Synopsis
Manny relates his coming of age experiences as a member of a poor Mexican American family in which the alcoholic father only adds to everyone's struggle.
Manuel Hernandez faces a time of many changes during the year leading up to anticipated initiation into a gang. Manny's alcoholic father calls him "el perico," or parrot, comparing him to the Mexican saying about a parrot that complains about how hot it is in the shade while all along he's sitting inside the oven and doesn't know it. Will Manny find a way to escape for the oven he's trapped himself in?
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1996-10-01 |
| Size | | Length: | 216 pages | | Height: | 7.8 in | | Width: | 5.3 in | | Thickness: | 1.0 in | | Weight: | 12.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
For Manuel Hernandez, the year leading up to his test of courage, his initiation into a gang, is a time filled with the pain and tension, awkwardness and excitement of growing up in a mixed-up, crazy world. Manny wants to find out what it means to be a vato firme, a guy to respect, in this powerful novel of a young Mexican-American boy's coming-of-age experiences.
Industry Reviews
"Reading this book is so intimately revelatory it's like moving into someone's house. Martinez' deceptively straightforward prose is rich with poetic turns of phrase, and his ability to communicate the environment and dynamics of this family--their struggles with poverty, racism, and violence--make his writing startlingly visceral."
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books - Janice M. Del Negro (12/19/1996)
"The book's greatest success lies in Martinez's ability to immerse readers immediately and effortlessly in the world of the narrator."
Washington Post Book World - Jim Naughton (01/12/1997)
"Evocatively written, Martinez's words are a viscous liquid, ensnaring the reader as they flow across the page."
Voya - Roxy Ekstrom (04/19/1997)
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