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A review by carlisajc
Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña
3.0
MATT DE LA PENA REQUIREMENT.
This book is about a boy named Danny who goes to live with his cousin over the summer. Danny is half-white and half-Mexican—aka why the title is Mexican Whiteboy—and this story is kind of him coming to terms with that, finding his identity when he doesn't really fit into either group. He's a phenomenal baseball player, pitching balls at 90+ mph even when he's drunk, so throughout the book, he's also trying to find himself in the sport.
I wasn't expecting to like this book. I'm not usually into the sports-y books, like I thought this one would be (because I totally judged the cover). But it was a lot more than that. It was about race and it was about finding yourself, no matter who that may be. It was about friendship and loyalties and trust. About family.
And it was really well-written. I've never been in a similar situation to these characters, but I still felt immersed in the story. It just felt authentic and real.
This book is about a boy named Danny who goes to live with his cousin over the summer. Danny is half-white and half-Mexican—aka why the title is Mexican Whiteboy—and this story is kind of him coming to terms with that, finding his identity when he doesn't really fit into either group. He's a phenomenal baseball player, pitching balls at 90+ mph even when he's drunk, so throughout the book, he's also trying to find himself in the sport.
I wasn't expecting to like this book. I'm not usually into the sports-y books, like I thought this one would be (because I totally judged the cover). But it was a lot more than that. It was about race and it was about finding yourself, no matter who that may be. It was about friendship and loyalties and trust. About family.
And it was really well-written. I've never been in a similar situation to these characters, but I still felt immersed in the story. It just felt authentic and real.