Barely Missing Everything

February 1, 2019
Born on the poor side of El Paso, Juan and JD fight for their dreams, knowing the odds are stacked against them. Mendez (Twitching Heart, 2012) tells the touching story of two teenage buddies, their troubled families, and the injustices they endure as a result of being poor and brown. Juan wants to play college basketball. JD wants to be a filmmaker. But following a single bad decision at a party in a wealthy neighborhood, their dreams begin to fall like dominoes. In a setting of police profiling and violent streets, it becomes obvious that the pain in this community is intergenerational. The boys must cope with parental secrets--Juan's mother never told him who his father is, and JD's father makes him an accomplice in a dishonest affair. As they seek answers, readers see that the future is a tidal wave pushing them to the brink even as they act with courage and good intentions. Studying, working hard on the court, impressing coaches and teachers, the teens come to understand that the world has labeled them failures no matter how hard they try. In this novel with a deep sense of place and realistic dialogue, characters who are vivid and fallible add deep psychological meaning to a heart-wrenching story.At once accessible and artful, this is an important book about Mexican teens holding onto hope and friendship in the midst of alcoholism, poverty, prejudice, and despair. (Fiction. 14-18)

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March 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Juan Ramos has big dreams: to play college basketball and one day be a professional basketball player. His friend JD Sanchez wants to make great movies and has been collecting old equipment. When Juan and JD run from the police at a friend's party, an avalanche of problems that has surrounded them all their lives collapses around them. JD's mom kicks his dad out of the house after finding out about his affair. Juan's mom, Fabi, and her current boyfriend bail him out of jail, and a sprained ankle and failing algebra grade threaten to bring Juan's basketball career to a complete halt. When Juan discovers a letter to Fabi from an inmate on death row, he is certain this man must be the father he has never known. JD and Juan agree to travel to meet Armando Aranda, with JD documenting their experiences on camera. As the friends set off to find out the truth, a tragic misunderstanding changes their lives forever. The writing flows easily and, coupled with letter excerpts and lyrics, will make this a fast read, though some may find that the ending comes too abruptly. VERDICT Recommended for fans of Matt de la Peña's Mexican Whiteboy.-Selenia Paz, Harris County Public Library, Houston, TX

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