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The Boy Kings of Texas: A Memoir

by Domingo Martinez (Goodreads Author)

3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 · rating details · 627 ratings · 153 reviews

Domingo Martinez lays bare his interior and exterior worlds as he struggles to make sense of the violent and the ugly, along with the beautiful and the loving. Partly a reflection on the culture of machismo and partly an exploration of the author's boyhood spent in his sister's hand-me-down clothes,this book delves into the enduring and complex bond between Martinez and hi...more

Paperback, 456 pages

Published July 3rd 2012 by Lyons Press

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The Boy Kings of Texas by Domingo Martinez

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

National Book Award Finalists - 2012

1st out of 24 books — 53 voters

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris

Sleepwalk With Me and Other Painfully True Stories by Mike Birbiglia

This American Life

1st out of 96 books — 22 voters

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Jun 19, 2012 Jody Scott-Olson is currently reading it

I caught a segment of this on a public radio program titled "This American Life". It was fantastic can't wait for the book.

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Mar 28, 2013 Nick D rated it 3 of 5 stars

No one I know of has written more astutely of machismo, perhaps because, for much of the book, it is seen from a child's perspective. The title is a reference to a great Mexican anthem: "A stone in the road/said that my destiny/was to roll and roll./Later a traveller told me/that it's not important to be the first to arrive,/but instead to know how to arrive./With money and without money/I always do what I want/And my word is the law./I don't have a throne or a queen/or anyone who understands me...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Dan Oko rated it 4 of 5 stars

This may be my winter of memoirs: Another excellent one here, which could not have been more different in tone, or subject, than Strayed's Wild -- which I read and reviewed last month -- and yet manages to delight and provoke in its own right. Reading this on the heels of the other, I come with a new respect for those willing to lay open their heart on the page. It gives me hope as a writer, as well as a reader. For those who have wondered what it might be like to grow up on the Rio Grande front...more

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Dec 12, 2012 AthleticStilletto marked it as to-read

Shelves: review-of-not-yet-read-book

I have read 4 of Erasmo Guerra's own books and loved them all (beyond 5-star love). I could never manage to enumerate all of the positive aspects of these works, so I will simply compliment his marvelous characterizations and the "prose-poetry" nature of his writing. (Okay, as far as character descriptions and the oh-so-lovely flow of Erasmo's writing, I have to specifically mention certain aspects: human beauty, human ugliness, life challenges, insights into inter-family as well as romantic rel...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Nancy Oakes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiography, author-debut

I seemed to have enjoyed this book much more than a number of readers did; a 3.75 rating rounded to a 4. Some people see it as "whiny," and one Amazon reader seems to have missed the point of the book altogether slamming the author for writing about his family trying to be white. hmmm. Well, let me say this: Boy Kings of Texas didn't at all come across as whiny to me; and while there is quite a lot of airing his family's linen in public, that's not the overall thrust of this book. Keep reading...more I seemed to have enjoyed this book much more than a number of readers did; a 3.75 rating rounded to a 4. Some people see it as "whiny," and one Amazon reader seems to have missed the point of the book altogether slamming the author for writing about his family trying to be white. hmmm. Well, let me say this: Boy Kings of Texas didn't at all come across as whiny to me; and while there is quite a lot of airing his family's linen in public, that's not the overall thrust of this book. Keep reading if you just want the short review; for something longer, click here.

The Boy Kings of Texas captures Martinez's experiences growing up in Brownsville, Texas in the 1970s and 1980s, then goes on to his life after leaving Brownsville. The author details his upbringing in a family in this border town where cultures can't help but collide, and where the ever-present culture of machismo -- which in Martinez's case isn't limited just to the males in his family -- came to have a huge impact on his life. Later, as an adult, this would be most evident in his relationship with his brother Dan, who, as the oldest, was brought up to be the main 'boy-king' in charge of protecting the family's honor as well as his siblings. What is striking is not only the book's unflinching honesty and its rawness, but also the way in which Martinez tries to understand what lies underneath the way he and his brothers and sisters were raised. His story goes back in time to when his grandmother was young, then into his father's childhood where he too was raised to be a "boy king" and how place, circumstance and culture helped to shape his mom and dad as individuals and as parents. As he weaves their stories into the picture, Martinez also adds some heartbreaking, but often funny tales of his childhood and adolescence, where he realized pretty early on that he didn't exactly feel like he fit into the macho world of the barrio, an acknowledgment that would follow him throughout his life.

If you don't want to read about fights (another complaint that probably lowered the book's star rating for some people) or drugs or about a hardscrabble life of wearing hand me downs or about growing up in the barrio, then take a pass. If you want something very different with a lot of color, and you're at all interested in a unique way of life, then give it a try. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested; I mean, seriously ... everyone's got a story to tell and this one is not only engrossing but entertaining as well.(less)

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Jun 08, 2012 Domingo Martinez marked it as to-read · (Review from the author)

Review from Kirkus Reviews, The Toughest Book Critics in the World:

Seattle-based Latino journalist Martinez recalls his youthful adventures in the 1980s romping around the border town of Brownsville, Texas.
Though dirt poor, the author’s Mexican-American family continually demonstrated resilience, solidarity and humor. His parents, “children themselves” right out of high school, began having kids in the late-’60s. In a household of “Sisyphean wetbacks” struggling to make ends meet, Martinez was t...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Teresa Mayfield rated it 3 of 5 stars

I heard about this book through the This American Life story about Mr. Martinez’s sisters, “The Mimis”. As I am from Texas and spent my elementary school years in El Paso, the story sounded interesting to me. And it is interesting, but also a sad commentary on more than a few communities, cultures, families, and the state of Texas (and Mexico for that matter). Much of this memoir comes off a bit too movie scene ready, but I feel that some of the story rings with truth. I did not experience direc...more I heard about this book through the This American Life story about Mr. Martinez’s sisters, “The Mimis”. As I am from Texas and spent my elementary school years in El Paso, the story sounded interesting to me. And it is interesting, but also a sad commentary on more than a few communities, cultures, families, and the state of Texas (and Mexico for that matter). Much of this memoir comes off a bit too movie scene ready, but I feel that some of the story rings with truth. I did not experience directly any of Mr. Martinez’s culture collisions first hand, but I did have friends who I watched go through some of what he describes. If you are from a mixed culture or first generation immigrant family or grew up in the thick of a melting pot, I would guess that you will be able to relate to many of Mr. Martinez’s experiences. Otherwise, you might find the whole thing just too hard to swallow.

Two of the things that bothered me most about the book and make me feel that perhaps much of it is too movie scene ready are misstatements of facts. These are facts that Mr. Martinez or any of his editors could have bothered to Google and included the truth rather than what Mr. Martinez thought was true in the memoir. At the very least he could have made the statement that what he was relating was what he thought was true at the time. The first fact comes from his tale of rattlesnakes killed by his grandmother and the length of their rattles. He says of the rattles, “rattlesnakes grow a section each year, and this pair was about nine years old, a year younger than me”. Sorry Mr. Martinez, but every amateur Herpetologist knows the following:

A Rattlesnake cannot be aged simply by counting the number of rattles on its tail. The tip of the tail of a new born Rattlesnake ends in a smooth rounded, slightly pear-shaped, "button," which is the first segment of the future rattle. As the young snake grows it sheds its skin, usually several times a year. Each shed skin adds a new, loosely overlapped and interlocked segment to the rattle. Shedding twice a year will add two segments to the rattle. Shedding three times a year will add three segments to the rattle. The more a Rattlesnake sheds, the more segments are added to its rattle. (Florida Museum of Natural History)

Not to mention that the rattles are broken off quite often. The second fact has to do with red tides. Mr. Martinez writes, “Karis had arrived during a red tide, when all the shellfish that have been saving up their toxins as a defense against larger predators suddenly purge it out all at once”. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife; “Red tide is a naturally-occurring, higher-than-normal concentration of the microscopic algae Karenia brevis (formerly Gymnodinium breve)” (Texas Parks and Wildlife). Unfortunately for me, these editorial issues really make me question the truth in the rest of the memoir, especially because Mr. Martinez himself states “I sat and went where I usually did, into my head and imagined all sorts of ways to get myself integrated into the story lines of popular movies I’d seen”. This feels less like a memoir and more like a tragic screenplay. I don’t doubt that Mr. Martinez had experiences that informed this book, but I do doubt that his editors were very thorough and I feel that for easily verified facts, the author should take five minutes and Google it rather than just spreading misinformation.
(less)

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Feb 10, 2013 Lilly rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book snuck into the darkest corners of my memories and made me laugh, cry, and reflect. I thought my own South Texas childhood was a painful triumph. Then I read Domingo Martinez's memoir and realized I had only ever thought of all the ways it would be easier to be a boy growing up in the barrios of the Valley and ignored all the ways it would be harder. I felt for Domingo as a boy, and yet I read on, knowing all too well that the legacy of machismo would be inescapable, knowing how the boo...more

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May 17, 2013 Debbie rated it 2 of 5 stars

I've been pondering what to say about this book for sometime. I'm conflicted because, like the author, I am from Brownsville. On one hand I totally relate to a lot of what was in the book, and on another hand, I'm a little offended by his description of our hometown with such disgust. Like the author, I left Brownsville a long time ago because there was nothing left for me there, I mean I wasn't really going any where at that time and I have a lot of family and friends who still live there. The...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Dave-O rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, pocho-blues

A page-turning account of the author who is a third generation Mexican-American who managed to escape the slums of Brownsville, Texas where he grew up in the 1970s and 1980s to make a journalism career for himself in Seattle. Most of the stories are cases studies against the dangers of machismo and how it devoured in all of the men in his family. Written in a very "NPR listenership"-friendly style Martinez at times lays on the humor a bit thick but to his credit, he goes against the Mexican-Amer...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Millie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I first heard of this book while listening to an excerpt on "This American Life." I actually didn't know what the book was about-- the podcast, which is about Martinez's sisters, provides a glimpse into how they adapted to the poverty around them by creating a new and glamorous identify for themselves (sounds strange, but listen to it). The book is actually about the Mexican notion of "machismo" and how Martinez and his brother cope with the expectations associated with this culture.

Reading thi...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Janet rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: coming-of-age, memoir, shitty-childhood

Unable to get my iPhone to sync in my car I tuned to NPR where I caught Martinez’s hilarious response to his memoir receiving a National Book Award nomination. I made an abrupt left turn for Elliott Bay Books and bought it on the spot. What ensued was 5 evenings of colossal disappointment. No stranger to disappointment after 20+ years of marriage, I tend to set the bar a bit higher when I pay to be entertained. Domingo, I want my twenty bucks back.

Martinez chronicles his childhood and adolescen...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Cynthia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fifty years ago, we left the midwest for Pasadena, CA, where I met Mexicans and Mexican-Americans for the first time in my life. I taught eighth-grade language arts and history for a year and was intrigued with the non-Anglo kids in my class, some of whom barely spoke English. It was my first year of teaching and it was rough. Some of the other teachers treated this group of students with cynicism and contempt. They said that since I came from the midwest, I didn't really know what "Mexicans" we...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a book. I devoured this on a pair of cross-country flights and was floored by Martinez's flow, stories, and ability to dissect the intention behind so many of the actions and decisions he describes in his memoir. Essentially, he dissects the machismo archetype and illustrates its influence on generations of families while remaining true to his own story. I heard him read about "the Mimi's" on This American Life and then waited months for my number to come up at the library on the full book....more

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Dec 03, 2012 Colleen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reading this book was like eaves-dropping on someone's therapy session, which proved to be both moving and frustrating at the same time. I loved the memories of childhood - playful, innocent, sad, angering - so engaging and real in the way June (Domingo) relives some of the happier times and the brutal times. I really had the sense of a child's innocence being chiseled away, big hunks at a time. The teen years were just as moving and maddening. The adults in June's life continue to sabotage his...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoirs

Domingo Martinez writes about the traumas and pleasures of growing up in South Texas. He writes about his bond with his older brother, Daniel, who is ever protecting Domingo. He tells of his gun toting Gramma, his sisters, "the Mimis" as they liked to be called at one time. They were trying their darndest to transform themselves from poor Mexican adolescents into charming and maybe upper-class white chicks. He tells of his father, who at times was violent and would beat his own children and wif...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Amazing stories, you will not be disappointed. Read it. He did it without writing groups, this should be added to your reading group agenda.

I also will be reading incessantly on Friday to learn what becomes of Gramma, a woman so powerful and wise that she takes out insurance policies on men in the family. I'll read to see if she did, definitively, have anything to do with her husband's death. Again I'll experience the anticipation and suspense of crossing of the border with a big gulp left on th...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Iva rated it 4 of 5 stars

Like Adrian LeBlanc's Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble and Coming of Age in the Bronx, just change Bronx to Brownsville, Texas, and you have an idea of what will unfold in this memoir. Reading Martinez gives a clear picture of border life, which most Americans don't understand or have any experience with.The characters are unforgettable: a gun-toting "Gramma", sisters trying to be Valley Girls, men who can't earn a living but resenting their women having a job. Martinez, a journalist, gives t...more

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Nov 28, 2012 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

A have very mixed emotions about this book...

Humor - there are several stories that are very funny.
Intrigue - it was interesting to get a "behind the curtains" look at a culture that is local and familiar to me.
Pain - nearly all people in our nation carry baggage from our upbringing into adulthood, this book dredged up some of my baggage.
Disgust - the dysfunction in our society, regardless of ethnicity/race, is a cancer on our society; we must learn how to outgrow this dysfunction.
Confidenc...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s-80s, memoir, tex-mex, immigration

Domingo Martinez has written a tough, grritty memoir of his survival in the very tough, very gritty macho life of a dirt-poor family in the Mexican barrio of Brownsville, Texas.

"Junior" was the second son and for the most of his growing up years, the youngest child, of a Mexican immigrant father and an Hispanic Texan mother. His father was an alcoholic as well as macho-mean and his sons, in particular, suffered from this.

It's a rough, crude life and Junior is not the macho, fighter type of boy...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

I don't know, y'all. Maybe memoirs aren't my thing. Maybe this memoir is not my thing. Although the first story (or which ever one it was about the dog) made me sad, I thought I could get into it. And I did for some of the stories. But certainly not all of them.

So this guy had a bad childhood. And he grew up way faster than any child should. And I guess that's part of the makings of a good memoir. I guess that's why Pollyanna didn't have a memoir.

But it got to a point when it was just Too Much f...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Ana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Domingo Martinez give a good rendition of what growing up in South Texas life is like at times. His storytelling style of writing does take some getting used to but effective once you get into the dept of the book. I very much enjoyed this book, it brought back some funny memories of my own and I related to his point of view at times. My favorite part of the book is the way he told the story of his sisters - "the Power of the Mimis" - and their dog.
South Texas as American as it is, is also very...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Gail rated it 4 of 5 stars

Domingo explores his relationship with family members in this memoir, in particular with his brother, and he gives a brief but heartfelt nod to his mother near the end, which of course endeared him to me.

I was drawn into the border-town culture from the first page, and was later delighted to learn Domingo spent some time in Seattle where I currently live. His contrasts of the two cultures were delicious.

I also loved the fresh way he described things. Two of my favorites were:
1) his description...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Susana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

The Boy Kings of Texas begins with an explanation of El Rey, a song written and popularized by Jose Alfredo Jimenez. I grew up with this song--my father listened to it incessantly (and I think he preferred the Jimenez version to Vicente Fernandez's, even though he loves Fernandez like whoa). I'd never stopped to think about the lyrics, especially not in the way that Martinez does. Despite all fallbacks, the protagonist in the song continues to be a king--and as Martinez says, maps out "the emoti...more The Boy Kings of Texas begins with an explanation of El Rey, a song written and popularized by Jose Alfredo Jimenez. I grew up with this song--my father listened to it incessantly (and I think he preferred the Jimenez version to Vicente Fernandez's, even though he loves Fernandez like whoa). I'd never stopped to think about the lyrics, especially not in the way that Martinez does. Despite all fallbacks, the protagonist in the song continues to be a king--and as Martinez says, maps out "the emotional DNA of the border male." It's machismo, in all its complexity, reduced to a few stanzas and a powerful chorus. And Martinez is right--he's so right. And thus begins The Boy Kings of Texas, a more detailed emotional map of the border male (and, when viewed through certain lenses, many Mexican males displaced from their homeland for many reasons not often appreciated by the discussions on immigration reform--but that's another story).

The memoir is Martinez's coming-of-age in Brownsville, Texas. It's a look into the dynamics of his family, wrought with narcissistic fathers and grandmothers, an enabling and sometimes-cold mother, and a brother who helps him survive and becomes, in adulthood, a reflection of the worst of being a boy king (to be fair, Martinez serves as that same reflection to his brother). I hesitate to say adventures when discussing Martinez's childhood. Navigated perils is more like it, and his ups and downs are things that make you shudder and wonder how he survived. But he did, and with a National Book Award nomination to boot. Well-earned, too.

Most memorable is that chapter on Martinez's destruction of his adored and advanced elementary school that redistricting took away from him--the intricate emotions that drove the crime are a stunning encapsulation of disadvantage, anger, and frustration with a system that's set up for failure before a person can even try to better themselves. Also striking is the devolution of his relationship with his brother, Dan, and how their coming together and falling apart over the years is an inevitable consequence of their childhood. The slow crumbling of his father and grandmother, from mocking tyrants to elderly people whose ability to intimidate has lessened over the years, is a painful look into what it's like growing up with narcissists, the damage it can do, and how parenting is no easy task (particularly when parenting is based on not shaping happy adults, but creating tough guys for no other reason than the folly of machismo).

A strong recommend.(less)

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Feb 25, 2013 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: new-york-book-club, 2013

This book was a strange read for me because while I found it very readable, engaging and quick, it also felt like I was reading it all the time and making no actual progress. It's pretty long (probably overlong) but funny and gut-twistingly sad in equal measure, which is my favorite combination of book feels. I like the way the author writes, fully embracing the incredibly subjective nature of a memoir and just running with it, almost like he's telling you the stories orally, with all the organi...more

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May 09, 2013 Jane Hodges rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir

Domingo Martinez is an incredible storyteller, and has wrought unforgettable Texan characters here as he explores the legacy of machismo and psychological brutality it perpetuated in his family and community. His writing sings and is one-of-a-kind, and his occasional flash forwards (hard to pull off without throwing the reader) were very effective at keeping us feeling grounded even as he plowed through tough material. My only critique is that I felt some scenes warranted editing and shortening...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Shin Yu rated it 5 of 5 stars

On the very very long side. This memoir probably could have been broken up into more than one collection - since the writing spans the author's life in both Texas and Seattle. But this book is really about the landscape and cultural environment of Texas and covers the author's childhood and young adulthood. The writing is vivid, painful, powerful - characters are well developed and shown for their complexities and weaknesses - the author is not immune from his own critique. There is a lot of vio...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Hilcia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, latino-latina, 2012-read

Update 10.22.12 Thoughts so far -- I find it interesting that in this book the author battles the effects of the machista male culture he inherited from his Latino father, grandfather and uncles, from a Mexican-American perspective. There is more there, of course, there's the push and pull of two very different cultures and how this can tear apart, confuse or have an adverse effect on the lives of that first generation born in America. There's also the amazing sub-culture and different world fou...more

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Apr 29, 2013 wade rated it 4 of 5 stars

An interesting and well written slice of life from the barrio to Seattle. Along the way Mr Martinez shares with us a series of adventures with his very atypical family and friends. This book is not about Ozzie and Harriet and the Nelson boys. We become voyeurs into fights, drinking, and a host of misadventures. He has a pretty unlovable dad and a grandma who cons everyone to get what she wants. Ir is easy to see why this was a finalist for the National Book award and caught the judges eye. I re...more

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May 11, 2013 Paul Mullen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Maybe I'm just tired of reading memoirs of people who lived broken childhoods and then grew up to be still broken but more mature in their brokenness.

The stories are interesting. The writing style is refreshing. The mix of Spanish and English was a terrific flavoring. The use of f--k and drugs is probably realistic, but deafening after a while.

If you're in the mood to feel sorry for people and to experience some great writing, this is a good one. If you want to learn and grow and mature yoursel...more

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About Domingo Martinez

Domingo Martinez lives in Seattle, WA. His work has appeared in Epiphany, and most recently, he read an adaptation of "The Mimis" on This American Life.

He is a 2013 Pushcart Prize nominee.

Mr Martinez has lived in Seattle for nearly 20 years. He lives awkwardly in a small 1930s apartment building on lower Queen Anne, enjoying the absence of sunlight.

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