Rodriguez, Luis J. 1993 Always Running: La vida loca: Gang Days in L.A.
(Also fits into the Immigration theme.)
Always Running... "traces Rodriguez's life as an active gang member, relates his battles with police, the justice system, and teachers, and describes his escape from devastation through writing. His poetry has won several awards and he
conducts poetry workshops in shelters for the homeless in Chicago. His presentation of life in the barrio is brutal, blunt, anguished, and lyrical."
All levels
J. Boskin; Boston University. Choice Review, American Library Association
(Also fits into the Immigration theme.)
Always Running... "traces Rodriguez's life as an active gang member, relates his battles with police, the justice system, and teachers, and describes his escape from devastation through writing. His poetry has won several awards and he
conducts poetry workshops in shelters for the homeless in Chicago. His presentation of life in the barrio is brutal, blunt, anguished, and lyrical."
All levels
J. Boskin; Boston University. Choice Review, American Library Association
Ortiz, Judith Cofer. 1995. An Island Like You. Orchard.
"The characters in An Island Like You are “the Holden Caulfields of the barrio. If they aren't all that sharply defined and tend to blend into one another, it is because they have not yet defined their own social personalities; unlike the heroes in the other stories, narrated in the third person, they are all still defining their perceived inferiorities. But the portrait of the common mentality that emerges -- the spiritual tissue that connects a real-life setting, a way of thought, and a voice -- is stunningly vivid and deep.” - Kirkus Review
"The characters in An Island Like You are “the Holden Caulfields of the barrio. If they aren't all that sharply defined and tend to blend into one another, it is because they have not yet defined their own social personalities; unlike the heroes in the other stories, narrated in the third person, they are all still defining their perceived inferiorities. But the portrait of the common mentality that emerges -- the spiritual tissue that connects a real-life setting, a way of thought, and a voice -- is stunningly vivid and deep.” - Kirkus Review
Allende, Isabel. 2002. City of the Beasts. Harper Collins
"Acclaimed author Allende's first YA novel, part thrilling survival adventure, part coming-of-age journey, blends magical realism with grim history and contemporary politics in a way that shakes up all the usual definitions of savagery and civilization. Alex, 15, has been wrenched from the safe boundaries of his California home to accompany his journalist grandmother, Kate, on an International Geographic Expedition deep into the heart of the Amazon jungle. They are searching for a legendary beast, a gigantic, possibly humanoid creature that has been glimpsed in the area. The setting is more than background here: it's the heart of the story." - Hazel Rochman (Booklist, Nov. 15, 2002 (Vol. 99, No. 6))
"Acclaimed author Allende's first YA novel, part thrilling survival adventure, part coming-of-age journey, blends magical realism with grim history and contemporary politics in a way that shakes up all the usual definitions of savagery and civilization. Alex, 15, has been wrenched from the safe boundaries of his California home to accompany his journalist grandmother, Kate, on an International Geographic Expedition deep into the heart of the Amazon jungle. They are searching for a legendary beast, a gigantic, possibly humanoid creature that has been glimpsed in the area. The setting is more than background here: it's the heart of the story." - Hazel Rochman (Booklist, Nov. 15, 2002 (Vol. 99, No. 6))
Gutierrez, Luis. 2013. Still Dreaming. W.W. Norton & Company.
"Gutierrez grew up the son of two working-class Puerto Rican immigrants who came to the United States to escape poverty… It took getting fed up with Chicago “machine” politics to set him on the political path that would take him from city alderman and right-hand man of reformist mayor Harold Washington to congressional representative. Rather than try to “get along with people” and play the Washington power game, Gutierrez immediately made himself unpopular by calling for congressional pay freezes. He also began working on immigration reform, a cause for which he was cheerfully willing to get himself arrested. Unlike so many other political memoirists, however, he resists the temptation to use his book to memorialize his ego. Funny, feisty and heartfelt." - Kirkus Review
"Gutierrez grew up the son of two working-class Puerto Rican immigrants who came to the United States to escape poverty… It took getting fed up with Chicago “machine” politics to set him on the political path that would take him from city alderman and right-hand man of reformist mayor Harold Washington to congressional representative. Rather than try to “get along with people” and play the Washington power game, Gutierrez immediately made himself unpopular by calling for congressional pay freezes. He also began working on immigration reform, a cause for which he was cheerfully willing to get himself arrested. Unlike so many other political memoirists, however, he resists the temptation to use his book to memorialize his ego. Funny, feisty and heartfelt." - Kirkus Review
Medina, Meg. 2013. Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass.
"With issues of ethnic identity, class conflict, body image, and domestic violence, this could have been an overstuffed problem novel; instead, it transcends with heartfelt, truthful writing that treats the complicated roots of bullying with respect."
Grades 8-11
Krista Hutley (Booklist, Apr. 15, 2013 (Vol. 109, No. 16))
"With issues of ethnic identity, class conflict, body image, and domestic violence, this could have been an overstuffed problem novel; instead, it transcends with heartfelt, truthful writing that treats the complicated roots of bullying with respect."
Grades 8-11
Krista Hutley (Booklist, Apr. 15, 2013 (Vol. 109, No. 16))