Far from Gringo Land

December 7, 2009
Soon-to-be high school senior Rick hails from a middle-class family in Colorado and is spending the summer with the Romeros, friends of his family who live in Santo Domingo, Mexico. In exchange for an immersive cultural experience, Rick will “work like mules” with the family to help build them a larger home. But nothing has prepared Rick for the hard labor or being the lone “gringo” on the project. Myers (Storyteller
) writes realistically about the culture shock as Rick tries to please and help his hosts, without infringing on their pride (the Romeros cannot afford basic medical treatment, even in emergency situations, whereas Rick is easily able to shell out money, and does: “ouldn't it be worse if I didn't
pay? Wouldn't that offend people more?”). Complicating matters is Rick's relationship with Ellen, a wealthy American girl whose father is livid about her spending time in the Romeros' lower-class neighborhood with Rick. The third-person narrative fails to delve all that deeply into Rick's feelings; for example, Rick's desire to escape his own “family hassles” for the summer is never explained. However, this quick and thought-provoking read should spark discussion. Ages 12–up.

December 1, 2009
Gr 8 Up-Rick is spending the summer before his senior year with family friends in Mexico to help them build a new house. He'll provide extra labor for the Romeros in exchange for room and board and a chance to improve his Spanish. The work is backbreaking, the construction project has its setbacks, and Rick has a tough time relating to his host family when both the language and culture are hard to decipher. A budding romance with a rich American teen, also visiting for the summer, takes his mind off his troubles. The premise of this story is promising for what it could do to advance cultural understanding, but a waffling Rick is not strong enough to take on the challenge and the Romeros come off as stereotypes. The third-person narration does little to draw readers in, with much of the story told and not shown. Rick's feeble attempts to help the Romeros through troubling times come off as self-centered and patronizing. Even the light romance, which is often related in stilted and confusing conversations between Rick and his paramour, isn't enough to make this story compelling."Shawna Sherman, Hayward Public Library, CA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2009
Grades 7-10 Seventeen-year-old Rick Dresner is spending the summer in Mexico, helping the Romeros build an addition to their home and learning to speak Spanish more fluently. Although he looked forward to the experience with a combination of excitement and anxiety, he is completely unprepared for the realities of hard work and being an outsider in the barrio of Santa Domingo. In this mostly autobiographical tale, Myers fictionalizes his own teenage life and the lessons he learned about being a gringo in a poverty-stricken, yet very proud, country. While the commentary about Ricks experiences and his revelations is a bit too pointed, failing to trust the strength of the narrative to carry its messages, the story of the homes construction, the Romeros lives, and Ricks mini-romance creates an intriguing account of a well-intentioned American on foreign soil.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)