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    Mexican WhiteBoy
    Mexican WhiteBoy
    Mexican WhiteBoy
    Audiobook7 hours

    Mexican WhiteBoy

    Written by Matt de la Pena

    Narrated by Henry Leyva

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    “[A] first-rate exploration of self-identity.” —School Library Journal

    Danny’s tall and skinny. Even though he’s not built, his arms are long enough to give his pitch a power so fierce any college scout would sign him on the spot. Ninety-five-mile-an-hour fastball, but the boy’s not even on a team. Every time he gets up on the mound, he loses it. Ball ends up so far out of the strike zone it’s laughable.

    But at his private school, they don’t expect much else from him. Danny’s brown. Half-Mexican brown. And growing up in San Diego, that close to the border, means everyone knows exactly who he is before he even opens his mouth. Before they find out he can’t speak Spanish, and before they realize his mom has blond hair and blue eyes, they’ve got him pegged. But it works the other way too. And Danny’s convinced it’s his whiteness that sent his father back to Mexico.

    That’s why he’s spending the summer with his dad’s family. Only, to find himself, he may just have to face the demons he refuses to see—the demons that are right in front of his face. And open up to a friendship he never saw coming.

    Set in the alleys and on the ball fields of San Diego County, Mexican WhiteBoy is a story of friendship, acceptance, and the struggle to find your identity in a world of definitions.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateSep 10, 2013
    ISBN9781480524538
    Mexican WhiteBoy
    Author

    Matt de la Pena

    Matt de la Peña is the Newbery Medal-winning author of Last Stop on Market Street. He is also the author of the award-winning picture books Carmela Full of Wishes, Love, and A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis, and seven critically acclaimed young-adult novels. Matt teaches creative writing and visits schools and colleges throughout the US.

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    Reviews for Mexican WhiteBoy

    4/5

    112 ratings17 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 4/5
      Danny has a white mother and a Mexican father and doesn't quite fit in either world. He doesn't speak Spanish but loves the Mexican people and their culture. And baseball. He is an extremely talented pitcher but when he gets on the mound his pitches go wild. He meets Uno who has a Mexican mother and a black father. Uno sees the Danny's talent and helps him focus and the two of them visit different fields and hustle hitters. The story reminds me a little of Chaim Potok's The Chosen. But for teens. It's worth a little time to read.
    • 2/5
      Danny is half-Mexican, half-white and doesn't speak Spanish. Uno is half-Mexican, half-black. Danny yearns to reconnect with his Mexican father whom he hasn't seen in years. Uno wants to move in with his biological father and start a new life. These barrio outsiders manage to find a connection despite a rocky introduction. Their friendship helps each know that everything will be OK. Danny's tortured introspection caused this story to drag for me but teens who enjoy urban fiction will appreciate the raw street dialog and day-to-day realities of hangin' in the 'hood. (Bonus for parents and librarians: no graphic sex, just lots of talk and innuendo.) Teens who feel mired in the 'hood will identify with these boys' confused souls as they try to find their places in the world.
    • 3/5
      Reason Read: TIOLI #4, ROOTThis was received as a free download from AudioFileSync summer program and is the story of mixed race kids searching for identity. Besides mixed race it also looks at families where the biological father is not present. A search for identity. A young adult book.
    • 4/5
      teen fiction (half Mexican/half white boy spends the summer with the family of his dad, who left when he was small, makes friends, maybe meets a girl, and practices a lot of baseball)At first I didn't think I would relate that much to the characters (the first chapters make the setting seem very so-called "barrio" but after that it becomes more character driven, and the not-quite-fitting-in-here-or-there is easy to identify with, plus there is the mystery of why Danny's father left. Not everything gets completely resolved at the end, but it's a very realistic-feeling, satisfying story.contains: underage drinking, teenage parents, violence/fighting, self harm.
    • 3/5
      A very enjoyable and hopeful read about the complex family relationships we sometimes have. The story alternates between two teenage boys: Danny (half white, half Mexican) and Uno (half Mexican, half black) united by difficult circumstances, a search for their own identities and a path to success, and baseball. Both of the boys' struggles are presented in realistic and engaging ways.
    • 5/5
      Danny's tall and skinny. Even though he's not "built", his arms are long enough to give his pitch a power so fierce that any college scout would sign him on the spot. Ninety-five-mile-an-hour fastball, but the boy's not even on a team. Every time he gets up on the mound, he loses it. Ball ends up so far out of the strike zone it's laughable.But at his private school, they don't expect much else from him. Danny's brown. Half-Mexican brown. And growing up in San Diego, that close to the border, means everyone knows exactly who he is before he even opens his mouth. Before they find out he can't speak Spanish, and before they realize his mom has blond hair and blue eyes, they've got him pegged. But it works the other way too. And Danny's convinced it's his whiteness that sent his father back to Mexico.That's why he's spending the summer with his dad's family. Only, to find himself, he may just have to face the demons he refuses to see - the demons that are right in front of his face. And open up to a friendship he never saw coming.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading this young adult novel about friendships, family and identity. My favorite characters were Danny and Uno. I loved how their friendship evolved and bloomed. Peña is a talented author and I can see why his books win award after award. I look forward to reading more of his work (I absolutely loved The Last Stop on Market Street).
    • 3/5
      Being half white and half Mexican is Danny's lot in life. He feels ostracized from both groups. Uno is half Black and half Mexican. The two of them develop a close friendship. "Mexican Whiteboy" takes the reader through baseball, feelings of differences between both Danny and Uno, their confused love for their absent fathers, and their growing up pains.
    • 5/5
      Danny Lopez is too Mexican for the white kids at his school, and too white for the Mexican kids in the National City neighborhood of San Diego. To top it off, his dad left for Mexico and Danny hasn't seen him in three years.What Danny does have going for him is his pitching. He can throw a fastball above 90 miles per hour--but he was cut from his prep school's team because he didn't have any control.When a stickball accident--and the subsequent fight--leaves him with stitches, the last thing he expects is to end up friends with the guy who beat him up. But Danny and Uno have a lot more in common than it seems.Deals with race, belonging, violence, poverty, and baseball. Strong language in both English and Spanish, but little sexual content. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      So, normally, I just can't get into sports stories, but this one was fantastic. I loved the protagonist and the way the themes of identity, race, and fitting in were handled.
    • 5/5
      This book is amazing. The best book i have ever read. it keeps you hooked all the way threw. its a gripping book about races. YOU WILL LOVE IT
    • 4/5
      l really enjoyed this book, it reminded me so much of a lot of Mexicans from my generation. Most Hispanics don't even know their own language, and society is partially to blame. Here in America people complain when they hear other languages, if it's not English it's most likely not welcomed. “This is AMERICA, speak ENGLISH!” This book helps you realize no matter where you are you should be proud of your true language and everything it comes with. Even if you grew up not knowing more than a simple sentence you should still be proud of it and proud of your heritage. Pena tells of how hard it can be to be proud of something that is disliked. The main character knows little of his culture but he knows who he is and his classmates do too. He soon learns to embrace it after a visit to his hometown.
    • 3/5
      My personal response was that I completely understand how it feels to not completely be part of one particular culture or another. My father is Philipino, Navajo, and British, and my mother is Alaska Native and Irish. I was raised in a city far from any of my relatives, and primarily lived with European-Americans and never felt like I belonged. I moved to the Navajo reservation during my last year in high school and the Navajos treated me like I was an outsider also, because I was obviously not all Navajo. I would consider this book for people who feel kind of out of the loop culturally. I know a little of each of the cultures that are part of my ancestry, but do not consider myself completely part of any one of them. This book would be good for people are of more than one ethnicity.
    • 4/5
      The Mexican WhiteBoy, By De Le Pena is about a boy that struggle to find not only self acceptance, but also acceptance from is family. His cousins tell him they are uneasy about him being bi-racial. Danny can not speak Spanish like his cousins. He feels he does not fit none of is racial backgrounds.Danny home is broken and he play baseball in hopes of becoming a famous pitcher. Once he becomes famous, he thinks he will find his father who abandon him. Without revealing the end of the story, it is about loving who you are.Classroom Extensions1. Have the students write a report about a different culture 2. Have the student to make a dish from another culture to introduce to the students a lesson plan about how we can love other people culture just as we love our culiture
    • 4/5
      Reviewed by Mrs. FoleyDanny, who is tall and skinny but has a talent for pitching a fastball, cannot seem to fit in at school in San Diego, where his Mexican and white heritage causes people to judge him before he even speaks. - From library catalog recordThis is a Gateway nominee for next year and I'm glad it made the final list. Of course, I'm a sucker for a good baseball book. But, this book has SO much more. Danny has a white mom and a Mexican dad who are divorced. He lives with his mom and attends a private school where he doesn't quite fit in because he is Mexican. For the summer he goes to visit his Mexican relatives in National City where he doesn't quite fit in because he is white. He is an incredible pitcher who can't keep control of the ball when it counts (like during baseball tryouts). He rarely talks and sometimes will dig his fingernails into his arm when he feels angry or uncomfortable. During the book, he begins to discover who he is and learns the truth about his father. Lots of interesting characters are going through similar self-discovery in the book.Review from Horn Book:Danny lives in two worlds but doesn't belong anywhere. The kids at his private school never let him forget that he is half Mexican. His cousins are uneasy around him because he is too white; he doesn't speak Spanish or fit into their San Diego barrio culture. The one place Danny feels accepted is on the baseball field, where his ninety-five-mile-per-hour fastball gets everyone's attention. But Danny only wants the attention of one person: his father. Danny imagines becoming a star pitcher and making his father proud enough to return from Mexico. Despite his natural talent, Danny pitches wildly every time a big-league scout is watching, until he meets Uno, a tough street thug who offers unexpected friendship and teaches him to let his talent take control and release the hurt inside. This fast-paced baseball story is unique in its gritty realism and honest portrayal of the complexities of life for inner-city teens, framed in the context of the emotional confusion of broken homes and bicultural pressures. De la Pena poignantly conveys the message that, despite obstacles, you must believe in yourself and shape your own future.
    • 4/5
      Half a baseball story, half a story about sons looking for their fathers, this was a satisfying read. The main characters came alive (though there were too many minor characters to keep straight). Chapters from alternating viewpoints gave the story an extra dimension. If I could change one thing about the book, I would have made D learn Spanish over the summer...I hate to see those missed educational opportunities! ;)
    • 5/5
      While spending the summer with his relatives in a predominantly Latino town, Danny gains confidence and finally finds out the truth about his father.I really liked this book. All the characters were very real to me and the dialogue sounded really natural. I was rooting for Danny the whole way through. His problems weren't easy to solve... He blames himself for his dad leaving, he feels like an outsider with his Mexican relatives because he's half-white and doesn't speak Spanish, he has a crush on a girl who doesn't speak English, he loves baseball and is a fantastic pitcher but loses his control when he's playing under pressure. There are no easy solutions, but Danny manages to find the difficult solutions and deal with his problems. Short chapters and alternating perspectives keep things from getting too heavy. Highly recommended.