Short Story Collection

Voices in First Person: Reflections on Latino Identity

Lori Marie Carlson (editor)
New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers,
2008
84 pp.
$16.99
Short Story Collection
ISBN: 1416906355

"Wanting to belong, wanting to go home, love, regret, family legends, dreams, revenge, English, Spanish."

This short story collection written by twenty-one Latino authors from the US and various Latin countries runs the gamut of human emotions. From the whimsical "Barrio ABC's" and the bantering between two boys as they compete "for the most original description of their hometown" to "Last Week I Wanted to Die" a monologue filled with teenage angst about "not fitting in," this book has something for everyone.

The reverence for religion, love and respect for family, memories, and prejudice are interwoven themes throughout. In “Darius and the Clouds” a young “girl recounts her friend’s definition of God” as they stare up into the pillow-like cloud filled sky at “that one next to the one that looks like popcorn. That one there. See that? That’s God.” In “The Evil Eye” a girl remembers her grandmother’s advice on how to protect herself from falling victim to the evil eye. In “Poultrymorphosis” and “God Smells Like a Roast Pig” the authors fondly recall familiar smells of roasting meat as they recollect days gone by. In “Reclaim Your Rights as a Citizen of Here. Here,” “I Stand at the Crosswalk,” and “Oh, Beautiful?” the authors explore the prejudice they face on a daily basis. Whether it’s the proverbial “Where are you from?” or the stare they get from being in town long after the tourists have left and their services as domestic help is long gone too, they feel it.

As I wrote this blog I found myself playing the dual role of both Siskel and Ebert. By that I mean that many times I would watch their movie reviews. I would listen to one and think that the movie sounded good. But then I’d listen to the other and realize that it actually doesn’t sound good. That being said, I wasn’t crazy about this book. I did enjoy some of the stories, but many I did not like and I do believe that this was my least favorite of all the books that I have read. Some of the stories were written in a free verse poem format that did not appeal to me. Two stories “Angels’ Monologue,” about a young man in prison, and “Mujeriego” about burning down a packed nightclub as a final act of revenge, glorified violence too much for my taste. In fact I would say that given the religious overtones and violence in some of the stories, I don’t think I would recommend this book for students under 18. I would even go so far as to say this book is for college students. In the college setting this book would be extremely appropriate, especially in light of recent events concerning illegal immigration in Arizona.

For students ages 14 and up you could recommend these books by Matt de la Peña. Although they are fictional and not short stories I think they would be more enjoyable for students.

Science Fiction

Unwind
Neal Shusterman
Hew York: Simon & Schuster,
2007
335 pp.
$8.99
Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781416912057

"Wait till you're the one who's dying and see how you feel about it!"

This story is set somewhere in the future where the conflict between the Pro-life and the Pro-choice camps has reached a settlement or compromise of sorts. “Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively “abort” a child” through an irreversible decision and process known as unwinding. Unwinding is the procedure by which ALL usable parts of a human being are removed and transplanted into eagerly awaiting recipients. On the receiving end of this ungodly decision we find the three main characters of the book Connor, Risa, and Lev.

Connor is sixteen years old. He’ll come to be known as the stuff urban legends are made of, the “Akron AWOL.” Sentenced unceremoniously to be unwound on what many would consider to be the ultimate family related holiday of all, Thanksgiving, Connor will fight to the death to continue to live.

Risa is a ward of the state, hence her last name Ward. A brilliant pianist, she is sentenced to be unwound due to “space in state homes being at a premium” and “budget cuts.” But, Risa will not take her civic duty lying down.

Lev, on the other hand is more than willing to do his civic and familial duty, Raised in a religious home to believe he was “chosen” for the honor of unwinding, he will come to lose his religion as his “me” vs. “you” attitude turns to an “us” vs. “them” attitude.

These three teenagers will come to meet a host of characters on their journey through an Orwellesque 1984 society of government surveillance and public mind control. From the Admiral, trying to amend for the sin of being a “father of the Unwind Accord” and the sacrifice of his only son, Harlan, for the cause to the Judas-like Roland and the selling of his soul in “exchange for four hundred Unwinds,” this book is a definite page turner. You will not be able to put it down.

I have to admit that I was apprehensive about this book because I typically don’t like science fiction. Then as I started reading it my entire being was assaulted as I felt my own convictions as a proponent of Pro-choice being attacked. I wondered how I could be Pro-choice but find it so hard to accept this particular choice? Then I started to think, maybe this is Shusterman’s goal. Maybe he’s trying to challenge the readers thinking. And that’s exactly what he did. Before I knew it I was sucked in. I couldn’t put this book down and it’s definitely the best book I’ve read lately. There were so many twists and turns. It reminded me of the movie Crash (2005) as the lives of the characters intertwine and collide. In addition, another movie connection can be drawn between Dirty Pretty Things (2002) and the cost, availability, and quality of organs.

This book would be appropriate for students in grades 9 and up. Themes include: adventure; juvenile flight from justice; society; ethics; and morality. Each scenario in the book can be a jumping off point for lively debate and conversation as students discuss their own feelings about the situations and circumstances. A parallel could even be drawn between the book and the recent health care reform plan. Questions for discussion could include: How much do we want our government involved in our personal health care? Could something like this ever happen if they are involved? Where do we draw the line in the Pro-life vs. Pro-choice war? The list goes on and on.

Neal Shusterman is a prolific and award winning author. To read more about him and his books go to his website.

Other titles students may enjoy about teenagers in similar situations include:

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow



The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins



The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer