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13. Monster, Walter Dean Myers
Children's Literature - Sharon Salluzzo
Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon has been charged as an adult accomplice to murder. Steve resorts to his passion for filmmaking to put some order to and make some sense of his ordeal; his trial is presented as a movie. The reader feels his panic over the possibility of spending life in prison and his fears of being beaten and sexually abused there. The attorneys present their cases before the jury and the drama builds just as it would in a movie. Steve feels the surrealism of the stark reality he is facing. The reader is drawn into the trial, trying to determine, as is Steve himself, if he is the Monster that the prosecutor says he is, or a victim of circumstance. The film script concept works well on many levels. The illustrations, intermittently placed, present Steve in various ways: photos with his mother, on the drugstore surveillance camera, in a courtroom drawing, and in his mug shots. They give an added sense of reality to the narrative. This is a powerful, intense, thought-provoking story. It is great for discussions about the judicial system, pre-judging, self-perception, parent-child relationships and our prison system.
KLIATT
To quote KLIATT's Jan. 2001 review of the Listening Library/Random House audiobook edition of this title: Written by the central character, Steve Harmon, in the form of a screenplay for a movie, this ... follows the 16-year-old from the time he is arrested for felony murder through his trial. A drugstore owner in Harlem is killed as two men rob his store. Steve is accused of being the "lookout" for the robbers, all experienced criminals. He is implicated because of a deal the felons make to reduce their sentences in this crime. Steve, one of the "monsters" of the title, has a loving family and a caring, experienced lawyer.... Depictions of what jail offers younger accused these days are graphic, but accurate and honest... (winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature; a Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book; and a National Book Award Finalist.) KLIATT Codes: JSA*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1999, HarperTempest, 282p. 18cm. 98-40958., $6.95. Ages 13 to adult. Reviewer: Jean Palmer; KLIATT , July 2001 (Vol. 35, No. 4)
School Library Journal
Gr 7-12-Walter Dean Myers' novel (HarperCollins, 1999) is brought to life by a full cast of actors in this excellent audio interpretation. The author opens this audiobook by discussing many of his interviews with young prison inmates and his desire to discover what drives them to a life of crime, what makes them become monsters in society. From the outset, listeners are caught up in Steve Harmon's life as he documents the events for the film script he is writing for his high school video club. Was Steve actually the lookout in a robbery gone awry in which a man was murdered, or was he simply at the wrong place at the wrong time? The suspense and tension remain high until the end when we are told whether the jury will find Steve guilty or innocent of the crime for which he is on trial. This auditory delight is presented in the clear, well-enunciated and articulated voices of a full cast of actors. The narrator, with his deep melodious voice, reads Steve's film directions and provides the quick scene shifts, guiding listeners through the story. His voice combined with the voices of the other actors, the strong plot, and the unusual story format grabs readers and holds their interest throughout. This interpretation could entice reluctant readers to become Myers' fans. Monster is a must purchase for all middle and high school libraries. English teachers should be encouraged to use this audiobook as a possible writing prompt or as an introduction to readers' theater.-Lynda N. Short, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Lexington, KY Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
14. Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida
Victor Martinez, Steve Scott (Illustrator)
From The Critics
Children's Literature - Sherri Byrand"Miracles don't wait for doubters," says Manny Hernandez, this book's main character and a youth worthy of our attention. This account of his life is a miracle of its own-powerful and poignant, stunning in its simplicity. Although it introduces some very heavy issues, including Manny's sister who miscarries her child at home and his father's alcoholism and abusiveness, its approach makes this book appropriate for even the youngest members of its intended audience. It never slips into the callous tones of a cynical adult; every page resonates with Manny's voice. Given the book's subject matters, it is an excellent resource for classroom discussion on the topics of spousal abuse, gangs, and racism. The ALAN Review - Rob LinnéManny Hernandez endures a lot during the year that leads up to his initiation into a California gang. He learns about hard work out in the sweltering vegetable fields and experiences class stratification at a high school party where he is not welcomed. Manny helps his older sister through a life-threatening miscarriage but almost takes his younger brother's life when he accidentally fires his father's shotgun. The young protagonist narrates all of these events with a future writer's eye for detail and a unique take on human character. Martinez's coming-of-age story reads like true adolescence - absurd and funny from a distance, yet painful when you're stuck in the middle of it all. I already lost one afternoon to this bitter-sweet book and now I've picked it up again. I think many reluctant readers would also have a hard time turning away once Manny started talking straight to them about what growing up is really all about. The ALAN Review - Jennifer NorrisFilled with enough metaphors to impress any English teacher, Parrot in the Oven: mi vida is a story told by a teenage Mexican American boy, Manny, who is attempting to find his place in a society full of disappointment. Set in the projects, Manny gives a very realistic account of what it is like to grow up as a minority in a poor, dysfunctional home. Receiving no real direction from his family, Manny battles with what type of man he should and will become. He is tempted by gang life (in his attempt to be accepted somewhere), but at the same time, he seems to have a pure heart that prohibits him from falling too far. The coming of age plot is further complicated by Manny's family life. His father is an out of work alcoholic who is incapable of giving guidance to his floundering son. His mother is the peace-keeper, mainly concerned with damage control. His older brother (who has a steady stream of jobs that don't ever seem to work out) seems to be on the same path as his alcoholic father. His teen-age sister deals with sexual issues including the miscarriage of her baby. With themes such as honor, abuse, and alcoholism, this coming of age novel is very readable for upper middle/high school students; however, teachers should be aware of the controversial issues within the novel: drugs, alcohol, language, and the graphic miscarriage. Because of the novel's extremely realistic teenage voice, this novel is reminiscent of S. E. Hinton's Tex or The Outsiders and therefore would definitely gain the interest of the high school reader.
15. Bodega Dreams
Ernesto Quinonez, Ernesto Quiinonez
From The Critics
KLIATTAlthough most of his friends succumb to the vices of street life in the ghetto, like William Bodega, Chino dreams of a better future. Therefore, Chino goes to college, while Bodega becomes the most successful slumlord in East Harlem. Their paths cross when Nazaro, Bodega's lawyer, needs Chino's help finding Bodega's lost love, the one he built his success to impress. Chino is so mesmerized by Bodega's dream of building a professional Latino class and a real estate empire that his vision gets clouded. Instead of remaining true to himself, he succumbs to Nazaro's schemes, only to end up his pawn. Chino discovers that although Bodega's crooked plan for political, social, and economic changes fails, the purity of his dream lives on. Quinonez captures more than just the loss of innocence in this novel, he captures the true flavor of the Latin world in Spanish Harlem. From ethnic food, colloquialisms and crude street-talk, to "Spanglish," evangelical religion, and salsa music, this story pulses with the rhythm of a Latin people dancing on Anglo soil. Furthermore, Quinonez's gripping story sparkles with metaphors so brilliant and tangible that the reader will be absorbed from beginning to end. KLIATT Codes: SA*—Exceptional book, recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2000, Random House/Vintage, 212p, 21cm, 99-33380, $12.00. Ages 16 to adult. Reviewer: Claire M. Dignan; El Centro del Cardenal School, Boston, MA, September 2000 (Vol. 34 No. 5) Library JournalChino, caught in a squeeze play between devotion to his pregnant Pentecostal wife and beholden to the barrio ringleader Bodega, evokes an inner-city scenario of mayhem and murder. Despite his drug-pushing wheeling-dealing, Bodega idealistically wants to improve the living conditions of Spanish Harlem; though his life is truncated, his dream doesn't die. Running throughout the novel is the motif of appearances: characters assume different identities, and the denouement twist catches the reader off guard. Qui onez writes with cinematographic detail of life in the ghetto and very graphically reproduces the rough language of the street. Despite its film noir approach, tinges of humor often offset the bleakness; one character, for example, interjects snippets of popular songs into his speech. Recommended primarily for urban libraries and those with sizable Puerto Rican constituents.--Lawrence Olszewski, OCLC Lib., Dublin, OH Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information. School Library JournalYA-Willie Bodega, a man of middle years, heads a syndicate that organizes the economics, justice system, and politics in Spanish Harlem. He works toward his dream of creating a rising professional class of Puerto Rican citizens with the aid of a tiny cadre of powerful, ultimately traitorous, friends. Using the voice of a barely post-adolescent youth to tell the tale of Willie's undoing, Qui-onez gives readers pitch-perfect characterizations, crisp dialogue, and plenty of action. Chino is newly married to a pregnant Pentecostalist who holds herself above barrio politics. He and his wife attend night school, work, and struggle to pay the rent. Chino's wild boyhood friend introduces him to Bodega, in a roundabout way, and against all of his better instincts, Chino begins to work for Bodega, dreams with him, and, in the end, takes his place. Realism and romantic adventurism are neatly bonded here, making this a book for eager and reluctant readers alike. In a market that is short on Latino novels of literary merit, this one stands out and demands attention from readers from all cultural backgrounds.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.| Ed Morales - The Voice Literary SupplementBodega is a snappy roman à clef in which Chino, the narrator and Quinoñez's alter ego, grapples with the pervasive criminal code of the street and his own attempts to make a family...The most ingenious thing about La Bodega Sold Dreams is the way it codifies much of the East Harlem experience, with its Young Lords legends, Santeria rituals, and bilingual bards. Like Junot Diaz and Abraham Rodriguez, Quinoñez is helping to establish Spanglish as a new-millennium urban language.Mark Rozzo - The Los Angeles TimesIn this remarkable debut, Ernesto Quinonez creates a portrait of Spanish Harlem that's as colorful and elegiac as the R.I.P.s that Chino, his straight-talking 20-something narrator, once painted for fallen neighbors as a teenage graffiti artist.
17. Highwire Moon
Susan Straight
Library Journal
Illegal alien Serafina has found some measure of happiness until she is forcibly separated from beloved daughter Elvia and sent back to Mexico. Eventually, the teenaged Elvia will go there to hunt her out. From the award-winning author of I Been in Sorrow's Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
School Library Journal
Adult/High School-A gritty portrait of poor Mexican immigrants and of low-life drug abusers in LA, softened by the boundless love of a mother for her daughter and a daughter determined to find her mother. Teens will encounter brutality and suffering here, but also a realistic picture of the struggles of illegal immigrants, of the horrors of migrant labor, and of a southern California far from the glitter and wealth of Hollywood. Serafina, an illegal alien who speaks only Mixtec, is caught by police in the car she attempts to drive to a market to buy food. Her three-year-old daughter, Elvia, crouched under the dashboard, is overlooked as Serafina screams in her language. Serafina is deported, and Elvia is put in foster care, eventually with Sandy, a loving foster mother. Unluckily, her father, a trucker and occasional drug user, finds her and her life becomes a series of motel rooms. At 15, a pregnant Elvia takes off in her father's pickup truck to find her mother; at the same time, Serafina finally finds the money and the courage to reenter California in search of her daughter. Elvia eventually finds a refuge with Sandy, but Serafina's life is a series of migrant farm camps in the company of Florencio, who loves her and tries to protect her. With Sandy's help, the story ends with the promise of reconciliation.-Molly Connally, Kings Park Library, Fairfax County, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Straight (I Been in Sorrow's Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots, 1992, etc.) paints a bleak yet not hopeless landscape as a young girl and her mother, separated by happenstance 12 years earlier, search for each other among the down-and-out of southern California. When immigration authorities pick up Mexican-Indian Serafina, the 18-year-old lacks enough English to explain that her 3-year-old daughter, Elvia, is asleep in a car parked nearby. Elvia, the child of Serafina and an itinerant Anglo worker, passes through a series of foster homes before her long-term placement with a nurturing surrogate mother. She's happily ensconced there when her father Larry, himself the product of foster homes, shows up and reclaims her. Larry's undeniably redeeming characteristic is his sense of parental responsibility; he spent years tracking Elvia down. But he is also a loser and speed-freak. Elvia becomes involved with Michael, an orphaned Native American whose sweet dreaminess masks his dangerous attraction to speed and hallucinogens. Pregnant at 15 and afraid to tell her father, Elvia's longing for her birth mother, always simmering, boils over. She steals Larry's truck to look for Serafina, or at least for clues to why Serafina abandoned her. Meanwhile, Serafina has never lost hope of reuniting with her daughter. When first deported, she immediately tries to sneak back across the border but is badly beaten and returns to her hometown in southern Mexico, where filial obligation demands she remain to care for her sick mother. Once her mother dies and Serafina's brother sends money from California, she endures extreme hardship to cross back into the States. In the town where they had lived as a familyyears before, Elvia and Serafina conduct separate searches for each other. Almost crossing paths, each finds familial love in unexpected places. Strong physical detail and a carefully rendered cast mostly overcome long stretches of talky description and occasional slips into sentimentality.
18. American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood
Marie Arana
The Barnes & Noble Review from Discover Great New WritersThis richly evocative memoir is a beautifully realized portrait of a girl growing to adulthood and awakening to her reality as the product of two vastly different and often contrary cultures. The youngest child of an aristocratic Peruvian father and an American mother from the dusty wilds of Wyoming, Marie Arana spent her early childhood in Peru, learning from a colorful assortment of extended family and servants how "good Latinas ought to behave." But it was only when she immigrated to the U.S. as an adolescent that she came to see herself the way those around her did: as a hybrid Hispanic-American, an individual whose cultural identity was split into two seemingly irreconcilable halves. Settling into her New Jersey home, Arana became a clever schoolgirl, observing her classmates and watching her passionate parents struggle to repair the fissures in their marriage. In penning her affecting memoir, Marie Arana shows us how to cherish our families and cultural histories as we make our own way in the world. (Summer 2001 Selection)From the Publisher
In her father’s Peruvian family, Marie Arana was taught to be a proper lady, yet in her mother’s American family she learned to shoot a gun, break a horse, and snap a chicken’s neck for dinner. Arana shuttled easily between these deeply separate cultures for years. But only when she immigrated with her family to the United States did she come to understand that she was a hybrid American whose cultural identity was split in half. Coming to terms with this split is at the heart of this graceful, beautifully realized portrait of a child who “was a north-south collision, a New World fusion. An American Chica.”Here are two vastly different landscapes: Peru—earthquake-prone, charged with ghosts of history and mythology—and the sprawling prairie lands of Wyoming. In these rich terrains resides a colorful cast of family members who bring Arana’s historia to life...her proud grandfather who one day simply stopped coming down the stairs; her dazzling grandmother, “clicking through the house as if she were making her way onstage.” But most important are Arana’s parents: he a brilliant engineer, she a gifted musician. For more than half a century these two passionate, strong-willed people struggled to overcome the bicultural tensions in their marriage and, finally, to prevail.
Wendy Gimbel - New York Times Book Review[In] Arana's passionate account of her childhood, cross-fertilization is a source of strength . . . One of the many reasons the reader can't put this memoir down is the author's impressive command of her craft.Washington PostAmerican Chica is a fascinating blend of autobiography and soap opera, memoir and meditation. ... full of larger-than-life characters and stranger-than-fiction situations. ... delightful. USA TodayLush, mystical ... a memoir that blends family historia and the puzzling deadly politics of Peru. New York Times Book ReviewPart history, part family memoir ... American Chica reads like a collaboration between John Cheever and Isabel Allende.... One of the many reasons the reader can't put this memoir down is the author's impressive command of her craft.... Arana has left her own imprint on her material, while at the same time displaying virtuosity in the storyteller's traditional gifts: spareness, clarity, and a passion for allegory. Publisher's WeeklyThough this memoir of growing up in America and Peru centers on Arana's parents' turbulent marriage, her real focus is the way cultures define, limit and enrich us. At one point, Arana, whose mother is American and father is Peruvian, recalls her first lesson in the color politics of Latin America. She was living in a gated house, in a factory town high in the Andes, and wanted to invite the daughter of the family cook to her birthday party. Of course she can come, said Arana's mother, but if she does, none of the mothers of the other little girls will allow them to attend; an Indian girl is not accepted at a party of aristocratic schoolchildren. "I am reminded of my political innocence," Arana writes, "when I go to Latino conferences in [the U.S.]. When I see the children of Spanish-blooded oligarchs line up alongside migrant workers for a piece of affirmative action." It is this willingness to slice through convenient classifications, to see the rifts in every group, that distinguishes Arana's account of how she learned to navigate between a culture that encouraged family loyalty and another that fostered independence. She writes beautifully, whether describing hunting for ghosts in Peru's highlands, chewing tobacco in Wyoming, attending an American school in Lima or finding friends in New Jersey. Arana, the editor of the Washington Post Book World, blends a journalist's dedication to research with a style that sings with humor. Her memoir is an outstanding contribution to the growing shelf of Latina literature. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information. |
