Review: The Afterlife by Gary Soto

       

The Afterlife by Gary Soto

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Soto, Gary. 2003. The Afterlife. New York: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 9780152047740

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

The sequel to Buried Onions, The Afterlife begins with the stabbing death of Chuy in the bathroom of a night club by a teen he calls “Yellow Shoes.” Chuy is now a ghost, and floats around his hometown of Fresno, California aimlessly while attempting to understand what will happen to him now that he is dead. He visits his family, friends, and a girl he liked while alive to witness their grief and anger at his death. Chuy also stumbles upon “Yellow Shoes” a few times, but can only chill the air with his ghostly presence rather than get the revenge he seeks. While roaming the city, Chuy finds a young woman named Crystal who very recently took her own life. Chuy helps her understand her new form and accompanies her on a visit to her old home. Chuy also attempts to save a homeless man’s life and keep his spirit inside his body, but ultimately fails. In repayment for Chuy’s kindness, the homeless man, Robert Montgomery, slips into the body of “Yellow Shoes” with the hope of redeeming him for Chuy’s murder. Eventually, as Chuy’s phantom limbs begin to fade, he and Crystal float away together content to have each other.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The Afterlife has some extremely heavy themes that may be disturbing to younger teens. The first chapter contains the death of Chuy in extreme detail, and Crystal’s death from suicide is also explored in graphic terms later in the novel. The aftermath of violent crime and how it affects those left behind is explored with Chuy’s friends and family. Chuy’s mother is determined to find the killer of her child, and gives a family member a gun while begging him to take the law into his own hands.

Soto does not specifically state the time period in which The Afterlife takes place, but his descriptions of Fresno, California make the reader feel as though they were traveling along with Chuy. He is from a poor area of Fresno, with low-cost government housing, drug activity, alcoholics and drug addicts living on the street, and multiple abandoned buildings. Most of the people living in his area of Fresno are either Mexican or Hmong. His father is a blue collar worker at a cement factory and later Chuy reminisces how his father tried to instill a work ethic in him by making him pick grapes at Crystal’s family farm. This is one of the only mentions of Mexican American migrant workers. Other than referring to himself as “ordinary”, Chuy does not describe the other characters in much detail except for when they are grieving. At that point he remarks that “they were ghosts themselves, white in spite of the Mexican-ness.”

The most obvious cultural markers appear when Soto describes Chuy’s family, friends, and the personalities of the characters. The importance of a strong male presence in a Hispanic family is emphasized on one occasion, as Chuy follows police officers to the scene of a domestic argument. He comments on the weakness of a husband making a scene and harming his wife in front of their children. Chuy’s funeral is a major event, due to his family’s Catholic background. Cars are an important part of the Hispanic culture, as seen in the way Chuy’s Uncle Richard cared for his Honda: large speakers, lowered body frame and special clear lights. All aspects of the Hispanic culture in Fresno are referred to naturally, without appearing forced simply to make a culturally diverse novel for teens. When Chuy talks about watching telenovelas, listening to rancheras or eating churros, pan dulce, or menudo, the reader senses the importance of food, music, and television shows in the Hispanic culture.

Chuy engages in code switching constantly throughout the book, using Spanish words, phrases and slang, on occasion providing the English translation but often leaving the reader to understand the words based on the context of the text. This is accomplished in a natural and authentic way, as Chuy refers to his “mami” and “papi”. Soto makes the Spanish words stand out by putting them in italics, but does not over emphasize them in the text, only using them in appropriate instances. He also provides a guide at the end of The Afterlife, with Spanish words and phrases used in the book. The guide provides a glimpse into the world of Hispanic teenagers living in California.

The ending to The Afterlife may leave some readers feeling unsatisfied. While it may be true that not all criminals are caught or get punished for their crimes, there needs to be some sort of resolution to give readers hope.

      4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
 Américas Book Award Commendation for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, 2003

Starred review in Booklist: "Soto has remade Our Town into Fresno, California, and he not only paints the scenery brilliantly but also captures the pain that follows an early death. In many ways, this is as much a story about a hardscrabble place as it is about a boy who is murdered. Both pulse with life and will stay in memory.”

Review in School Library Journal: “After a strong start, The Afterlife seems to become a series of brief images that drift off as though in a dream. Soto's simple and poetic language, leavened with Mexican Spanish with such care to context that the appended glossary is scarcely needed, is clear, but Chuy's ultimate destiny isn't.”

5. CONNECTIONS

* Other books by Gary Soto:

Buried Onions. ISBN 9780152062651

Accidental Love. ISBN 9780152061135

Taking Sides. ISBN 9780152046941    

           

Review: Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Qué rico! by Pat Mora

Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Qué rico! America’s Sproutings by Pat Mora

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mora, Pat. 2007. Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Qué rico! America’s Sproutings. Ill. by Rafael López. New York: Lee and Low Books Inc. ISBN 9781584302711

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Qué rico! America’s Sproutings is a poetry book dedicated to the fruits and flavors of Central America, South America and North America. Blueberries, chiles, papaya, and pecans are only a few of the delicious foods lovingly described. Each page includes a haiku about a special food and a brief paragraph with additional details about the origin, uses, and special facts of that food. Lush, double page illustrations accompany every poem.

3.    CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The theme for this children’s poetry book, as is common in Hispanic literature, is one of the importance of food. Each food in Mora’s book of poetry is the focus on a large, two-page spread. The haiku is located on the right page and the small, historical background paragraph is on the right. Mora intersperses Spanish and English words in her haikus, creating glorious imagery as seen in her tribute to the pumpkin:

“Under round luna,

scattered tumblings down the rows,

autumn’s orange face.”

The historical details provided by Mora are a wonderful addition to the poetry and provide a great background to the origins of foods. She adds Spanish words in the explanatory paragraphs but lacks pronunciation guides. The word chocolate, for example, comes from the Nahuatl word “xocolatl” which means bitter water, but no information on how to pronounce it. The entire book is a celebration of traditional foods used in the Hispanic culture. Mora’s author’s note indicates her purpose of writing this book was to show all the native foods grown in the America’s before the countries were created.

While most of the foreign language words are defined in the background paragraphs on each page, the Spanish words in the haikus are not. For the few Spanish words Mora uses in her haikus, she defines them in the beginning of the book so as not to interrupt the flow of her poetry. Under the Spanish definitions she includes a brief list of sources for her historical backgrounds of the indigenous foods with the acknowledgment that some food origins are still in debate and under discussion by experts. Opposite the source/definition page in the beginning of the book is a map of the Americas, illustrated by López, to assist readers in finding the countries of origin for the foods discussed.

Rafael López created rich and glossy illustrations using acrylic on wood panels to perfectly complement the haikus written by Pat Mora. The cranberry haiku compares cranberries to fireworks when they are cooked in a hot pot. López illustrates the poetry, making sure to have details in the illustrations correspond to the origin of each food. Because cranberries are grown in watery marshes, the illustration shows a young girl standing hip deep in a cranberry bog. She is holding a pot of hot cranberries that shoot from the pot through the sky as described in Mora’s poetry.

Images of people in the book are culturally accurate based on various indigenous people who live in the Americas. Skin color is shown in various shades, as are clothing and hairstyles. The illustrations include many images of anthropomorphized foods and animals dancing and smiling along with humans. This style is sure to appeal to readers of any age, especially those interested in learning about the origins of their favorite foods.

4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee 2009-2010

ALA Notable Book 2008

Américas Award for Children’s Literature 2008

Starred review in Booklist: "This inventive stew of food haiku celebrates the indigenous foods of the Americas."

Positive review in School Library Journal: “Teachers will find this a welcome addition to their social-studies units, but it should also win a broad general audience for its inventive, fun-filled approach to an ever-popular topic: food.”

5. CONNECTIONS

* There are multiple uses for this picture book. Use in a classroom to discuss poetry forms, or use to learn Spanish words for common foods. After reading each haiku and accompanying origin paragraph, use the map at the beginning of the book to show where each food came from.

           

* Curriculum activities for Que Rico and other Pat Mora books: http://www.patmora.com/ideas.htm#yum

* Poetry activity pages: http://www.patmora.com/morafiles/other/yum_poetrydish.pdf

* Other bilingual books by Pat Mora:

The Bakery Lady/La señora de la panadería. ISBN 9781558853430

Book Fiesta! ISBN 9780061288777

Gracias-Thanks. ISBN 9781600602580

Review: Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales

Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book by Yuyi Morales

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Morales, Yuyi. 2003. Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book. San Francisco: Chronicle Books ISBN 0811837580

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Early one morning, Señor Calavera comes to take Grandma Beetle away, but she has a busy day ahead of her! “Just a minute” she tells him, she has one chore to do, so he waits patiently. But she isn’t finished, for now she has two pots of tea to boil. Again, he waits, but each time she finishes a task, she moves on to the next which frustrates poor Señor Calavera. Eventually Señor Calavera helps her with three pounds of corn, four fruits to slice, five cheeses to melt, six pots of food to cook, seven piñatas to fill and eight plates of food to set on the table! Finally, Grandma Beetle is finished! But, here come her nine grandchildren! She invites Señor Calavera to sit at the table and be her tenth special guest at the birthday party he has been helping her to prepare for all day! Once the party was over, Grandma Beetle was content and finally ready to go with Señor Calavera, but he was gone and left a note behind. He explains how much fun he had at her party and that he will see her next year!

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Yuyi Morales has created not only an original trickster tale with a theme of death and celebration but she has also written this book as a way to help young children learn Spanish numbers one through ten. Morales makes an interlingual use of Spanish in the text in a natural and easy to follow way. On every page, while Grandma Beetle is counting, the text shows the English number in big, bold letters. Señor Calavera then repeats the number in Spanish, and it is also in bold letters, bigger than the rest of the text on the page. The entire book takes place in various rooms at Grandma Beetle’s home, so the time period and specific setting are relatively unknown.

Many Hispanic cultural markers are present as Grandma Beetle prepares for her party. She pounds corn using traditional, old fashioned instruments so she can make homemade tortillas. Papayas are cut up into fruit salad and large pots of food are cooked. Seven colorful piñatas in the shape of birds, donkeys, turtles, butterflies and many more are stuffed full for her grandchildren to break open. The birthday celebration with the whole family and Señor Calavera invited is typical of the kind of welcoming value system typical in the Hispanic culture.

The illustrations, also by Yuyi Morales, look as though they came straight from a Dia de los Muertos celebration. The colors are deep and rich, and Grandma Beetle’s house appears to be made in a traditional Mexican style. Brightly colored tiles surround the door frames and trail along the walls. Every wall has been painted a different color. Grandma Beetle has the appearance of a typical gray haired grandmother, with a polka dot dress and overcoat, but she occasionally winks at the reader, hinting at her plan to trick Señor Calavera. She and her grandchildren all have slightly brown skin and large dark eyes and the children all have dark hair in various shades consistent with general portrayals of people within the Hispanic culture.

Although Señor Calavera is shown as a full skeleton, he is illustration in such a way as to be appealing rather than frightening. His mouth, eyes, nose and eyebrows are all brightly decorated, and with flowers in his eyes and designs along most of his bones, he is completely non-threatening. 

The Hispanic culture has a tradition of being open, honest and celebratory about death and dying. Morales has created this trickster tale to joke about the way Grandma Beetle is able to distract Death (Señor Calavera) and make him forget why he had come to get her. While very young children may not understand who Señor Calavera is and why he wants Grandma Beetle, they will enjoy the joking and tricking and the bright illustrations are eye-catching.

4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Pura Belpre Medal for Best Illustration 2004
Parent's Choice Award Winner 2003  CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center) Choices selection 2004  Américas Book Award Winner for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, 2003

Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award 2004
Latino Literary Award for Best Children's Book 2004

Starred review in Kirkus: “Lit with dancing lines and warm colors, Morales' illustrations enhance the appeal of this winning story even further.”

Starred review in Booklist: “Even if children don't grasp the implications of the skeleton's visit, they'll enjoy seeing him join the fun, and when he extends Grandma's lease on life, the relieved, loving embrace she gives her grandchildren will satisfy young ones at a gut level.”

5. CONNECTIONS

* Señor Calavera has his own website, created by Yuyi Morales. Craft and enrichment activities are available: http://www.srcalavera.com/chupirul.html

* Reader’s Guide for Just a Minute from Chronicle Books: http://www.chroniclebooks.com/landing-pages/pdfs/Just_A_min.pdf

*Other books written by Yuyi Morales:

Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book. ISBN 9781596433298

(Featuring Señor Calavera)

Little Night. ISBN 9781596430884

* Other books illustrated by Yuyi Morales:

Johnston, Tony. Mi Abuelita. ISBN 9780152163303

Krull, Kathleen. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. ISBN 9780152014377

Montes, Marisa. Los Gatos Black on Halloween. ISBN 9780805074291

White, Amanda. Sand Sister. ISBN 9781841486178