Mexican WhiteBoy

teen fiction (half Mexican/half white boy spends the summer with the family of his dad, who left when he was small, makes friends, maybe meets a girl, and practices a lot of baseball)

At first I didn't think I would relate that much to the characters (the first chapters make the setting seem very so-called "barrio" but after that it becomes more character driven, and the not-quite-fitting-in-here-or-there is easy to identify with, plus there is the mystery of why Danny's father left. Not everything gets completely resolved at the end, but it's a very realistic-feeling, satisfying story.

contains: underage drinking, teenage parents, violence/fighting, self harm.

My personal response was that I completely understand how it feels to not completely be part of one particular culture or another. My father is Philipino, Navajo, and British, and my mother is Alaska Native and Irish. I was raised in a city far from any of my relatives, and primarily lived with European-Americans and never felt like I belonged. I moved to the Navajo reservation during my last year in high school and the Navajos treated me like I was an outsider also, because I was obviously not all Navajo.
I would consider this book for people who feel kind of out of the loop culturally. I know a little of each of the cultures that are part of my ancestry, but do not consider myself completely part of any one of them. This book would be show more good for people are of more than one ethnicity. show less

Danny is half-Mexican, half-white and doesn't speak Spanish. Uno is half-Mexican, half-black. Danny yearns to reconnect with his Mexican father whom he hasn't seen in years. Uno wants to move in with his biological father and start a new life. These barrio outsiders manage to find a connection despite a rocky introduction. Their friendship helps each know that everything will be OK. Danny's tortured introspection caused this story to drag for me but teens who enjoy urban fiction will appreciate the raw street dialog and day-to-day realities of hangin' in the 'hood. (Bonus for parents and librarians: no graphic sex, just lots of talk and innuendo.) Teens who feel mired in the 'hood will identify with these boys' confused souls as they show more try to find their places in the world. show less

l really enjoyed this book, it reminded me so much of a lot of Mexicans from my generation. Most Hispanics don't even know their own language, and society is partially to blame. Here in America people complain when they hear other languages, if it's not English it's most likely not welcomed. “This is AMERICA, speak ENGLISH!”

This book helps you realize no matter where you are you should be proud of your true language and everything it comes with. Even if you grew up not knowing more than a simple sentence you should still be proud of it and proud of your heritage.

Pena tells of how hard it can be to be proud of something that is disliked. The main character knows little of his culture but he knows who he is and his classmates do show more too. He soon learns to embrace it after a visit to his hometown. show less

I’m a sucker for a spend the summer with relatives YA book but this was an odd one. I’m glad Uno grew up and Danny grew confidence but there was something that just didn’t click for me with this one.

Danny’s uncle basically murdered/assaulted someone and left them in the middle of the road and we’re just going to not ever talk about it again?

Mexican WhiteBoy is a story about friendship, acceptance, and the
struggle to find your identity in a world of definitions. 16 year old Danny Lopez has a white mother and a Mexican father who left them to go back to Mexico. Trying to find his identity and figure out where he belongs, Danny decides to takes a trip to mexico over the summer to visit his dad’s side of the family to try to understand why
his dad left them and get to get to know his dad a little better.

A very enjoyable and hopeful read about the complex family relationships we sometimes have. The story alternates between two teenage boys: Danny (half white, half Mexican) and Uno (half Mexican, half black) united by difficult circumstances, a search for their own identities and a path to success, and baseball. Both of the boys' struggles are presented in realistic and engaging ways.