It is difficult to believe that this is a winner of the National Book Award and the Horn Book Fanfare Honor list.
Dealing with the very difficult subject of abuse, alcoholism, neglect, poverty and the hardship of the Mexican American culture is a lot of material to cover.
While the writing is good, the plot is missing. The storyline skips around like a rabbit jumping on hot pavement.
Fourteen year old Manuel has a story to tell. He is very weary of a mother who is passive, a father who is physically and emotionally abusive and also refuses to find employment, a brother who is a smooth talker who is shiftless, a sister who becomes pregnant by a man who won’t take responsibility, and a community that exhibits bullying, violence and fighting as an everyday occurrence.
It is sad that the author cannot seem to tell a cohesive tale.
I AM NOT RECOMMENDING THIS TO ANYONE