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obstinateheadstrongcurl's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Why are people still reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when this is far superior? This has some of the same frantic absurdity as Thompson, but it’s way more readable and the story is more interesting.
smilejosh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Confusing and difficult to understand because of the flashback structure and Acosta being in outer space for a majority of the book. However, it’s such a banger. Acosta nails the dilemma of not feeling American or Mexican and being lost somewhere in between. It’s definitely unconventional and repulsive at times, but it’s worth reading.
maishalaforge's review
dark
informative
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Even though he was racist, homophonic, and whatever else he wrote a really compelling book that I felt encapsulated the Chicano experience. Sometimes I didn't know what he was saying because he was off a perc every second of the day, but when I did understand him I thought the writing was really good.
themahtin's review
4.0
Started reading this right after reading Tomas Moniz's Bellies and Buffalos (novella). I read some of the beat-era writers and this fits with that genre up until close to the end (but how can he remember the exact details of each conversation?). Then it becomes like a lot of Latin@ coming-of-age/finding out who you are stories that I've read.
syafa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
I'm not sure I'm a fan of the Beat generation style of writing...maybe it's uptight of me but it's a bit crass for my tastes. I've never been more uncomfortable in a class discussion than when my professor made us talk about the passage when Oscar learns how to masturbate. Also, this may be a stretch but the prose reminds me of Rushdie actually. And all those passages when Oscar is super high make absolutely no sense and reminded me of how I felt reading The Clockwork Orange
aneides's review
3.0
A set of recent drug adventures interspersed with more lucid episodes from the author's youth. I haven't read Cockroach People so it is difficult to gauge whether or not these tales provide the necessary background to understand Acosta's later involvement in the Chicano movement. It is too bad it is difficult to see Acosta except through one's preconceptions of him as HS Thompson's "Samoan" attorney.