Americas Award: CrashBoomLove: A Novel in Verse
1999 AMÉRICAS AWARD WINNER
Staff -- School Library Journal, 8/1/2000
HERRERA , Juan Felipe.
CrashBoomLove: A Novel in Verse.
Univ.
of New Mexico. Tr $18.95. ISBN 0-8263-2113-5; pap. $10.95. ISBN
0-8263-2114-3.
A carefully crafted, hard-hitting novel composed of a series of prose poems is written in the voice of 16-year-old César García. As a working-class Chicano, sensitive to the inequities he sees on a daily basis, César struggles--not always successfully--to resist the sort of peer pressure that defines adolescence. Like most teens, he wants to be accepted by his friends, even though they are on a path of self-destruction. Eventually he finds the strength to refuse to let others define him, which will ultimately be the key to his successful passage into adulthood. Herrera's inventive use of language and beautiful imagery holds true to adolescent experiences. This powerful novel will especially resonate with young adults who feel they don't belong, no matter who they are or where they live. (Gr 8 Up)
