This is an identity-and-belonging story in which changing place does not resolve Rico’s outsider feelings. It offers a serious exploration of race, friendship, family strain and the search for home.
More about this book
In the 1960s, Rico Fuentes, a pale-skinned Cuban American teenager, abandons drug-infested New York City for the picket fence and apple pie world of Wisconsin, only to discover that he still feels like an outsider and that violent and judgmental people can be found even in the wholesome Midwest. In the 1960s, Rico, a pale-skinned Cuban American teenager, abandons drug-infested New York City for Wisconsin, only to discover violent and judgmental people can be found even in the wholesome Midwest. The plot contains profanity and sexual situations.
cultural identityappearanceoutsider statushomeracismprejudicejudgementcommunitydrug usefriendshipescaperesponsibility
FictionNovel
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Themes in Context
Belonging and identity
Rico is a pale-skinned Cuban American teenager who feels caught between cultures; in Wisconsin he blends in more visibly but feels less connected to being Latino.Exploratory / explanatoryExploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.Exploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.
How the book presents it: The story examines identity as complicated by appearance, place and other people’s expectations, without presenting relocation as a complete solution.
Talk about: If Rico is treated differently in each community, what does he decide makes a place or identity feel like home?
Prejudice and community
Rico encounters exclusion and violence, while the apparently wholesome Wisconsin community also contains violent and judgemental people.Exploratory / explanatoryExploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.Exploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.
How the book presents it: The book presents prejudice and exclusion as fictional events and themes; the broader narrative treatment is not fully established here.
Talk about: Whether a community appears welcoming, what signs show who is included, judged or protected?
Addiction and difficult choices
Jimmy is described as becoming involved with an insidious habit, while the book includes drug use, selling and a detailed heroin-injection scene.Provisional readingProvisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.Provisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.
Talk about: How do friendship and responsibility affect Rico’s choices when someone close to him is using drugs?
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Why It May Be Worth Reading
Readers may find material for discussing how identity is shaped by appearance, culture and community. The book also presents difficult social realities rather than an uncomplicated escape or a perfect new home.
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What Deserves Attention
Content needing attention includes frequent strong language, sexual references and situations, drug use including heroin injection, drinking and smoking, domestic mistreatment, serious beatings, a shooting and other disturbing harm.
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A Conversation Worth Having
How might Rico’s appearance, cultural background and treatment by different communities affect his sense of belonging? If moving changes his circumstances, does it also change how he understands himself?
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Reading Approach
Before reading, discuss whether the reader wants a book containing explicit adult material and harsh social circumstances. During reading, pause after intense scenes and separate characters’ actions from the book’s treatment of them.
Confidence & Basis
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
What remains unconfirmed
Belonging and identity: The ending and the full development of Rico’s final understanding are not established here.
Prejudice and community: The specific incidents, their consequences and the range of viewpoints are only partly known.
Addiction and difficult choices: The precise sequence of events and the resolution of the addiction thread remain unclear.
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