Chulito

Mar 01, 2012 Lauraadriana rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Lauraadriana by: Edina Rose

Shelves: boys-breaking-the-law, cried-like-a-baby, favorites, m-m, love-conquers-all, super-cute, should-be-read-by-all, loved-it, this-book-needs-its-own-shelf, teen-love

Chulito is a hoodrat. Born and raised in the South Bronx. A beautiful 16 year old boy who grew up in the streets of his neighborhood and lives by the rules of that small world.

Carlos, was Chulito's best friend while they were boys, and later when they got a little older Chulito realized that he maybe felt more than just friendly towards Carlos.

But Carlos is an outsider now. He has left the Hood, and gone to Long Island for college. He is also openly gay. Those two things put Chulito and Carlos i...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Val Kovalin added it

Recommended to Val by: Edina Rose, Lauraadriana, Laddie

~~Some initial thoughts:~~ Finished March 4.

(1) I'm really liking this kid Chulito. His name for his penis (Papito!), his epic sex dream -- it's all very funny, endearing, and realistic.

(2) I can see kind of a love triangle developing. I'm really curious about Kamikaze, if he's even aware of what he's doing. Not getting as much of sense of Carlos yet, but enough. He's still in the distance. I found Kaz very creepy because of his drug dealing and his refusal to provide for his infant son. Also, it s...more ~~Some initial thoughts:~~ Finished March 4.

(1) I'm really liking this kid Chulito. His name for his penis (Papito!), his epic sex dream -- it's all very funny, endearing, and realistic.

(2) I can see kind of a love triangle developing. I'm really curious about Kamikaze, if he's even aware of what he's doing. Not getting as much of sense of Carlos yet, but enough. He's still in the distance. I found Kaz very creepy because of his drug dealing and his refusal to provide for his infant son. Also, it seemed to me that he manipulated Chulito emotionally and even sexually throughout the book.

However (view spoiler)

(3) the sense of Puerto Rican New York City is awesome -- vivid, three dimensional, vibrant. I love a strong setting.

As of March 4: This book just kept getting better and better. I'll admit that I prefer reading gay romance to gay fiction because I want the happy ending, and sometimes I'm wary to try something that doesn't look like an obvious romance because it could have a tragic ending -- to make a point about homophobia, and to get more more respect from the critics.

Fortunately, that did not happen here. Our two very appealing heroes get their happy ending. The ending was awesome with (view spoiler)

Also, I'm one of those readers who gets impatient with dream sequences, and I think the two we get in this book are the only ones I've ever liked in all my reading. The epic sex dream! The Macho Meter dream! Too funny.

Best of all was the unabashed romanticism between Carlos and Chulito, which was especially striking coming from Chulito with his badass attitude and expressions. These two boys were meant to be together. Very highly recommended!(less)

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Feb 28, 2012 Edina Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Edina by: Stanley Bennett Clay

Shelves: friends-to-lovers, coming-of-age, mm-classic

OMG! This for all the Chulito and Carlos out there!!!

Incredibly realistic story about two teenagers from the Bronx, the little gangsta (Chulito) and the smart one who got to university (Carlos).

What can I say, this book made me think of the TV show The Wire. Just like The Wire, it feels authentic, real. Things are said without flourish, without embellishment. The author just puts thing out there for us to see, in a simple and powerful prose.

This is, apparently, how it was and maybe still is, t...more

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Aug 16, 2012 J.v. Petretta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Charles Rice-Gonzalez brought to life a world I am totally unfamiliar with in his novel “Chulito”. I’m not referring to gay life, but that of the inner-city culture-specific neighborhoods. Written in everyday English, but blended with Spanish phrases, slang of the hip-hop generation, drug culture and "macho" hierarchy, I was invited into the hood! We get glimpses of it from TV shows, like "Law & Order SVU", but we get to feel it in "Chulito".

It’s tough enough to be an ethnic minority, but m...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Grady rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Startlingly Fine Debut Novel

Charles Rice-González has established himself as a communicator in journalism, as playwright, an expert in Latino culture in film, poetry, and theater and as an activist for LGBT rights. His background is both Puerto Rican and the Bronx and all of this background comes pouring through this excellent novel CHULITO.

Rice-González writes with a thorough comprehension of the lingo and the mannerisms of the characters that populate this book - a factor that not only adds...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Gene rated it 4 of 5 stars

The first part of this novel starts out very promising, told in an excellently rendered, authentic-sounding voice from the the point-of-view of the main character, Chulito, a just-turned 16-year-old street-tough Puerto Rican gangsta thug living in the insular neighborhood of Hunts Point in the Bronx. For all his macho posturing, Chulito is actually rather sweet and funny, and Rice-Gonzales gives him an excellent eye for detail and snappy, believable dialogue, both internal and external. He's als...more The first part of this novel starts out very promising, told in an excellently rendered, authentic-sounding voice from the the point-of-view of the main character, Chulito, a just-turned 16-year-old street-tough Puerto Rican gangsta thug living in the insular neighborhood of Hunts Point in the Bronx. For all his macho posturing, Chulito is actually rather sweet and funny, and Rice-Gonzales gives him an excellent eye for detail and snappy, believable dialogue, both internal and external. He's also a "pretty nigga," with everyone around him mentioning his skinny gorgeousness regularly. This specialized Bronx world springs vividly to life and it's quite engrossing to join Chulito in a setting in the hood that so rarely gets this kind of even-handed attention.

But Chulito has a difficulty that sets him apart from his rough, hyper-masculine friends who constantly hang out on the corner of his block -- his best childhood friend who grew up upstairs from Chulito, the intelligent and kind Carlos, recently came out as openly gay before he left for college on Long Island. Chulito didn't handle that revelation so well: spurred on by his buddies, he threw a bottle at a guy Carlos brought back to the neighborhood on a date. And the real issue is that when Chulito saw Carlos's date, he felt overwhelmingly jealous.

Eventually, Chulito manages to get back into Carlos's good graces, and a streetwise romance blossoms slowly between them, with the big question becoming whether or not Chulito will man up and show his love for Carlos openly in a dangerously homophobic neighborhood.

There is another thing Chulito has to handle: his startlingly intimate relationship with Kamakaze, the flashy drug dealer who has taken Chulito under his wing. Early in the book, a jaw-dropping threeway bisexual sex scene with Kamakaze and a female hooker the dealer has hired to deflower Chulito ignites the pages with some of the most erotic action I've ever read. It's hot, and unfortunately much hotter than anything Chulito has got going on with Carlos.

That's one of my biggest issues with the book: Carlos himself is too much of a bland goody-goody to make much of an impression. His main function seems to be a representation of acceptable gay living, and Carlos is given to "wise" pronouncements and basic psychological insight and a rather corny romantic approach. I don't feel like I got to know Carlos very well at all, or to see him clearly, despite Chulito's mooning over him for hundreds of pages. Carlos and Chulito are kind of sweet together, but I didn't really get them as a couple, despite their entangled childhood backstory appearing in occasional flashbacks. It's difficult to shift gears from the blistering sex Chulito experiences with Kamakaze to the timid, tame puppy love he shares with Carlos.

I believe the author also makes a mistake by suddenly and awkwardly switching to Carlos's POV halfway through the book for a few sections, and then doing so again a little later. It doesn't make Carlos any more interesting, and it breaks the spell of Chulito's entertaining voice.

The neighborhood and it's inhabitants stay fascinating all the way through, but by the end of the book, the tone has shifted to a simplistic primer on gay self-acceptance, and becomes dismayingly conventional and preachy. After a while, Chulito's voice gets lost, too, overwhelmed by what sounds like a therapist or counselor rather than a sexy, funny, and charming Latino street thug. The final showdown with the dudes in the neighborhood is told well in an exciting scene near the end, but even with that spot of sudden violence, the conclusion is disappointingly and rather unbelievably warm and fuzzy and predictable in a self-help story sort of way.

I'd recommend the book for it's terrific and rare portrayal of a rarefied and difficult world of experience, and for the character of Chulito himself, who is pretty damn lovable, prickly, and fascinating all the way through. But as a sustained piece of literature, the book loses track of its unique tone, and undermines its own tough integrity with platitudes by the end.(less)

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Apr 08, 2012 Portia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In a lot of ways, Chulito is like a lot of urban 15 year olds. He shares an apartment with his single mother, he sells drugs and he’s a high school dropout. But, Chulito has a secret…he’s gay.

Oshun be praised!!! I loved this book!!! Okay, had to get that out of my system. Now, let me tell you about my Reviewers’ Find of the Week. According to his website, Charles Rice-González has a bunch of fancy degrees and is a very busy guy. He is the director of BAAD, The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance and...more In a lot of ways, Chulito is like a lot of urban 15 year olds. He shares an apartment with his single mother, he sells drugs and he’s a high school dropout. But, Chulito has a secret…he’s gay.

Oshun be praised!!! I loved this book!!! Okay, had to get that out of my system. Now, let me tell you about my Reviewers’ Find of the Week. According to his website, Charles Rice-González has a bunch of fancy degrees and is a very busy guy. He is the director of BAAD, The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance and is a community activist. I am just thankful that he didn’t let real life get in the way of his writing Chulito. This is the most authentic YA novel, of its genre, I’ve ever had the privilege to read in a long time.

Chulito is a young man and as such, very much a victim of the pact mentality. He’s lived in the same building forever, had the same friends and is comfortable in his little world. But, when he sees his openly gay friend kiss another guy, something inside him clicks. It takes him a minute to realize the feeling gnawing at his gut is jealousy. And even after he comes to acknowledge his attraction, he is too immature to break free from the pack.

This is an amazing coming of age story. Chulito is forced to examine what it means to be a man. His environment is steeped in Latino machismo. His picture of manhood has been shaped by his neighborhood. A working poor ghetto filled with drug lords and gangs. I spent much of this book praying he didn’t get killed before he figured it out. The language is raw and some readers might be offended by the liberal use of urban vernacular and racial epitaphs. I could do an educational rant on the intracultural use of the word “nigga”, but I won’t. Just know that the N-word can be used as a term of endearment.

Throughout the book, Chulito wears many masks. Each is real at the moment. One minute he’s 100% gangsta, getting his hustle on, the next he’s a slobbering love-sick fool, wanting only to be with Carlos. Luckily, Rice-González has crafted an amazing support team for him in the persons of Kamikaze, Julio and Brick. Through them, Chulito learns that no one is all good or all bad. And regardless of what path you choose, a real man will forge his own way and take responsibility for his choices.

The story is set in the Bronx and Rice-González did an excellent job bringing that world to life. It’s easy to imagine the author as a young man in this vibrant world; not just some generic Latin world, but Newyorican New York, a unique blend of Black speech, Latin passion and New York rawness. Chulito made me homesick for the energy of the city. I saw the young men that I grew up with and loved as a teenager.

I have no doubt that Chulito will appeal to a wide range of readers. His message of self-acceptance will resonate with adults who have crossed over to a world outside the pack and young people still finding their way.

I wouldn’t be much of a reviewer if I gave away the ending, but know that I cried. Cried for the thug who loved another dude, for the young man who dared to dream and for the community that loved them both.

Chulito is beautifully written, wonderfully crafted; an exquisite addition to LGBT YA fiction. If this book doesn’t receive any awards, it won’t be because I didn’t nominate it. I am the newest Charles Rice-González fan. Hopefully, I’ll be able to track him down and do an interview with him, at some point. In any event, I hope he finds the time to craft another wonderful story in Chulito’s world. Highly recommend.(less)

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Mar 14, 2012 S.E. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-latinos, favorites, fiction, gfy, growing-up-story, hidden-love, love-addicted, m-m-coming-out-story, m-m-first-time-romance, m-m-reads, m-m-romance, masculine-men-romance, pained-romance, tough-guy, young-jealousy, young-men-at-odds

Chulito and Carlos grew up in the same New York neighborhood and at one time were the closest of friends. Chulito is forced by the expectations and pressures of friends to leave Carlos behind when rumors begin to spread that Carlos is gay. Where Chulito has decided to follow the path of most young men of his neighborhood--no easy way to live--Carlos has chosen an equally difficult path, living as an openly gay young man in a neighborhood where homosexuality is unacceptable.

Always going against...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Kaje Harper rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, ya

This is in many ways an amazing book, with characters who are not your typical M/M romance guys. I'm not qualified to judge their authenticity, but they and their setting rang completely true to me. The MC, Chulito, seems older than his supposed age, but as the song says, "you grow up quick when you grow up poor." He is a fascinating and conflicted guy, trying to reconcile the code of the streets on which he lives, and the anti-gay opinions of his group of friends, with his growing awareness tha...more This is in many ways an amazing book, with characters who are not your typical M/M romance guys. I'm not qualified to judge their authenticity, but they and their setting rang completely true to me. The MC, Chulito, seems older than his supposed age, but as the song says, "you grow up quick when you grow up poor." He is a fascinating and conflicted guy, trying to reconcile the code of the streets on which he lives, and the anti-gay opinions of his group of friends, with his growing awareness that he is falling in love with another boy. You get a few scenes from POV's other than Chulito's later in the narrative, and although it jarred me out of the story a little the first time it happened, I actually liked the small tastes of other characters' viewpoints. One hectic action scene was a bit truncated in both emotion and description of the action, but overall this book was well written and engrossing. I was sorry to have it end. I would be delighted to read a sequel.

The big problem I had with this story was the explicitness of the sex, especially in the first sex scene, which was M/M/F. I have no prejudice against any menage combination; I love 'em all when they are written in a way that is appropriate to the story. In this case the actual MMF trio was vital to the plot, to Chulito's relationship with Kamikaze, the drug dealer he works for and is like a protégé to, and to his own realization that he is far more interested in the other man than the woman in the bed. But the explicitness to my mind was a poor choice. First because in this scene Chulito was only 15. Although not entirely erotic, it was still TMI for me to be comfortable with when one of the actors is under age. Secondly because I really, REALLY want to be able to recommend this book to YA readers and I can't. This is 18+ material. And it is a shame.

This is a book that should be able to be in libraries and schools. There are young guys out there navigating the macho culture, and other people who know and care about them, for whom this book would be a great read. If the author put out a revised YA version (which in my mind would lose nothing of importance to the story) I would recommend this book to everyone with wholehearted enthusiasm. As it stands, this is a great, unusual, and ultimately sweet read for adults only.(less)

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Jul 06, 2012 Lenore rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, young-adult, 2012, coming-out, crime, friends-to-lovers, latin-america, meh, reviewed-by-yours-truly, weirdos, would-judge-by-the-cover

Well, I won't say I found this story beautiful, but I will definitely say there's beauty in it.

Sixteen-year-old Chulito, for starters. He's a cutie. On the first page of the book he's described as a Latino, hip hop version of Michelangelo's David.

Then the neighbourhood. Hunts Point, in the Bronx. The botegas. The Chinese/Korean restaurants. The auto glass guys. The corner where Chulito hangs out with the fellas. It was very well done and for me it was the best part in the story. I read in some...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Tanya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent! This is the Bronx I grew up in. I know it may seem that in this hood... they were always at the brink of violence and maybe it seems like a tragic horrible place to grow up. It wasn't for me and I completely understand why Chulito and Carlos have this love-hate relationship with the neighborhood. It's home but you wanna get out, it's smells good and it stinks, your family and childhood friends are there but so are you enemies and the knuckleheads. I think setting this love story with...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Gerard Mangusso rated it 5 of 5 stars

An open letter to Charles Rice-Gonzalez:

I love a happy ending, mainly because I truly believe that they exist.
I have just finished reading your novel Chulito...and Gerard danced.

James Joyce wrote fiction that approached the universal through attention
to the particular: Carol Shields evokes spirituality in Canaduan suburbia.
I believe both would admire your work, and, perhaps, invite you to lunch
(well, maybe not J. J.).

On a personal note, I initially opened the book grudgingly, and am now
embar...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Terrence rated it 5 of 5 stars

I met Rice in person at a reading out here in Los Angeles. He was out of copies by the time I got to him but he was more than willing to ship me a signed copy. :)

It was well worth the wait. Rice takes you right to the Bronx where you see and smell and hear the sounds of the working class Latino neighborhood.

It is through the characters in the neighborhood that Rice brings up a largely glossed over aspect of coming out -- the physical dangers. Rice effectively charts the leading character's adju...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Fangtasia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-ll-s-word-rec

This feels like a play, West Side Story, Hair, or Rent. The characters are iconic. When I first saw this book being read by a friend, I was wary of it. The setting and ethnicity of the story can easily be made into a farce by someone who hasn't experienced it. And that hurts, because I've been there and it's no joke. There's also the usual murder of our native language, Spanish, when words and phrases just yank me out of the story by how horribly mangled they are.

None of that happened here. Mr....more This feels like a play, West Side Story, Hair, or Rent. The characters are iconic. When I first saw this book being read by a friend, I was wary of it. The setting and ethnicity of the story can easily be made into a farce by someone who hasn't experienced it. And that hurts, because I've been there and it's no joke. There's also the usual murder of our native language, Spanish, when words and phrases just yank me out of the story by how horribly mangled they are.

None of that happened here. Mr. Rice-Gonzalez lived it, just like I did. He belonged to that "nabe", there's just no way to fake it.

Several important topics are addressed in this book, all layered into the narrative and perfectly handled. It's a romance, yes, Chulito and Carlos had me rooting for their HEA from page 1. But it's also a testament to the people who make up the neighborhoods, the influences - local and imported - that help shape their lives and future.

Carmen, the hard-working mother, with a son who dropped out of high school, looking the other way but knowing he's working with the local drug dealer. All because she'd rather not be alone, and she knows he will leave if she pushes him. There's no daddy around to "impose the law."

Brick, the ex-drug dealer/model, who paid dearly to get out and is still trying to learn to live a life worthy of the daughter he loves with all his heart.

Martha, the no-nonsense "liberated" woman, going to college, trying to make a future for herself. But also standing by her friends and trying to help them overcome the obstacles they and their environment have imposed.

Julio, the gay, older man who owns the travel agency. He and Puti, the washed-up, drug-addicted local drag queen end up showing the whole block what it truly means to be a man. By saying "enough", by fighting for your rights, but not taking any shit.

Carlos, having the guts to come out and live out. To leave the neighborhood and go to college. To dream of more and go out to get it. To believe in Chulito and give him the chance to be himself and reach for their HEA.

Finally, Chulito, the gangsta, with the clothes and the bling and the Tims, bopping along to the tune played by everyone's expectations. Until he realized what true love is, how it feels, and that it's worth losing what you know to gamble on earning something unknown but infinitely better.

This is a book that should be read in every schoolroom in the US, but particularly in all the cities with a high concentration of latinos. Because no matter where we settle, our ghettos tend to be the same.

Read it, feel it, hear the drums, they beat in our blood...(less)

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Jan 24, 2012 Larry Benjamin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Chulito lingers in memory like a lover’s first kiss on the lips in the moonlight.

Reading Charles Rice-Gonzalez’s Chulito was a very personal experience for me. It’s set in the Bronx, where I also grew up: Hunts Point, Longwood Avenue, Parkchester—almost forgotten yet familiar. I could close my eyes and see the people and smell the odor peculiar to that part of the Bronx. Adlai Stevenson High School, was my high school and my eyes grew wide when he mentioned the University of Pennsylvania, which...more Chulito lingers in memory like a lover’s first kiss on the lips in the moonlight.

Reading Charles Rice-Gonzalez’s Chulito was a very personal experience for me. It’s set in the Bronx, where I also grew up: Hunts Point, Longwood Avenue, Parkchester—almost forgotten yet familiar. I could close my eyes and see the people and smell the odor peculiar to that part of the Bronx. Adlai Stevenson High School, was my high school and my eyes grew wide when he mentioned the University of Pennsylvania, which I also attended.

The familiarity of the setting was an unexpected surprise. I picked up this book because it fell outside the traditional white homo-normative narrative of popular gay fiction. Rice-Gonzalez gives voice to the previously voiceless―the inner city Hispanic, the drug underlord, the gay gangsta―and what a voice it is, solid and true.

The truth in his voice, the authenticity of his characters made me fall in love with this book. I, too, had a Chulito in my life. Reading about this Chulito, his struggle with his love for Carlos, his sexuality and his place in the ‘hood brought back memories and a pain I’d thought long forgotten. Every word, every scene rang true and I found myself nodding throughout. This book made me wish we’d both been stronger but gave me hope the current generation is.

As they fall deeper in love, Carlos and Chulito must decide whether to leave the world they know or stay within their world and change it from inside. The most powerful message is in the simple fact that whether they stay or leave, they have changed the ‘hood simply because they themselves have changed.

Seeing the book’s unlikely hero, the older gay Julio, change through Chulito’s eyes from an object of derision or worse an invisible person into someone determined, wise and strong was extremely gratifying. It is Julio who explains to the struggling Chulito: “…until the world changes, we have to fight for our love.” And fight they do. Just as it was the effeminate, the drag queens that launched Stonewall, here too it is the neighborhood queens who rise up and fight back when they’ve had enough. The powerless become powerful, the victims become warriors and a high-heeled shoe becomes a weapon of retribution; two queens show a neighborhood what it means to be a man.

This book is a must read for anyone struggling, or who has struggled, or who knows someone who is struggling to accept him/herself. Chulito’s struggle is our struggle. When Chulito comes out, he discovers he must come out over and over again—to the guys on the corner, to his mother, to Carlos, to himself each morning. His coming out rings true; there is no magic bullet, no one time that he comes out and it’s over. He must fight every day for his love.

I was pulling for Carlos and Chulito from the beginning, even when it looked like they weren’t strong enough to make it. My Chulito and I didn’t get our happily ever after but Chulito and Carlos do; that makes me infinitely happy.

Chulito is a wonderful, well-crafted book and Charles Rice-Gonzalez is a writer to watch. I expect great books from him.
(less)

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Jan 30, 2012 Complexlogic rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was thoroughly entertained and enthralled by this book. The book is written so vividly, I felt as though I was standing by Chulito's side during the entire book. I appreciated the exploration of sexuality of a puerto-rican young man growing up in the Hunt's Point area of the Bronx.

The book is so humurous that at different times during my reading I was chuckling out loud by the gregarious characters that came alive in this novel.

I would difenitely recommend purchasing this book. The book is t...more

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Mar 26, 2012 ElaineY rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mm

The blurb kinda says it all. If you enjoy reading about teenage angst (I don't) then this is not to be missed. It was readable but by the time I got through 3/4 of it, Chulito's internal battles were getting wearying and I had to skim through several pages because I was impatient to be done with the book.

Overall, it was very low-key. I expected more serious repercussions since the story's background is the ghetto, involved drug-dealing, drag queens, angry Latinas yelling out of apartment windows...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Bob rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, ya

What do I know about the Latino 'hood in NYC. Nada. A white boy growing up in very Northern New York and didn't even see a Latino or African American until we went to NYC when I was 11 years old. Amazing book but I was nervous throughtout waiting for something bad to happen. I'm not going to give it away, but this is a strong book about inspiration and guts and living your life as you should. Chulito and Carlos grow up together as children and now we find them meeting again after Carlos returns...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Jeffrey rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: yes

i enjoyed this book, i finished it in two sittings. i grew up in new york city, but know very little about the bronx, especially the south bronx. i liked carlos, the college boy and chulito, the gangsta.
at times i thought - where is this romance going? they had grown up and become so different; chulito running drugs; carlos off to college.
there was this obvious physical attraction, but how long can that last?

i think of myself more of a realist than a romantic, but who knows, they could live happ...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Stanley Bennett Clay rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, gay-and-lesbian

As well demonstrated in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, there is nothing so exhilarating and tragic as young love struggling to blossom under the suffocating cloud of bacchanalian bigotry masquerading as stringent tradition. In homage to The Bard, first time novelist Charles Rice-Gonzalez has come up with a heartbreaking and ultimately triumphant coming-out and coming-of-age story of one such love.

Chulito is a beautiful and well-liked fifteen-year-old Puerto Rican high school dropout living in...more
As well demonstrated in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, there is nothing so exhilarating and tragic as young love struggling to blossom under the suffocating cloud of bacchanalian bigotry masquerading as stringent tradition. In homage to The Bard, first time novelist Charles Rice-Gonzalez has come up with a heartbreaking and ultimately triumphant coming-out and coming-of-age story of one such love.

Chulito is a beautiful and well-liked fifteen-year-old Puerto Rican high school dropout living in the thick of things in his vibrant, ultra-testosterone South Bronx hood. The girls love him (although he has yet to make any serious move beyond playful flirtation), he is a devoted and wonderful son to his loving mother, and he makes plenty of money as a runner for his mentor Kamikaze, the local drug dealer. Eventually, he loses his virginity through a rite-of-passage ménage au trio when Kamikaze invites him to share a local girl. It is a life-altering encounter for our young hero, as he claims his macho cred with the act and yet is confused by the thrall he experiences witnessing his male mentor’s naked physicality.

Chulito’s life is further complicated by the return of Carlos to the hood on summer vacation from his Long Island college. Carlos and Chulito had been best friends since childhood, but polar opposite trajectories—Carlos, having been double-promoted out of high school, is now, at seventeen, in his second year of college and will spend the summer interning at the New York Daily News; Chulito, hanging with the street life as one of the boys—has caused them to draw apart, much to Chulito’s dismay. Circumstances are further complicated by the not un-false rumors that Carlos is a pato (a ‘faggot’).

Carlos’ return home is met with a chorus of neighborhood taunts, that, in spite of Chulito’s desire to rekindle their friendship, Chulito reluctantly joins in.

Still, Chulito cannot deny what is in his heart, and secretly makes attempts to recharge the friendship he and Carlos once had, only for Chulito to realize that there is something much more brewing between the two of them. Time and again, Chulito tries to express his feelings to Carlos, and those numerous expressions, awkward, but heartfelt, represent some of the best writing in this poignantly romantic book. Listening to a sixteen-year-old-Chulito trying to make sense of his feelings will have you in tears, and the secret kiss he and Carlos share will have you cheering.

Still Chulito’s worlds collide as his ideas of being a young man, being macho, and being in love are challenged, and as he struggles with his feelings, we struggle right along with him, even as his struggle to maintain his place in the macho world of denial sometimes pales next to Carlos’ fierce pride, personal dignity, and unflinching self-love. But it is because of his deep affection for Carlos that Chulito ultimately faces his conflicts, faces his family and faces his friends with honesty and truth, and goes from being one of the boys to being a proud young man.

Beautifully peppered with colorful characters, rich dialogue, and raw sentimentality, one is drawn into Chulito’s world with a deep caring, as so much that happens is relatable and universal.

I was thoroughly touched by the skill, humanity and heart of Mr. Rice-Gonzalez’ writing and story-telling. With Chulito, my favorite book of 2011, he has created a character, a world, and a cause that are all worth cheering about. His message that love, particularly self-love, is always worth it, in deflecting the slings and arrows of lesser loving souls, is a powerful affirmation, told in a skillful and entertaining way. Bravo!

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Jan 20, 2012 Hilcia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: lgbt-books, fiction, 2011-read, impressions-blog-review, favorite, latino-latina

I was able to finish reading one book while surrounded by stressful family situations, mainly because that book just wouldn't let me go even through all my worries and stress. That says something about a book, yes? Of course, this is by no means a perfect book, plot-wise there are a couple of questions that are not answered by the end, but this is a minimal complaint from me compared to what it offered.

That book is Chulito by Charles Rice-González. This author co-edited and included a story in t...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Tʀɪsʜᴀ Hᴀʀʀɪɴɢᴛᴏɴ added it

I am not rating this book. I picked it up as YA. But putting it down, I don't know if it should be ya. Some of the scenes were not YA. Especially the first sex scene. To be honest I was not expecting that. I loved this book, but I hated it also. So leaving it unrated seems to be the only way I can accept the book.

(view spoiler)...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Snowtulip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

I love stories that tell a story with a strong sense of place, and Chulito has it in spades.

I'm not from New York, but I felt the neighborhood and the conflicts and the personalilties and the pressures of fitting in and being true to your upbringing and neighborhood.

Chulito had me screaming at him many times, but he was a strong character that was trying so hard to get a grip on this life that was already spelled out for him.

Kamikazee was a character that just made my heart bleed for him, you co...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

A refereshingly romantic tale of coming of age and coming out in the South Bronx. Rice-Gonzalez' gift for dialog and his intuitive and direct prose style drop the reader effortlessly into the world of the book and the mind of its protagonist. And though the citizens of this world are recognizable, the author gives them such dimenion they're never predictable--making for a much more satisfying read. In fact, any or all of the other characters here could have had a book written about them but thei...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Don rated it 4 of 5 stars

Glimpse into a lifestyle that as a middle-aged gay man is about as foreign to me as the Taliban is. Still, I found there was much to relate to including peer pressure, intense feelings of being different, young love and the oppression of the closet. Often written in thug it gives you a glimpse into the young man's feelings and frustrations. What could be a tragedy turns out to be a gorgeous coming of age love story.

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Aug 11, 2012 Jerry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: coming-out, commitment, contemporary, gay-teenage, young-love, to-re-read, violence

What an incredible story! Everything felt so real. The locale, food, clothes, talk, people, music and the love story. This is really the kind of love story I want to read. I read so many MM books that are pretty much fairy tales in that the lives of the MC's are so easy and Chulito and Carlos have to live with the grit and grime of real life. This covered all of life, the pain, the joy, the mundane, the fear...it was a slice of real life. There were a few scenes that were kind of shocking to a C...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Kevin rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm wilding out over how much I got into this thug-love coming out story. This book hooked me despite the sometimes cliched writing. The sexual desire and sex between Chulito and Carlos is very upfront which is refreshing, especially since the book will appeal to teens as well as adults. I'm in Chulito withdrawal!

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Aug 10, 2012 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this book was a really good account of the struggles of a young man trying to find his identity. The book is beautifully written, and I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. Hopefully, there will be a followup to this novel. I'd love the know what happens next between Chulito and Carlos.

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Jun 09, 2012 Bradley rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was soo amazing and i am gratful to have read it....i can relate to the characters of carlos and chulito on a grand scale and this book embodies home and an honest opinion of the struggles faced in a latino community such as this when you are a young gay male....I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK

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Apr 26, 2012 Taylor Donovan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent read. Loved Carlos and Chulito. I definitely liked Kamikaze. Read most of the story with a huge smile on my face. I'm Puertorican. What can I say? *g*

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