Eyes Open
Eyes Open tells the story of 1966-67 Portugal, an era and place that most history books skip. In this land, the Leader’s photo is alongside the Crucifix, emphasizing a not-to-be-debated hierarchy of obedience:
“God
Leader
Landowner
Boss
Father
Husband
. . . we, the foolish girls.”
When the story opens, Sónia Dias, 16, starts a poetry club at her Catholic school. Sónia’s free verse is in praise of her hero–her revolutionary printer/artist boyfriend Zé Miguel. She hides these poems from all but her best friend.
Zé Miguel’s arrest begins a cycle of loss for the whole Dias family. Increasingly Sónia’s certainty becomes uncertainty. “Who is a hero? Who deserves a poem?” Sónia asks herself and the reader. As the story moves her from Catholic schoolgirl, to working in a hotel laundry, she sees the world ever more clearly.
Told in free verse, Sónia has a growing awareness that true freedom means not only living without fear of the PIDE (police), but also living in equality with men, instead of being considered “one twenty-fourth of a man.” (A reference to the Bible story about how Eve was created from Adam’s rib.)
With graphic details, and the deep emotions of a teenager, this story realistically brings both Sónia and her patriarchal, authoritarian country to life. The free verse format, the true-to-life emotions, and Sónia’s grueling hardships make this a compelling read for anyone teenage or older.
