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Mexican WhiteBoy
“[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.
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First published August 12, 2008
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About the author
Matt de la Peña
44 books1,505 followersMatt de la Peña is the New York Times best-selling, Newbery-medal-winning author of six young adult novels and four picture books. Matt received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific, where he attended school on a full athletic scholarship for basketball. de la Peña currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. He teaches creative writing and visits high schools and colleges throughout the country.
Visit Matt at: mattdelapena.com
Visit Matt at: mattdelapena.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,118 reviews
September 11, 2016
Mexican Whiteboy is a YA text written by Matt De la Peña, and I really liked this book a lot (and my friend Jenn suggested over my shoulder that I add, for veracity’s sake, that he is, based on his picture, “cute,” which okay, he is, done). De la Peña is the author of picture book Last Stop on Market Street, that was winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal, a 2016 Caldecott Honor Book, and a 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book (Christian Robinson), so he knows his way around words. I heard De la Peña give a talk at the National Council of Teachers of English a couple years ago, and he was totally charming, telling his working class story of his Dad, but I didn’t read this book until now, two years later, which is supposed to be his best book.
I read it on the advice of a couple people when I asked them to recommend sports and romance YA for my fall YA course, which I never ever read. I love sports, but I usually am disappointed with sports novels. But I really thought the baseball writing in this one was the best thing about it. And now have read three books that feature sports, two on basketball, Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and Reynolds’s All-American Boys, where I found the sports writing also worked.
I loved the story of the reticent Danny, baseball pitcher, and who becomes his best bud, Uno, his cool cousin Sofia, and his wannabe girl, Liberty. And both Danny’s and Uno’s fathers. This is basically a father-son book, and I am reading a lot of those, so was glad about that. The book has great realistic dialogue of a lower-class California city close to San Diego, National City, where Danny, who is a half-Mexican/half-White 16 year old, spends the summer with his uncle’s family in order to be “more Mexican” instead of the private school where he is an outsider. But he only speaks English, he isn’t as poor as the people in this town. And the sweet Liberty, who mainly speaks Spanish, who wants to be “more American,” whom Danny crushes on (how do we know, throughout the book? Every time he sees her, he gets a “knot” in his chest, which I do find sweet; the books opens with Sophia and her friends crudely talking about sex, which I also loved, but I was sort of relieved this whole crush basically just led to [spoiler alert!] only [heaven forfend!] kissing!).
I love the way things don’t happen in the storytelling: We don’t know where Danny’s Dad is or why, and almost nothing happens (in typical YA romantic fashion) between the shy Danny and Liberty for The Whole Frigging Book, which, since I obviously kept turning the pages, totally worked for me.
There’s a hawk theme he should have cut; there’s a “it’s not your fault, Danny” scene that he could have cut, but the baseball sequences are terrific, the violence and talk feel real, the father-son stuff seems real (i.e., De la Peña uses Uno’s dad to create political statements about racist capitalist white America that I liked quite a bit and I like Danny's lying letter to his Dad). Oh, all of our fave characters get an upswing in the end, ala much YA, but whatever, I was in tears, so it worked for me. The last fifty pages moved a 3.5 book to a 4.0+ or so, for sure. Really fine YA novel!!!
I read it on the advice of a couple people when I asked them to recommend sports and romance YA for my fall YA course, which I never ever read. I love sports, but I usually am disappointed with sports novels. But I really thought the baseball writing in this one was the best thing about it. And now have read three books that feature sports, two on basketball, Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and Reynolds’s All-American Boys, where I found the sports writing also worked.
I loved the story of the reticent Danny, baseball pitcher, and who becomes his best bud, Uno, his cool cousin Sofia, and his wannabe girl, Liberty. And both Danny’s and Uno’s fathers. This is basically a father-son book, and I am reading a lot of those, so was glad about that. The book has great realistic dialogue of a lower-class California city close to San Diego, National City, where Danny, who is a half-Mexican/half-White 16 year old, spends the summer with his uncle’s family in order to be “more Mexican” instead of the private school where he is an outsider. But he only speaks English, he isn’t as poor as the people in this town. And the sweet Liberty, who mainly speaks Spanish, who wants to be “more American,” whom Danny crushes on (how do we know, throughout the book? Every time he sees her, he gets a “knot” in his chest, which I do find sweet; the books opens with Sophia and her friends crudely talking about sex, which I also loved, but I was sort of relieved this whole crush basically just led to [spoiler alert!] only [heaven forfend!] kissing!).
I love the way things don’t happen in the storytelling: We don’t know where Danny’s Dad is or why, and almost nothing happens (in typical YA romantic fashion) between the shy Danny and Liberty for The Whole Frigging Book, which, since I obviously kept turning the pages, totally worked for me.
There’s a hawk theme he should have cut; there’s a “it’s not your fault, Danny” scene that he could have cut, but the baseball sequences are terrific, the violence and talk feel real, the father-son stuff seems real (i.e., De la Peña uses Uno’s dad to create political statements about racist capitalist white America that I liked quite a bit and I like Danny's lying letter to his Dad). Oh, all of our fave characters get an upswing in the end, ala much YA, but whatever, I was in tears, so it worked for me. The last fifty pages moved a 3.5 book to a 4.0+ or so, for sure. Really fine YA novel!!!
September 13, 2016
This was the first Matt de la Peña book that I've ever read and I am happy to say that ALL of my expectations were met. I simply adored every single aspect of this book! From the moments of confusion to anger to sadness to happiness to humor. I just felt everything I could possibly feel for these characters and the lives they led.
Danny was who I thought I would be the most enamored with, and while I absolutely loved him and wanted to protect him from the world... there was another character who snuck up on me and stole my heart completely and became my precious little cinnamon roll!
de la Peña's writing is not complicated. It's not perfect, nor is it imperfect. It's very simplistic. There is not a lot of fluff. It's very straightforward. But the dynamic that is captured by the simplicity of his writing is fantastic. Never once was I bored. Never once did anything feel unimportant. I found a way to connect with every single character throughout this book, despite having experienced NOTHING similar to any of them. But on an emotional level, I was so in tune with Danny, with Uno, with Sofia, and many others.
Witnessing Danny struggle with his identity, figuring out who he was and what he meant to people on BOTH sides of his family was probably the most impactful part for me -- outside of Uno's amazingly complicated story. I also found that de la Peña did a great job of using the secondary characters for delivering additional bits of life lessons, especially through Sofia.
Overall, I just adored this book. I think it's an excellent introduction to the insight of what it's like to feel othered. Danny felt othered. He felt outside of BOTH of his ethnicities. This book captured a lot of that confusion and hurt. I would LOVE to read more from this author.
Danny was who I thought I would be the most enamored with, and while I absolutely loved him and wanted to protect him from the world... there was another character who snuck up on me and stole my heart completely and became my precious little cinnamon roll!
de la Peña's writing is not complicated. It's not perfect, nor is it imperfect. It's very simplistic. There is not a lot of fluff. It's very straightforward. But the dynamic that is captured by the simplicity of his writing is fantastic. Never once was I bored. Never once did anything feel unimportant. I found a way to connect with every single character throughout this book, despite having experienced NOTHING similar to any of them. But on an emotional level, I was so in tune with Danny, with Uno, with Sofia, and many others.
Witnessing Danny struggle with his identity, figuring out who he was and what he meant to people on BOTH sides of his family was probably the most impactful part for me -- outside of Uno's amazingly complicated story. I also found that de la Peña did a great job of using the secondary characters for delivering additional bits of life lessons, especially through Sofia.
Overall, I just adored this book. I think it's an excellent introduction to the insight of what it's like to feel othered. Danny felt othered. He felt outside of BOTH of his ethnicities. This book captured a lot of that confusion and hurt. I would LOVE to read more from this author.
December 21, 2008
From the author of _Ball Don't Lie_ comes another excellent book that nails baseball but is about much more.
Danny is wicked gifted when it comes to baseball--he can knock baseballs out of the park, and his pitching maxes out the meter at the local fair even when he was smashed. But he couldn't throw anything but wild pitches the tryouts at his prep school, and not even he can understand why.
His number one theory, though, is that things would be different if his dad were still around. Not just baseball, either. If his dad hadn't left, then maybe Danny wouldn't be stuck feeling stupid when his relatives in National City tell jokes in Spanish. (Danny's mom, who's white, can't help him out in that department.) The official word is that Danny's dad took off to Ensenada, Mexico, but it starts looking like there's more to the story than that as Danny spends the summer with his dad's family in National City, a mostly Latino pocket of greater San Diego.
But the eventual revelation regarding Danny's dad is much less important than Danny figuring out how to be himself, a task made a little bit easier with the jokey, easy-going crew his cousin Sofia hangs with. Danny's best friend turns out to be Uno, the same half-black, half-Mexican kid who welcomed Danny to the neighborhood by busting his face at the beginning of the summer. Things are good--but they're also ugly, the way things are in real life. What matters is that Danny starts finding his footing in that real life, and baseball takes its place as one bad-ass game that helps him bring things into focus without beating up on himself.
Danny is wicked gifted when it comes to baseball--he can knock baseballs out of the park, and his pitching maxes out the meter at the local fair even when he was smashed. But he couldn't throw anything but wild pitches the tryouts at his prep school, and not even he can understand why.
His number one theory, though, is that things would be different if his dad were still around. Not just baseball, either. If his dad hadn't left, then maybe Danny wouldn't be stuck feeling stupid when his relatives in National City tell jokes in Spanish. (Danny's mom, who's white, can't help him out in that department.) The official word is that Danny's dad took off to Ensenada, Mexico, but it starts looking like there's more to the story than that as Danny spends the summer with his dad's family in National City, a mostly Latino pocket of greater San Diego.
But the eventual revelation regarding Danny's dad is much less important than Danny figuring out how to be himself, a task made a little bit easier with the jokey, easy-going crew his cousin Sofia hangs with. Danny's best friend turns out to be Uno, the same half-black, half-Mexican kid who welcomed Danny to the neighborhood by busting his face at the beginning of the summer. Things are good--but they're also ugly, the way things are in real life. What matters is that Danny starts finding his footing in that real life, and baseball takes its place as one bad-ass game that helps him bring things into focus without beating up on himself.
January 11, 2022
I’m a sucker for a spend the summer with relatives YA book but this was an odd one. I’m glad Uno grew up and Danny grew confidence but there was something that just didn’t click for me with this one.
Danny’s uncle basically murdered/assaulted someone and left them in the middle of the road and we’re just going to not ever talk about it again?
Danny’s uncle basically murdered/assaulted someone and left them in the middle of the road and we’re just going to not ever talk about it again?
January 23, 2012
In Mexican WhiteBoy, Matt de la Peña tells the story of Danny Lopez, a half-Mexican half-White 16 year-old with a crazy fastball, but lacking the confidence to show his skills. At the start of the summer, Danny’s mom and sister have gone to live with his mom’s new boyfriend in his fancy condo in San Francisco, but Danny chooses to stay at his uncle and aunt’s place in National City, CA—a place where his polo shirts, cargo shorts, and slip-on Vans don’t quite fit in with the neighborhood kids’ pro jerseys, gold and silver chains, and Timberlands. On the surface of the story, the reader follows Danny on his journey to fit in and figure out his baseball problems (can’t control his pitching aim), but once Danny meets Uno, a young black teen searching for his own answers and struggling to rekindle the relationship with his father, the reader begins to see the problems that plague a deeper part of Danny. Danny hasn’t seen his father in 3 years, and he is hoping to find the answers that would lead him to understand and see his father once again. Through their trust and faith in each other, Danny and Uno help each other to realize their potential and not only find the answers they’re looking for, but also find themselves in the process.
There is so much more to this book than meets the eye. The fact that the main character is a teenage boy who plays baseball will hook any high school boy (even girls because Danny is just so likeable and easy to root for), but as they go further into the story, the deeper issues and themes become apparent, and these are what makes the story memorable and not simply a story about baseball. No worries if you don’t know anything about baseball—the author makes it easy to connect with Danny and appreciate the baseball premise of the story.
The book itself would work in any unit about family relationships, self-discovery, racial identity, and friendship. I would include this book in any high school classroom library. There are some instances of alcohol, smoking, and very mild sexual references, which would lead me to suggest this for high school students; although, the language is easy enough for a mature middle schooler to understand. One more point about language, de la Peña naturally weaves both English and Spanish dialect and language throughout the story, so this would be an inviting text for (reluctant) Spanish ELL students to read.
There is so much more to this book than meets the eye. The fact that the main character is a teenage boy who plays baseball will hook any high school boy (even girls because Danny is just so likeable and easy to root for), but as they go further into the story, the deeper issues and themes become apparent, and these are what makes the story memorable and not simply a story about baseball. No worries if you don’t know anything about baseball—the author makes it easy to connect with Danny and appreciate the baseball premise of the story.
The book itself would work in any unit about family relationships, self-discovery, racial identity, and friendship. I would include this book in any high school classroom library. There are some instances of alcohol, smoking, and very mild sexual references, which would lead me to suggest this for high school students; although, the language is easy enough for a mature middle schooler to understand. One more point about language, de la Peña naturally weaves both English and Spanish dialect and language throughout the story, so this would be an inviting text for (reluctant) Spanish ELL students to read.
January 17, 2020
Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena is about two boys named Uno and Danny, the book focuses on their friendship and baseball. To be honest I did not like the book very much, I started reading it and had no interest in it. But as I got further into the book it did get a bit better. I feel that it was a hard story to follow and the baseball parts were a little bit too detailed. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes baseball.
December 15, 2014
Pena, M. (2008) Mexican white boy. New York: Delacorte.
Mexican White Boy is a multicultural book that portrays the life of a Hispanic/American boy named Danny who finds himself trying to figure out his own self-identity. Amongst white boys he is considered Mexican while among his own family he feels white because he can barely speak in Spanish. In the story Danny leans towards his passion for baseball as a way to help him escape the barrio (neighborhood), in which he lives in. Danny, gives voice to the difficult feelings of being split between two cultures. Pena’s book is great for teens to read no matter their ethnic or racial background. It explores the themes of displacement, culture and a boys will to figure himself out. I could use this book in my classroom to help my students learn about the differences in their peer’s cultures as compared to their own. For this I could have them each share their own cultural traditions as they make comparisons with their own culture.
Mexican White Boy is a multicultural book that portrays the life of a Hispanic/American boy named Danny who finds himself trying to figure out his own self-identity. Amongst white boys he is considered Mexican while among his own family he feels white because he can barely speak in Spanish. In the story Danny leans towards his passion for baseball as a way to help him escape the barrio (neighborhood), in which he lives in. Danny, gives voice to the difficult feelings of being split between two cultures. Pena’s book is great for teens to read no matter their ethnic or racial background. It explores the themes of displacement, culture and a boys will to figure himself out. I could use this book in my classroom to help my students learn about the differences in their peer’s cultures as compared to their own. For this I could have them each share their own cultural traditions as they make comparisons with their own culture.
February 5, 2010
This sat on my bookshelf for several months until I picked it up earlier this week. Do I not like orange dustjackets? Was I unconsciously wary of there being too many baseball-related plot points? I don't know -- I'm just sorry it took me so long to read it. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, loved the economy of the language, and even thought the baseball stuff was totally and completely interesting. I liked how De la Peña drops the reader into the middle of the action, both in the beginning and in subsequent chapters, and trusts us to discern the necessary facts about character relationships and feelings and such instead of spelling it all out. I don't know if I've just read a spate of over-explanatory YA books or what, but it was a nice change when reading Mexican WhiteBoy to have to be in the dark for a few paragraphs before knowing for sure where the scene was taking place, who was there, how much time had passed since the last scene, etc.
Also, the Spanish words and phrases weren't immediately translated and explained. I liked that, too. Most can be figured out from context.
The title and cover and flap copy all point to Danny being the sole protagonist in the book, but Danny's rival-turned-friend Uno was, to me, just as important and interesting a character as Danny. And Uno's dad, who's gotten off of drugs and out of trouble, and who likes to expound -- frequently -- on his beliefs, is one of the most interesting characters I've encountered in a book in a while. De la Peña leaves it up to the reader as to whether the guy should be admired or trusted at all.
The only scene that irked me slightly was an emotional scene toward the end that reminded me too much of the "it's not your fault" sobfest from Good Will Hunting. And, to be fair, that scene totally worked back in 1998 or whenever, but I think it's Narmed over time. Anyway, minor quibble for a very good book.
Also, the Spanish words and phrases weren't immediately translated and explained. I liked that, too. Most can be figured out from context.
The title and cover and flap copy all point to Danny being the sole protagonist in the book, but Danny's rival-turned-friend Uno was, to me, just as important and interesting a character as Danny. And Uno's dad, who's gotten off of drugs and out of trouble, and who likes to expound -- frequently -- on his beliefs, is one of the most interesting characters I've encountered in a book in a while. De la Peña leaves it up to the reader as to whether the guy should be admired or trusted at all.
The only scene that irked me slightly was an emotional scene toward the end that reminded me too much of the "it's not your fault" sobfest from Good Will Hunting. And, to be fair, that scene totally worked back in 1998 or whenever, but I think it's Narmed over time. Anyway, minor quibble for a very good book.
November 27, 2019
pooled ink Reviews:
Mexican Whiteboy is a gripping story about finding oneself, baseball, and friendship. Moments will make you laugh, make your heart ache, make you sit on the edge of your seat with your eyes glued to that fastball, and make you stop and think as it delves into themes deeper than you might’ve been prepared to go. Captivating and emotional it opens the door to a conversation so many of us secretly wrestle with but hardly anyone ever considers.
Read my full review here: https://pooledink.com/2019/11/27/mexi...
Mexican Whiteboy is a gripping story about finding oneself, baseball, and friendship. Moments will make you laugh, make your heart ache, make you sit on the edge of your seat with your eyes glued to that fastball, and make you stop and think as it delves into themes deeper than you might’ve been prepared to go. Captivating and emotional it opens the door to a conversation so many of us secretly wrestle with but hardly anyone ever considers.
Read my full review here: https://pooledink.com/2019/11/27/mexi...
October 14, 2008
I honestly can't put into words just how much I liked and connected with this novel. It's a very well written, engaging story about identity and what it means to be "half-something" in America. The main character, Danny, is a 17-year-old half-Mexican, half-white aspiring baseball player who spends the summer with his dad's side of the family, trying to figure out who he is. But the story isn't just about Danny. It's way deeper than just one single storyline. Danny becomes friends with Uno, a half-black, half-Mexican kid with a totally different set of identity issues. Uno has a half-brother who's mentally retarded, a mother who's remarried an abusive drunk, and a born-again-Christian father who offers him hope (well, sort of). The novel is really about a group of characters and it's hard not to feel connected with Danny, Uno, or Dannny's cousin Sofia.
The mood that this writer set throughout the book was unlike anything I have seen a while. At one point I was mentally comparing the mood set in this book to that in Laurie Halse Anderon's Speak. Both novels have characters that are depressed and act almost-mute and the writing clearly communicates how they feel. The imagery created by the author is also amazing because I could not stop visualizing these places (streetscapes, landscapes, even the graffiti) in my head as I read this book. And, of course, the character development is phenomenal.
I don't think my middle school kids could handle this but I strongly recommend this to high school students and beyond. The ethnic identity issues that the book deals with are probably the number one thing that I was able to connect to but I think it's such a fanastic read for just about anyone.
The mood that this writer set throughout the book was unlike anything I have seen a while. At one point I was mentally comparing the mood set in this book to that in Laurie Halse Anderon's Speak. Both novels have characters that are depressed and act almost-mute and the writing clearly communicates how they feel. The imagery created by the author is also amazing because I could not stop visualizing these places (streetscapes, landscapes, even the graffiti) in my head as I read this book. And, of course, the character development is phenomenal.
I don't think my middle school kids could handle this but I strongly recommend this to high school students and beyond. The ethnic identity issues that the book deals with are probably the number one thing that I was able to connect to but I think it's such a fanastic read for just about anyone.
Want to read
May 4, 2023I FOUND IT! My sister pointed this book out to me in a suburb bookstore a while ago because I relate to this in many ways. I tried looking it up a while ago, but I could not find it! But then, searching author names that I saw in the anthology Hope Wins, I take a look at this guy's books AND I FIND IT!
It's me!! Danny the Mexican whiteboy! Who can't speak Spanish but excels at one specific sport! Who has a Mexican dad and a white mom!
And it's in my city's library system! Man I can't wait to read this.
"Danny's struggle to find his place will speak strongly to all teens, but especially to those of mixed race."- Booklist
Ohhh I hope so, Booklist.
It's me!! Danny the Mexican whiteboy! Who can't speak Spanish but excels at one specific sport! Who has a Mexican dad and a white mom!
And it's in my city's library system! Man I can't wait to read this.
"Danny's struggle to find his place will speak strongly to all teens, but especially to those of mixed race."- Booklist
Ohhh I hope so, Booklist.
January 16, 2020
Reading this book was an act of defiance. It is a very good book about the mixed-race experience and male bonding that I could never get away with putting in my classroom. The main character drinks alcohol, gets a contact high, and gets into fistfights. This should be okay for at least some eighth graders, but my curriculum director loves banning books, and she would ax this one in a heartbeat.
I enjoyed this book and I enjoyed imagining that I worked at a school that would allow it.
I enjoyed this book and I enjoyed imagining that I worked at a school that would allow it.
June 10, 2014
Solid YA about a boy who feels white when he's around Mexican friends and Mexican at his mostly-white prep school. He pitches a 95-mph fastball … and then suddenly he loses it. What's he looking for? His father. But I liked the way he resolves the race question by subordinating the Mexican/white binary to the category "pitcher." Well-written.
April 22, 2022
Could be a good book for teens, not sure. Didnt finish it. As an adult I would not recommend.
August 2, 2023
Book good.
January 19, 2018
This short, simple book caught my eye at my favorite used bookstore in Tucson. I'd never heard of it before, and I'd never read a story by Matt de la Pena, but I think it was the title that really grabbed me because honestly, it was relatable.
This is a different kind of book than what I usually read. It's not really "about" one thing in particular, and it's not the kind of book that has a ton of things happening or an intricate plot. But it does give you a lot to think about and characters that feel extremely real. I saw so much of myself in Danny Lopez, a high school boy who is trying to figure himself out in a world of definitions and labels. I can't tell you how many times I found myself reading and thinking de la Pena had hijacked my brain in a time when I was really struggling with the exact same questions Danny asked himself (and that other people asked him!) throughout the novel. It was a breath of fresh air to see that on the page and in a way that is handled so nicely and realistically. Kudos!
Side note: Matt de la Pena is also writing the YA Superman coming out this year, and I am HERE FOR IT.
This is a different kind of book than what I usually read. It's not really "about" one thing in particular, and it's not the kind of book that has a ton of things happening or an intricate plot. But it does give you a lot to think about and characters that feel extremely real. I saw so much of myself in Danny Lopez, a high school boy who is trying to figure himself out in a world of definitions and labels. I can't tell you how many times I found myself reading and thinking de la Pena had hijacked my brain in a time when I was really struggling with the exact same questions Danny asked himself (and that other people asked him!) throughout the novel. It was a breath of fresh air to see that on the page and in a way that is handled so nicely and realistically. Kudos!
Side note: Matt de la Pena is also writing the YA Superman coming out this year, and I am HERE FOR IT.
February 10, 2021
3.5 stars
If you love baseball and don't mind reading strong language, you will probably like this better than I did. The sports stuff was more than I care for, but it is central to the story.
The blurb is all about Danny and his struggles with being bi-racial, his absent father and his talent for baseball, and these are all integral to the story. What the blurb leaves out is that it is about two biracial boys with absent fathers and their struggles and how they form a friendship that transforms both of them. Uno is half Mexian and half black, and they meet in National City when Danny goes to spend the summer there after his sophomore year.
The portrayal is as gritty and messy as real life, but there is something wonderful that happens here, even though it is not romanticized or sentimental.
If you love baseball and don't mind reading strong language, you will probably like this better than I did. The sports stuff was more than I care for, but it is central to the story.
The blurb is all about Danny and his struggles with being bi-racial, his absent father and his talent for baseball, and these are all integral to the story. What the blurb leaves out is that it is about two biracial boys with absent fathers and their struggles and how they form a friendship that transforms both of them. Uno is half Mexian and half black, and they meet in National City when Danny goes to spend the summer there after his sophomore year.
The portrayal is as gritty and messy as real life, but there is something wonderful that happens here, even though it is not romanticized or sentimental.
October 30, 2023
Matt de la Peña is the darling of ELA teachers and librarians everywhere. Why? After reading this book, I'm still not exactly sure. On one hand, it's great for book clubs because it has a Hispanic main character, much of the action revolves around sports, and there's some PG-13 tomfoolery. On the other hand, it's not great for book clubs because it doesn't provide the instant gratification that a lot of reluctant readers need. I think in order to LIKE this book, you would have to already LOVE baseball. One of my super reluctant readers this year is reading this book, and the only reason he hasn't given up is the baseball element, but I can tell he's not getting the entertainment out of it that I want him to.
Overall, it's a book I will continue to offer as an option, but I am not convinced of it's greatness yet.
Overall, it's a book I will continue to offer as an option, but I am not convinced of it's greatness yet.
January 17, 2023
A really compelling story about a mixed-race teenager spending the summer with his Mexican American cousins. It's mostly about baseball and making friends and difficult fathers, but it's about a bunch of other things too. The audiobook narrator was excellent.
CN: Abusive fathers/husbands, serious peer violence among both teenagers and adult men, racism, colorism, substance abuse, prison, (sports) performance anxiety, PTSD, self-harm, something like selective mutism but I don't think quite that?; divorce and remarriage and childrens'/teens' experience of same; institutionalization of someone with an intellectual disability
CN: Abusive fathers/husbands, serious peer violence among both teenagers and adult men, racism, colorism, substance abuse, prison, (sports) performance anxiety, PTSD, self-harm, something like selective mutism but I don't think quite that?; divorce and remarriage and childrens'/teens' experience of same; institutionalization of someone with an intellectual disability
June 26, 2020
Mexican Whiteboy is a coming-of-age sports novel that deals with not knowing your place in the world, family relationships and learning more about oneself. Danny’s mother is a white woman and his father is a Mexican man who is absent from his life. Danny grew up not speaking Spanish and without financial hardships. It’s not until he visits his father’s family near San Diego that he realizes how much he doesn’t fit in anywhere and really wants to. This was a great read to build suspense, discuss race, privilege, the bonds of family, new love and, of course, baseball. I really enjoyed this book even though at times it felt like it dragged, but that could also be because I was listening to it on audiobook, which I hate, but it was free so 🤷🏼♀️
IMO we don’t have enough books written by #latinx authors for our Latinx and Hispanic students so I’m very excited to get this book into our library #weneeddiversebooks
IMO we don’t have enough books written by #latinx authors for our Latinx and Hispanic students so I’m very excited to get this book into our library #weneeddiversebooks
July 7, 2023
This book was not nearly as emotionally devastating as the other Matt De La Peña book I read. Reminded me of my own youthful struggles but not in a way that made me sob my eyes out (like in his last novel)
August 12, 2015
This was one of those books that I didn’t like the first time I read it, but I loved the second time through. In all honesty, my first impression may be due more to secondary factors influencing my experience than the book itself. Since I always read everything at least twice before writing a guide, I thought I’d listen to the audio version of the book the first time through while driving back from Tucson. The audio version does not do de la Peña’s writing justice. I only made it through about 40 pages before I had to turn it off, and unfortunately I think this really tainted my opinion of the book. I waited a few weeks before starting the guide, and as I read the book a second time through, it was like an entirely different experience. I could go into more detail about why I think this is, but for the sake of time I won’t. I mention it here only because I hope that if you read it once and aren’t entirely sold, that you’ll give it a second chance. It’s a book that engages with issues that we rarely see in our classroom literature (I’ll talk more about this below). It’s also a book that is resoundingly well-received by students. Over and over we hear from teachers across the country who all say it’s one of their students’ favorite books.
At its core, this is the story of one boy’s experience of coming to terms with his identity as he comes of age. I think the majority of us struggle with our identity and who we are at some point in our lives. But for some of our students the struggle can be quite painful and complex, and de la Peña’s story reflects that. It is the way in which de la Peña weaves discussions of racial identity into his story that makes it such a significant text for our classrooms. Both of the main characters, Danny and Uno, struggle with their racial identity. Danny is half-white and half-Mexican, while Uno is half-Mexican and half-Black. Both young men struggle with how to accept who they are, and their struggle is made even more complex by the communities in which they live. When Danny is in San Diego, he’s the Mexican who’s not white enough to fit in, and in National City he’s too white to be Mexican. Uno is also half-Mexican, but he, his friends, and his step-father only ever identify him as Black, which becomes even more significant as he is the only young Black man in the community. De la Peña paints a realistic portrayal of the struggles Danny and Uno face as they grapple with their own internal conflict over who they are, and the external conflict of navigating who society expects them to be. Interestingly, Mexican WhiteBoy was one of the books banned by the Tucson School District because it contained critical race theory. Yet, it is the critical race theory that I believe makes it such an essential read for all of our students.
As Danny attempts to deal with everything going on inside and around him, he resorts to hurting himself. Throughout the book Danny copes with difficult situations by digging his nails into his arm until he breaks the skin. Self-harm has become an increasingly relevant issue for those who work with teenagers and young adults, but often it’s gendered. If we find it in literature, it’s typically about females who cut themselves. While studies show that the majority of young adults who use self-harm to cope are female, there are males who struggle with this as well. de la Peña ‘flips the script’ by writing about a young man with exceptional athletic ability who hurts himself.
Rage, anger and violence are other themes that run throughout the book. As incredibly destructive forces in the lives of the characters, the book provides the opportunity to discuss alternative ways to deal with such powerful emotions, rather than resorting to violence.
It is certainly a book for a more mature audience, such as high school readers. There are references to drugs, sex, underage drinking, strong language, and violence. Other reviews have said this book really isn’t appropriate for classroom use, but I disagree. While it may not be the right choice for every classroom community, I believe that more often than not students will find it both powerful and engaging. Our students are bombarded on a daily basis with messages about race, identity, drugs, alcohol and violence. Using this book provides not only a story that they may see themselves reflected in, but also the space to make these topics part of the ‘official’ curriculum. It is in spaces like this that we, as educators, can hear what our students are struggling with and help them to navigate these difficult teenage years.
Mexican Whiteboy has earned a variety of awards and recognitions: ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults (Top 10 Pick), 2008 Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Ribbon List, 2009 Notable Books for a Global Society, Texas TAYSHAS Reading list, and a Junior Library Guild Selection.
Our free educator’s guide is available on our wordpress blog Vamos a Leer at http://wp.me/P27SUF-1zd.
At its core, this is the story of one boy’s experience of coming to terms with his identity as he comes of age. I think the majority of us struggle with our identity and who we are at some point in our lives. But for some of our students the struggle can be quite painful and complex, and de la Peña’s story reflects that. It is the way in which de la Peña weaves discussions of racial identity into his story that makes it such a significant text for our classrooms. Both of the main characters, Danny and Uno, struggle with their racial identity. Danny is half-white and half-Mexican, while Uno is half-Mexican and half-Black. Both young men struggle with how to accept who they are, and their struggle is made even more complex by the communities in which they live. When Danny is in San Diego, he’s the Mexican who’s not white enough to fit in, and in National City he’s too white to be Mexican. Uno is also half-Mexican, but he, his friends, and his step-father only ever identify him as Black, which becomes even more significant as he is the only young Black man in the community. De la Peña paints a realistic portrayal of the struggles Danny and Uno face as they grapple with their own internal conflict over who they are, and the external conflict of navigating who society expects them to be. Interestingly, Mexican WhiteBoy was one of the books banned by the Tucson School District because it contained critical race theory. Yet, it is the critical race theory that I believe makes it such an essential read for all of our students.
As Danny attempts to deal with everything going on inside and around him, he resorts to hurting himself. Throughout the book Danny copes with difficult situations by digging his nails into his arm until he breaks the skin. Self-harm has become an increasingly relevant issue for those who work with teenagers and young adults, but often it’s gendered. If we find it in literature, it’s typically about females who cut themselves. While studies show that the majority of young adults who use self-harm to cope are female, there are males who struggle with this as well. de la Peña ‘flips the script’ by writing about a young man with exceptional athletic ability who hurts himself.
Rage, anger and violence are other themes that run throughout the book. As incredibly destructive forces in the lives of the characters, the book provides the opportunity to discuss alternative ways to deal with such powerful emotions, rather than resorting to violence.
It is certainly a book for a more mature audience, such as high school readers. There are references to drugs, sex, underage drinking, strong language, and violence. Other reviews have said this book really isn’t appropriate for classroom use, but I disagree. While it may not be the right choice for every classroom community, I believe that more often than not students will find it both powerful and engaging. Our students are bombarded on a daily basis with messages about race, identity, drugs, alcohol and violence. Using this book provides not only a story that they may see themselves reflected in, but also the space to make these topics part of the ‘official’ curriculum. It is in spaces like this that we, as educators, can hear what our students are struggling with and help them to navigate these difficult teenage years.
Mexican Whiteboy has earned a variety of awards and recognitions: ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults (Top 10 Pick), 2008 Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Ribbon List, 2009 Notable Books for a Global Society, Texas TAYSHAS Reading list, and a Junior Library Guild Selection.
Our free educator’s guide is available on our wordpress blog Vamos a Leer at http://wp.me/P27SUF-1zd.
November 30, 2011
In my English Literature class. We had choice books to read. I had chosen Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Pena. When i first seen the cover it had caught my eye.
Danny a son of an American mother and a Hispanic father. 16 year old Danny Lopez,the smart semi-Mexican kid. Danny’s father left three years earlier.later finding out that he was actually sent to prison for beating a man. Danny has to spend the summer with his father side of the family in National City. Who mainly speaks Hispanic. He pretends to know what they are talking about. He cant keep a long or steady conversation with them so he just nods and laughs with them. The reason why he cant speak Hispanic is because his mother is American and he goes to an all white school. Danny wants to identify with the Mexican-American side of his family more than anything, although he hates that he can’t even speak Spanish. He spends most of his time with his cousin Sofia and her crazy friends. He feels out of place like he dose not belong. His cousin takes him to the cul-de-sac. Where some boys play baseball he gets very interested in watching them play.When Danny reaches there he gets challenged by Uno. Through baseball and his connection to Uno, a boy who is like him, except being of half African American. They get into a rivalry when Danny threw the bat on mistake.It also had many kinds of situations where you get all hyped up. I would recommend this book to teenagers,baseball players,and just people who loves funny action.
Danny a son of an American mother and a Hispanic father. 16 year old Danny Lopez,the smart semi-Mexican kid. Danny’s father left three years earlier.later finding out that he was actually sent to prison for beating a man. Danny has to spend the summer with his father side of the family in National City. Who mainly speaks Hispanic. He pretends to know what they are talking about. He cant keep a long or steady conversation with them so he just nods and laughs with them. The reason why he cant speak Hispanic is because his mother is American and he goes to an all white school. Danny wants to identify with the Mexican-American side of his family more than anything, although he hates that he can’t even speak Spanish. He spends most of his time with his cousin Sofia and her crazy friends. He feels out of place like he dose not belong. His cousin takes him to the cul-de-sac. Where some boys play baseball he gets very interested in watching them play.When Danny reaches there he gets challenged by Uno. Through baseball and his connection to Uno, a boy who is like him, except being of half African American. They get into a rivalry when Danny threw the bat on mistake.It also had many kinds of situations where you get all hyped up. I would recommend this book to teenagers,baseball players,and just people who loves funny action.
July 5, 2019
This is one of the most powerful books I've read that addresses toxic masculinity honestly and yet poetically. Some of the males in this book behave so badly, I don't think anyone under 13 should read it. Seriously. There is graphic violence vividly described in this book, one scene so intense I winced in pain myself and had to put down the book for a little break. But the violence is not gratuitous. It's there as the backdrop against which the male characters trying to behave humanely act. There's the Mexican Whiteboy, Danny, his eventual friend, Uno, Uno's father, Senior, and at least one of Danny's Uncles, Tommy. The young men are trying to find their way in a violent, racist, classist world with very little guidance. In my opinion, the most enlightened (and reformed) man is Senior. Senior counsels Uno and Uno counsels Danny, and Senior also counsels Danny! Here's my favorite quote from Senior: Money ain't nothing but a rabbit in a hat, Uno. It's an illusion. A trick up Uncle Sam's sleeve. Advertisers make it out to be this big thing in America so we'll buy their fancy cars and their big-ass sailboats and their high end radio equipment, but it's just paper" (161) In addition to the male characters there are some strong female characters--Danny's mom, and his cousin, Sofia. The other female characters are minor.
October 13, 2011
This one immediately vaulted to the top (or nearly the top) of my favorite YA books. Yes, I'm automatically going to be predisposed to enjoy virtually any halfway-decent book about baseball, but like Mike Lupica's similar (but inferior) Heat, this isn't really about baseball. The twin issues Matt de la Pena is wresting with are those of ethnic identity and the perils of family, and the baseball backdrop is ancillary to what he's really getting at. The best part of the book are the voices – de la Pena might very well be the Elmore Leonard of the YA set. Danny (the young baseball phenom) and Uno (his best friend) are vividly drawn, and their dialogue begs to be read aloud. This is a remarkable piece of writing, and if this cynical old bastard found it insightful, I can only imagine what it will mean to its adolescent target market.
June 13, 2019
I truly enjoyed this book because the characters and their situations were very 'real world'. In my opinion, the author did an excellent job of creating each character and intertwining their relationships. In particular, the friendship that evolved between Uno and Danny - it was very touching. While they had things in common (broken families, lack of money, big dreams), it was obvious their lives were headed into different directions. However, their friendship and the memories they made together would be timeless.
I wish there was more to the ending though. I would have liked to read more about Danny and his dad.
I look forward to reading more of this Matt de la Pena's books.
I wish there was more to the ending though. I would have liked to read more about Danny and his dad.
I look forward to reading more of this Matt de la Pena's books.
April 18, 2020
I read a short story by this author and thought it was excellent.
I read this book because I'm a middle school teacher and see that it is being widely read. Unfortunately, I struggled through it, could not relate to the characters, the language they speak, or their situations.
However, for anyone interested in Mexican ghetto subculture and the problems with trying to fit into such a subculture, perhaps the book is very well-written and realistic.
I read this book because I'm a middle school teacher and see that it is being widely read. Unfortunately, I struggled through it, could not relate to the characters, the language they speak, or their situations.
However, for anyone interested in Mexican ghetto subculture and the problems with trying to fit into such a subculture, perhaps the book is very well-written and realistic.
March 14, 2018
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).
May 29, 2018
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.
March 24, 2019
Incredible novel with themes of Race identity, race relations, family dynamics, PTSD, economic struggles, anger & violence, and finally hope on learning how to grow & survive. These are issues teens are dealing with and can relate to. This is a great and quick read.
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