The Brothers Torres

Frankie Towers sometimes feels overshadowed by his brother, Steve. For example, Steve is a varsity soccer player, whose skills merit attention from college scouts. Steve also attracts lots of attention from every girl in their school. And lately, Steve has been hanging out with the cholos in town, and is becoming even more untouchable and wild than he was before. Frankie, on the other hand, doesn’t play a sport, works afterschool in their parents’ Mexican restaurant, and inspires disdain from both girls and other guys at school.

For the most part he takes this all in stride, but he has to respond when he decides to ask Rebecca Sanchez to homecoming, and is beat to the question by John Dalton, the richest kid in town. Frankie hates show more Dalton for a lot of reasons: his parents moved to town and bought up many of the old family businesses and property; he drives a sweet, 1969 GTO convertible; and he’s mean. Dalton likes to call him Frankie Spankie, and it really pisses Frankie off, but he can’t do anything about it unless he’s willing to be turned to pulp by Dalton and his sidekicks.

But when Rebecca tells Frankie that she plans to go to homecoming with Dalton, a new courage blooms in Frankie’s heart. He subtly begins spending more time with Rebecca, deepening their friendship and attempting to reveal to her the kind of person Dalton really is. His entanglements with Dalton and Rebecca, though, ignite the smoldering anger between Dalton and Steve. Steve gets Flaco, and other tough guys from town, involved in their fight. Soon Frankie is over his head in revenge that might involve real crimes, not just schoolyard fights. Frankie has to decide which actions will define his masculinity and his ethics – and how far he is willing to go to get the girl. DL show less

This first novel from author Coert Voorhees actually surprised me. I bought it without realizing that it was intended for young adults, so the immaturity of the language took me off guard at first. I really struggled getting into the beginning - both due to that, as well as an overly apologetic (self-conscious?) tone that dominates the first 50-75 pages or so. It seemed like Voorhees was overly concerned with political correctness, and in places it took away from the authenticity of the narrator.

This apologetic tone fades about a third of the way into the book, however, and once I got into it, I really found the story compelling. We spend most of our adult lives trying our hardest to forget how miserable high school was: other kids were show more cruel, our emotions and hormones were all out of whack, and life could seem pretty rough at times. Voorhees captures all of that with a protagonist who is immediately likable and easy to identify with, and who has just enough going for him to remind us that those high school years weren't entirely without merit.

Voorhees also has a striking sense of humor. I actually found myself laughing out loud at many points in this book, and I appreciated the quick ease of getting through it. I worry that the strong language might be a bit much for some kids, but high schoolers are probably already familiar with the vulgarity anyway. Unexpectedly enjoyable. show less

Frankie Towers is a good kid. He helps out at the family restaurant, he's a loyal friend to his buddy Zach, and he idolizes his big brother Steve. But lately Frankie's had to cover up for his brother more and more - Steve's been staying out all night and coming home with black eyes and bruises. Steve's street cred may be rising, but Frankie's getting concerned about his brothers' choices. Frankie's romantic life is getting complicated, too. He's been pining over Rebecca for years now - and just when she seems to notice him, the most popular senior in the school is suddenly hanging all over her. Frankie's problems are as realistic as the spot-on teen voice used in Coert Voorhees' novel. Steve's increasing desire for the "respect" of the show more local gang, Frankie's growing relationship with Rebecca, and his need to stand up for himself and his friends are all a catalyst for Frankie's growth over the course of the story. The small-town New Mexico setting is vibrant, and lends the novel its own language. Collectors should be advised that the realistic language includes frequent casual swearing, but that it is absolutely a contributing factor in the success of the novel's voice. Voorhees' characterization is the strongest aspect of this novel, which one exception. While most of the characters are very well-rounded and show both strengths and weaknesses, the novel's "bad guy" is almost a charicature of the YA mean jock. Not only does he graphically beat up Frankie and try to steal the girl, but his very rich family is trying to buy up and homogenize the entire town. He is the one character who is not given a well-rounded personality, and it makes him stand out in the world of the novel.On my blog show less

Gritty but suprisingly funny tale of Frankie Towers and his love/hate relationship with older brother, Steve. Trouble ensues when local rich anglo John Dalton picks a fight with Frankie. Steve wants to defend him; can Frankie fight his own battles? New Mexico locale is deftly drawn. Love interest (Rebecca Sanchez) and the development of that relationship is also realistic (sex is suggested, not graphic) Definitely a guy read!

I would have liked this book - about Francisco Towers and his exploits as a bi-racial sophomore - if it hadn't been for Voorhees' use of terms like "fairy" and "maricon" (Spanish for "faggot") as acceptable terms instead of loaded words of intolerance - especially in a YA book where these terms are going to read by teens who could easily feel that there was nothing wrong their use. A responsible author should know better.

I fell in love with the characters, the story kept me in its grips through the end. Best way I could think of to describe this: The Outsiders with cajones. This is Voorhees' first novel and I'll be first in line to read #2, which I believe is in the works.

Reviewed by Breanna F. for TeensReadToo.com

Frankie and Steve Towers are brothers. Frankie is a freshman and Steve is a senior. Frankie has always looked up to his older brother, who has gotten a soccer scholarship, is one of the most popular guys in school, and is very friendly with the ladies. Frankie spends most of his time with his friend Zach shooting off fireworks in his back yard while Zach's mom makes them Kool-Aid flavored popsicles. The remainder of his time is put in to trying to impress Rebecca, the girl he has had a major crush on since grade school, and working at his parent's restaurant.

Recently, Steve has been hanging out with the local "cholos" (aka bad boys) and Frankie hasn't really thought anything of it until he gets show more in to a fistfight with John Dalton. John has always been on Steve's bad side and is one of the richest, preppiest kids at their high school. After Frankie gets beaten to a pulp by John and two of his sidekicks, Steve stops ignoring his brother and tries to help him out.

Soon, with Steve's help, Frankie finally has the attention of Rebecca in the form of a Homecoming date, and life is going pretty well until another incident with Dalton happens. This time, Steve really wants payback and will stop at nothing to get it. And Frankie has to decide whether he wants to help Steve retaliate or stand on the sidelines and watch.

THE BROTHERS TORRES was great! I loved Frankie's character and how he acted around Rebecca. I could totally see the events in this book actually happening in real life, which indeed made the book a bit scary at times. But it also made it even more great. I love real life situations. Coert Voorhees is a really strong writer and I loved his style. This book had me laughing at times and on the verge of tears at others. Overall, it was really a great book and I can't wait to read more by this wonderful author. show less