Dark Dude, Oscar Hijuelos

Hijuelos, Oscar (2008).
Dark Dude
New York: Atheneum
978-1416948049
Genre: Realistic Fiction


In 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 in even the wholesome Midwest.
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Fifteen-year-old Rico is what the Latinos and African Americans call a “dark dude”, someone who is light skinned and not to be trusted in the ghetto community (Dictionary of Slang definition included by Hijuelos). Growing up as a Cuban American in New York, Rico faces his otherness daily as he walks to school and frequently gets jumped. His mother blames him for their financial situation (he was a sickly child and the family incurred unaffordable medical bills), his father drinks daily, and his closest friend Jimmy has become a heroine addict. Rico escapes by reading comic books and dreaming of becoming a writer ala Mark Twain, but when problems escalate at his high school and Rico witnesses a shooting, the comic books and novels are not enough for Rico to forget his problems. The only solace he feels is when he reads the letters he receives from Gilberto, an older friend who writes from Wisconsin- a lottery winner who “escaped the streets of NY.” After much trepidation, Rico decides to run away to Wisconsin; he convinces Jimmy to go with him, and they hitchhike to Gilberto’s farm. Much like Mark Twain’s novel, Rico and Jimmy learn valuable lessons along the way. On the farm, the two boys help Gilberto and the handful of boarders; they befriend one another and help one another out. Rico finds a girlfriend and enjoys the farmland, but after six months or so, he longs for his mother’s cooking and wonders about his parents. He also feels uneasy at the boarders’ decision to grow marijuana. While working at the local gas station, Rico is assaulted because he is thought to be gay. The event combined with his uneasiness at home force Rico to realize that prejudice exists everywhere, and one must face it to survive. Hijuelos presents Rico's realization thoroughly and authentically; the novel will appeal to anyone interested in human nature.

headlong, Kathe Koja

Koja, Kathe (2008).
headlong
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux
9780374329129
Genre: Realistic Fiction

High school sophomore Lily opens herself to new possibilities when, despite warnings, she becomes friends with “ghetto girl” Hazel, a new student at the private Vaughn School which Lily, following in her elitist mother’s footsteps, has attended since preschool.
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Lily Noble has attended the Vaughn School since preschool, and now as a junior, she seems restless and unhappy. She’s built a stellar reputation at the wealthy private school and when she meets and befriends Hazel, a girl from a urban public school, Lily’s teachers and parents warn Lily about the friendship and its effects on her reputation. The novel hopscotches back and forth between the beginning of Lily’s junior year and the end of the years. Readers witness the beginning of the friendship as well as its end. The author also includes memos written about the school and Lily’s progress. Readers will be more intrigued by subversive, sarcastic Hazel who initially doesn’t want to attend the Vaughn School. Later Lily and readers will think that Hazel has transitioned and become a representative of Vaughn- yet Koja surprises readers as the two girls drift apart. At points, Lily seems to idolize Hazel and gets caught up in the idea of Hazels’ family which consists of her gay brother and his partner. Astute readers will identify with Lily’s longing to fit in and find her place; superficial readers will probably think that Lily has a crush on Hazel! Koja deftly portrays the life at a boarding school; she captures the tone of the wealthy headmaster and the included memos allow readers to decide who is the best judge of character- the school staff or Lily or Hazel? Ultimately, both Likely and Hazel recognize and embrace their different backgrounds as they drift apart. Readers who look for Disney-type endings will have to look elsewhere!