (or ebook) some time, because i couldn't follow the occasional line in Spanish. still, i'm a big fan of the inclusion of some Spanish, i always support more visible linguistic diversity in literature.

but what i wanted to mention was the representation of Europe. the book includes a week's trip to Spain (it's hinted at in the blurb, i don't think it's too much of a spoiler). of course the book isn't about Spain, but i'm happy with some of the details that the author put in. here's a few that stood out to me:

• attention to Moorish influences on Iberian culture (including architecture and cuisine)
• varying levels of English among Europeans (some who speak a little, some who don't feel confident speaking it, some (highly educated) people who master it perfectly)
• veneration of Columbus and blood gold in cathedrals
• descriptions of an old town (cobbled streets, old restaurants etc)
• distinctions within a country (not just "Spain" but also Andalucía mentioned specifically)
• difference between European Spanish and American Spanish(es)