false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170438269m/54387.jpg 54387 6 Not many authors kill their main character on page two, but when Gary Soto does in <I>The Afterlife</I> the tactic results in a richly textured coming of age story. Chuy is a normal teenage guy, making his way in the barrios of Fresno, California, and hoping to impress a pretty girl. Carefully combing his hair in the restroom at Club Estrella, he only has a few moments to consider his "loverboy" strategy before his young life is (literally) cut short by a knife-wielding stranger who misinterprets a compliment. <p> Soon Chuy is floating above his bleeding body, embarking on a journey of personal exploration. As he drifts though his hometown (tightening his stomach muscles so as not to get blown off course) he manages to achieve many of the things he didn't when he was alive--recognizing how much he is loved by family and friends, saving a life, punishing a thug, and even falling in love (with a ghost-girl who has committed suicide). <p> Soto has a knack for particularly apt comparisons ("the sun rose pink as a scar," "laundry hung like the faded flags of defeated nations,"), which brings beauty and clarity to this dangerous world of <I>cholos</I> and <I>cabrones</I> (and if you don't know what those are, there's a glossary in the back). Aside from a couple plot points left dangling, <I>The Afterlife</I> offers a tangibly detailed portrait of a young life worth living. (Ages 13 and older)<I>--Brangien Davis</I> 524065 2003 The Afterlife total:284|5:73|4:80|3:76|2:36|1:19| 284 1004 415 85 3 2 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 12:14:15 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 12:41:11 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Mar 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 20 19:41:56 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 14:40:33 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Oct 28 08:34:41 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 09:31:30 -0700 2009
Like Gabrielle Zevin's Elsewhere, this bo...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Nov 15 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 18 16:17:43 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 18 16:45:46 -0800 2009 The Afterlife by Gary Soto, is a unique book with an excellent "hook" by killing off the first character within the first two pages.
This book had a really interesting plot and a unique resolution. The climax was also obvious through many literary devices like the ones in which we le...more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Sep 30 12:35:52 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 30 12:35:52 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Dec 31 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 17 19:12:49 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 04 19:28:05 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Feb 17 16:32:38 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 17 16:34:57 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Aug 29 14:51:53 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 16:57:13 -0700 2009 one text to world ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jan 14 09:25:21 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 14 14:18:42 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 12 06:13:18 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 06:25:20 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 07 14:59:17 -0700 2009 Fri May 22 10:13:13 -0700 2009 Chuy is your average cool high school student. He goes to a dance one night with the girl whom he asked out. But a tra...more...]]> 1 0 false false Mon Apr 13 18:11:36 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 18:18:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Mar 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 14 09:49:44 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 04 22:29:32 -0800 2009 cabron in the restroom of a Fresno nightclub after Chuy compliments his shoes. When he finds himself dead and floating above his former body, he spends the next 4 d...more...]]> 5 0 false true Mon Feb 09 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 20:44:28 -0800 2009 Tue May 19 20:47:43 -0700 2009 once more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Dec 17 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Apr 16 13:57:38 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 29 12:56:16 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jan 14 09:05:15 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 14 09:23:25 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Nov 21 12:50:23 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 21 12:55:09 -0800 2008 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Jan 10 17:17:44 -0800 2008 Mon Jun 08 15:18:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Apr 15 09:04:26 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 17 09:10:23 -0700 2008 When Chuy is killed in the night club by yellow shoes I was very confused I look at the title than I realized I understand the book better now readin...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Dec 05 14:46:33 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 05 14:58:33 -0800 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=54387