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Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science & Technology (2015)Four undocumented Mexican American students, two great teachers, one robot-building contest...and a major motion picture.
In 2004, four Latino teenagers arrived at the Marine Advanced Technology Education Robotics Competition at the University of California, Santa Barbara. They were born in Mexico but raised in Phoenix, Arizona, where they attended an underfunded public high school. No one had ever suggested to Oscar, Cristian, Luis, or Lorenzo that they might amount to much - but two inspiring science teachers had convinced these impoverished, undocumented kids from the desert who had never even seen the ocean that they should try to build an underwater robot.
And build a robot they did. Their robot wasn't pretty, especially compared to those of the competition. They were going up against some of the best collegiate engineers in the country, including a team from MIT backed by a $10,000 grant from ExxonMobil. The Phoenix teenagers had scraped together less than $1,000 and built their robot out of scavenged parts. This was never a level competition—and yet, against all odds... they won!
But this is just the beginning for these four, whose story—which became a key inspiration to the DREAMers movement—will go on to include first-generation college graduations, deportation, bean-picking in Mexico, and service in Afghanistan.
Joshua Davis' Spare Parts is a story about overcoming insurmountable odds and four young men who proved they were among the most patriotic and talented Americans in this country—even as the country tried to kick them out.
In 2004, four Latino teenagers arrived at the Marine Advanced Technology Education Robotics Competition at the University of California, Santa Barbara. They were born in Mexico but raised in Phoenix, Arizona, where they attended an underfunded public high school. No one had ever suggested to Oscar, Cristian, Luis, or Lorenzo that they might amount to much - but two inspiring science teachers had convinced these impoverished, undocumented kids from the desert who had never even seen the ocean that they should try to build an underwater robot.
And build a robot they did. Their robot wasn't pretty, especially compared to those of the competition. They were going up against some of the best collegiate engineers in the country, including a team from MIT backed by a $10,000 grant from ExxonMobil. The Phoenix teenagers had scraped together less than $1,000 and built their robot out of scavenged parts. This was never a level competition—and yet, against all odds... they won!
But this is just the beginning for these four, whose story—which became a key inspiration to the DREAMers movement—will go on to include first-generation college graduations, deportation, bean-picking in Mexico, and service in Afghanistan.
Joshua Davis' Spare Parts is a story about overcoming insurmountable odds and four young men who proved they were among the most patriotic and talented Americans in this country—even as the country tried to kick them out.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published December 2, 2014
186 people are currently reading
4054 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Davis
70 books42 followersJoshua Davis is an American writer, film producer and co-founder of Epic Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 583 reviews
December 16, 2016
Speaking as a kid who did the same robotics contests at more or less the same time (FIRST 2002-2004, MATE 2005), Spare Parts is the real deal.
They were four kids born in Mexico and living in the bad part of Phoenix, undocumented immigrants with one shot at glory. Oscar was ROTC, a born leader. Lorenzo torn between flashy style and even flashier outbursts of anger. Cristian was a natural scientist and inventor. Luis a gentle giant. Together with two talented and dedicated teachers, they made an underwater robot that took first place in the 2004 MATE contest, defeating a score of well-funded teams, including MIT.
It's a true underdog story, and on that is every bit as inspiring as you'd expect (god, even reading the prior paragraph of this review makes me want to throw up a little from the schmaltz). This book is light on the technical details, but manages to capture all the excitement of making something and having it work--or explode spectacularly.
But the technical cannot be distangled from the political. Our four protagonists excelled, and then hit a brick wall as their undocumented status barred them from engineering programs and the Army. They became political footballs in nativist Arizona politics and the debacle of the DREAM act. I'm angry that people who are smarter and harder working than I am can't live up to their potential in America because of a choice their parents made when they were children. I'm ashamed at how easy I've had it by comparison. Davis doesn't hammer the politics, but even the most even-handed account of the actual lives of these people reveals shocking injustice. So yeah, come for the robots and the underdog story, stay to find out how America betrays those who best embody its ideals.
They were four kids born in Mexico and living in the bad part of Phoenix, undocumented immigrants with one shot at glory. Oscar was ROTC, a born leader. Lorenzo torn between flashy style and even flashier outbursts of anger. Cristian was a natural scientist and inventor. Luis a gentle giant. Together with two talented and dedicated teachers, they made an underwater robot that took first place in the 2004 MATE contest, defeating a score of well-funded teams, including MIT.
It's a true underdog story, and on that is every bit as inspiring as you'd expect (god, even reading the prior paragraph of this review makes me want to throw up a little from the schmaltz). This book is light on the technical details, but manages to capture all the excitement of making something and having it work--or explode spectacularly.
But the technical cannot be distangled from the political. Our four protagonists excelled, and then hit a brick wall as their undocumented status barred them from engineering programs and the Army. They became political footballs in nativist Arizona politics and the debacle of the DREAM act. I'm angry that people who are smarter and harder working than I am can't live up to their potential in America because of a choice their parents made when they were children. I'm ashamed at how easy I've had it by comparison. Davis doesn't hammer the politics, but even the most even-handed account of the actual lives of these people reveals shocking injustice. So yeah, come for the robots and the underdog story, stay to find out how America betrays those who best embody its ideals.
September 19, 2017
Back in their dorm room, Fredi and Allan were worried. The robot wasn’t working, and the kids were scheduled to go in front of the NASA and Navy experts within hours. Stinky was turning out to be a failure from the outset. The kids felt defeated before the competition had even begun.
Oscar wasn’t ready to give up. “Let’s take it apart now,” he argued. “We can fix it.”
Fredi didn’t want the kids preoccupied when they presented themselves to the experts. They had to be mentally ready for what would likely be an intense grilling. “Look, don’t worry about the robot right now,” he said. “We’ve got all night to fix it.”
“It’s more important to get ready for the review,” Allan said. The kids had limited experience talking in front of imposing professionals. Raising money and competing in the FIRST program had helped, but talking to an audience was still a novel experience. That, coupled with their shaken confidence, could undermine everything they’d accomplished so far. They might leave Santa Barbara convinced that the whole thing was a mistake, that it wasn’t their lot to be ambitious.
They needed to be jolted into a better frame of mind, so Allan decided on a gamble. “Everybody come with me,” he commanded.
The team followed him out of the dorm to a bridge. Though it was summertime, there was still a steady flow of pedestrians.
“I want you guys to hang out here and talk to anybody who comes by,” Allan said.
“What do you want us to talk about?” Oscar asked.
“Say, ‘Hi, would you like to hear about our thrusters?’” Allan prompted.
Lorenzo snickered. “I don’t think nobody is going to talk to us if we say that.”
“Tell them you built a robot,” Allan persevered. “They’ll want to hear about it.”
Fredi and Allan walked off and watched from a distance. The locals might ignore the kids or think that they were panhandling. That could further undermine their already fragile state of mind. Allan was hoping that wouldn’t happen. He was banking on the kindness of strangers.
The kids were bashful at first and let a handful of people walk by. Oscar gripped a white, plastic, three-ring binder that contained drawings of Stinky’s innovations.
Finally Lorenzo mustered up the courage to talk to a man who looked like a professor. “Hi, we’re high school students from Phoenix, and we’re here to compete in an underwater-robotics contest. Do you want to hear about it?”
The man laughed. “Okay. What does your robot do?”
Oscar stepped forward with his three-ring binder and flipped to the first page, which displayed a photo of Stinky. “It’s an ROV. That means ‘remotely operated vehicle.’” He explained that Stinky was designed to retrieve underwater objects, record video, sample fluid, measure distances, and locate sounds.
“It can do all that?” the man said.
“When it’s working, yeah,” Oscar said. “Right now it’s kind of messed up.”
“Well, I’ll be rooting for you,” the man said, and, after wishing them luck, headed away.
After that, the team stopped a variety of people and explained why their robot was so cool, even if it was on life support. Cristian talked about applying the index of refraction to their laser range findings, and Lorenzo bragged about his “ghetto” liquid sampling tool. The people they talked to seemed impressed by the ragtag group of teens, and the reaction they got gave them a boost. It reminded them that they were doing something they had never done before. In Phoenix, they were called illegal aliens and pegged as criminals. They were alternately viewed as American, Mexican, or neither. Now, for a moment, they were simply teenagers at a robotics competition by the ocean.
4 3/4 stars
Oscar wasn’t ready to give up. “Let’s take it apart now,” he argued. “We can fix it.”
Fredi didn’t want the kids preoccupied when they presented themselves to the experts. They had to be mentally ready for what would likely be an intense grilling. “Look, don’t worry about the robot right now,” he said. “We’ve got all night to fix it.”
“It’s more important to get ready for the review,” Allan said. The kids had limited experience talking in front of imposing professionals. Raising money and competing in the FIRST program had helped, but talking to an audience was still a novel experience. That, coupled with their shaken confidence, could undermine everything they’d accomplished so far. They might leave Santa Barbara convinced that the whole thing was a mistake, that it wasn’t their lot to be ambitious.
They needed to be jolted into a better frame of mind, so Allan decided on a gamble. “Everybody come with me,” he commanded.
The team followed him out of the dorm to a bridge. Though it was summertime, there was still a steady flow of pedestrians.
“I want you guys to hang out here and talk to anybody who comes by,” Allan said.
“What do you want us to talk about?” Oscar asked.
“Say, ‘Hi, would you like to hear about our thrusters?’” Allan prompted.
Lorenzo snickered. “I don’t think nobody is going to talk to us if we say that.”
“Tell them you built a robot,” Allan persevered. “They’ll want to hear about it.”
Fredi and Allan walked off and watched from a distance. The locals might ignore the kids or think that they were panhandling. That could further undermine their already fragile state of mind. Allan was hoping that wouldn’t happen. He was banking on the kindness of strangers.
The kids were bashful at first and let a handful of people walk by. Oscar gripped a white, plastic, three-ring binder that contained drawings of Stinky’s innovations.
Finally Lorenzo mustered up the courage to talk to a man who looked like a professor. “Hi, we’re high school students from Phoenix, and we’re here to compete in an underwater-robotics contest. Do you want to hear about it?”
The man laughed. “Okay. What does your robot do?”
Oscar stepped forward with his three-ring binder and flipped to the first page, which displayed a photo of Stinky. “It’s an ROV. That means ‘remotely operated vehicle.’” He explained that Stinky was designed to retrieve underwater objects, record video, sample fluid, measure distances, and locate sounds.
“It can do all that?” the man said.
“When it’s working, yeah,” Oscar said. “Right now it’s kind of messed up.”
“Well, I’ll be rooting for you,” the man said, and, after wishing them luck, headed away.
After that, the team stopped a variety of people and explained why their robot was so cool, even if it was on life support. Cristian talked about applying the index of refraction to their laser range findings, and Lorenzo bragged about his “ghetto” liquid sampling tool. The people they talked to seemed impressed by the ragtag group of teens, and the reaction they got gave them a boost. It reminded them that they were doing something they had never done before. In Phoenix, they were called illegal aliens and pegged as criminals. They were alternately viewed as American, Mexican, or neither. Now, for a moment, they were simply teenagers at a robotics competition by the ocean.
4 3/4 stars
September 18, 2022
An amazing book! Five stars!
A huge thank you to Goodreads friend, Michael Burnam-Fink, for recommending I read Spare Parts. He has also recommended several other books that are on my TBR list.
Joshua Davis has woven a historical and inspirational thriller about four undocumented Latino high school students in Phoenix who enter a NASA contest to build an underwater robot that is evaluated on accomplishing several incredibly challenging tasks. The team from MIT historically won the NASA contest or was in the top three finalists.
The book was made into a movie of the same name, but the movie ends after the winning team is named at the NASA contest.
Life and reality are much different than movies. Davis' book follows the four students for many years and shows their career and education paths compared to the MIT students' career paths after the NASA contest.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio, infamous for being "America's Toughest Sheriff" during his reign for 24 years in Phoenix between 1993 - 2017 as well as citizen's support and approval of Proposition 300 impacts these students' lives. Parts of the book made me very angry because we are allowing talent to be wasted when it can be used to improve our nation.
Highly recommend!
A huge thank you to Goodreads friend, Michael Burnam-Fink, for recommending I read Spare Parts. He has also recommended several other books that are on my TBR list.
Joshua Davis has woven a historical and inspirational thriller about four undocumented Latino high school students in Phoenix who enter a NASA contest to build an underwater robot that is evaluated on accomplishing several incredibly challenging tasks. The team from MIT historically won the NASA contest or was in the top three finalists.
The book was made into a movie of the same name, but the movie ends after the winning team is named at the NASA contest.
Life and reality are much different than movies. Davis' book follows the four students for many years and shows their career and education paths compared to the MIT students' career paths after the NASA contest.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio, infamous for being "America's Toughest Sheriff" during his reign for 24 years in Phoenix between 1993 - 2017 as well as citizen's support and approval of Proposition 300 impacts these students' lives. Parts of the book made me very angry because we are allowing talent to be wasted when it can be used to improve our nation.
Highly recommend!
January 10, 2015
Now a major motion picture starring George Lopez - my husband got to go to the movie premiere and met the boys, now men, in this story. It is the tale of how these HS students, only one of whom had legal status, were able to build an underwater robot and beat college teams, including MIT, in a NASA sponsored competition. And if you wonder why people "don't just come here legally", all you need to do is see what happened to Oscar when he tried to do just that. (I don't usually voice politics on social media, but Oscar's story defies common sense by any definition.) Outstanding book for teachers using project based learning, or those working with underprivileged students, those working with leadership groups.
April 25, 2015
Este libro fue una verdadera sorpresa. Me lo topé de casualidad en Sanborns y después de haber leído la sinopsis supe que debía leerlo, la verdad es que no me arrepiento.
Se nos cuenta la historia real de cuatro chicos, inmigrantes mexicanos, cada uno con familias y motivos tan diversos para irse a los Estados Unidos. Al inicio del libro se nos va contando la vida de cada uno de ellos para que los conozcamos más y podamos hacernos una idea del por qué terminan junts en un curso de robótica en su escuela, y la razón de que se animen a participar en un concurso de robótica a nivel nacional, participando con las mejores escuelas de ese país.
Una de las cosas más emocionantes es leer la manera en que ellos vencen las dificultades que se les presentan, el hecho de que a pesar de las pocas posibilidades que tienen de ganar, tienen el deseo y las ganas de hacerlo y de hacerlo bien. El hecho de que tengan familias disfuncionales o que vivan con el temor a una deportación es verdaderamente triste y eso te pone a pensar en todos los chicos que están en esa situación en los Estados Unidos, muchos de ellos que, como estos 4 inventores, han sido capaces de cosas tan geniales y por meros asuntos políticos no pueden ser libres de expresarse.
Si bien la competencia es un punto importante, el libro no termina ahí. Joshua Davis nos cuenta lo que sucede después de haber ganado ese concurso. Cómo quedan en el olvido, cómo una nota de él los saca de nuevo a la luz y todo lo que genera esa atención que consiguen de los medios de comunicación.
Los problemas a los que se enfrentan después de ello, lo que hacen de sus vidas, es algo que impacta. Te quedas de alguna manera pensando que hay muchos "cerebros" perdidos, mucho talento desperdiciado, te hace pensar hasta dónde podría avanzar la humanidad si nos dejáramos de tantas injusticias hacia los migrantes. Y no lo digo porque sean mexicanos (?), o lo hayan sido... creo que esto aplica para todos esos chicos que han cruzado fronteras para alcanzar el sueño americano, o muchos que como Lorenzo, Luis, Oscar y Cristian, llegaron al país muy chicos, que crecieron allá y se consideran más estadounidenses que de otra nacionalidad, y no gozan de los derechos que deberían simplemente porque existen personas que los discriminan.
Sin duda alguna, este libro es muy polémico. Pero es también emotivo, emocionante, y yo me lo leí rapidísimo y lo disfruté mucho porque es un libro que inspira. Vale mucho la pena, así que si tienen la oportunidad, léanlo.
February 12, 2015
This was an enjoyable book based on the true-story of how 4 high-schoolers at Carl Hayden Community High school in Phoenix unseated some of the top collegiate engineering teams at a national underwater robotics competition. At its core is the well worn, root for the underdog storyline. But this time the protagonists are 4 underprivileged, Hispanic high-schoolers who beyond all odds, form a robotics team, enter a national marine-robotics competition, scrape together a small budget, put together their ROV (remote operated vehicle) with a bunch of spare parts, and ultimately go head-to-head with some of the best collegiate engineering teams in the country, including M.I.T.
But aside from the heartfelt triumph, what made this story great was:
* While the competition is the main theme of the book, the ups and downs of the contest ultimately seem trivial compared to the constant battle the high-schoolers face with poverty, home instability, and in some cases, fear of deportation
* The author spends a lot of time helping really understand where the characters come from, their family history, and what they deal with even to show up to school, much less learn and compete in robotics
* The competition isn't the end point. The real power of this book isn't just showing the power of a few to overcome, it's the focus on what becomes of the high schoolers after the competition
It's an easy read and it delivers the expected underdog victory punch. But more importantly, it makes you think deeply about policy in the US, failures in our current system, and how we fail to develop what could be a great source of talent for our country.
But aside from the heartfelt triumph, what made this story great was:
* While the competition is the main theme of the book, the ups and downs of the contest ultimately seem trivial compared to the constant battle the high-schoolers face with poverty, home instability, and in some cases, fear of deportation
* The author spends a lot of time helping really understand where the characters come from, their family history, and what they deal with even to show up to school, much less learn and compete in robotics
* The competition isn't the end point. The real power of this book isn't just showing the power of a few to overcome, it's the focus on what becomes of the high schoolers after the competition
It's an easy read and it delivers the expected underdog victory punch. But more importantly, it makes you think deeply about policy in the US, failures in our current system, and how we fail to develop what could be a great source of talent for our country.
May 22, 2017
On one level this book chronicles the achievements of 4 teenage boys, illegally brought to the States by their families, who, inspired by a teacher in their poor high school, built a robot and won a national robotics competition, sponsored by NASA, beating university teams, including one from MIT. A great story, inspirational, made into a movie in 2015. (Haven't seen the movie, but according to the book, it's got a Hollywood ending.) Their real stories haven't ended as happily. When the book was written, only 1 of the boys had fulfilled his dream of becoming a US citizen, and that happened only after a strong letter-writing campaign from important people around the country, as he was turned down twice. The others live in fear of being deported, and since they've been here beyond age 18, they'd be banned from applying to return for 10 years. So on a second level this book is an indictment of our immigration laws that make it almost impossible for bright young people like these, who have achieved against the odds, to become citizens, even though they were brought here without having had the opportunity even to apply for a green card. An important read on both levels in these uneasy times.
March 17, 2016
This is the true story of four high school students who are in the US illegally. They build an underwater ROV robot and win a national championship, beating top notch teams from places like MIT. It is also the story of their lives, hardships and what it is like as an illegal immigrant in this country.
This book made me emotional. I grew up in Glendale, a close neighborhood of west Phoenix. I know exactly where Carl Hayden High School is...I know that neighborhood and I've met and know a lot about the despicable (in my opinion) Sheriff Joe. This is my hometown being talked about. I am experiencing a wide range of emotions as I listen to this on CD. These kids have hard lives, face challenges that most of us can't really imagine (but so many of the students I have taught and the people I have known have faced these or similar experiences), and they are inspiring to me. Growing up in Phoenix and being married to a Hispanic immigrant have definitely shaped my views on immigration and I am pretty disgusted by the way these immigrants are treated by Sheriff Joe and vigilantes and others. I'm only about 1/4 of the way through right now, but I am finding this book immensely engaging.
(I have not lived in AZ for over 20 years now, but I was talking to my younger sister about the book and she remembers reading about this Carl Hayden team...she was living in a suburb of Phoenix when it happened and it was in the news there.)
Okay, this book had me sobbing as I drove to work. I probably looked like a crazy person but the last section filled me with anger, sadness and deep frustration. The immigration system is so completely messed up and it angers me. This book was inspiring in parts, maddening in parts, and depressing in parts. Particularly knowing that many of the children I have taught are in the same circumstances and it seems there is so little hope for them to be able to make a better life for themselves. I have strong feelings on immigration and know that many of my family members and friends disagree with me, but this book increased my compassion for those coming here to seek a better life. The system stinks and needs reform but I am doubtful that any reform that occurs will be the type of reform I think needs to happen.
This book made me emotional. I grew up in Glendale, a close neighborhood of west Phoenix. I know exactly where Carl Hayden High School is...I know that neighborhood and I've met and know a lot about the despicable (in my opinion) Sheriff Joe. This is my hometown being talked about. I am experiencing a wide range of emotions as I listen to this on CD. These kids have hard lives, face challenges that most of us can't really imagine (but so many of the students I have taught and the people I have known have faced these or similar experiences), and they are inspiring to me. Growing up in Phoenix and being married to a Hispanic immigrant have definitely shaped my views on immigration and I am pretty disgusted by the way these immigrants are treated by Sheriff Joe and vigilantes and others. I'm only about 1/4 of the way through right now, but I am finding this book immensely engaging.
(I have not lived in AZ for over 20 years now, but I was talking to my younger sister about the book and she remembers reading about this Carl Hayden team...she was living in a suburb of Phoenix when it happened and it was in the news there.)
Okay, this book had me sobbing as I drove to work. I probably looked like a crazy person but the last section filled me with anger, sadness and deep frustration. The immigration system is so completely messed up and it angers me. This book was inspiring in parts, maddening in parts, and depressing in parts. Particularly knowing that many of the children I have taught are in the same circumstances and it seems there is so little hope for them to be able to make a better life for themselves. I have strong feelings on immigration and know that many of my family members and friends disagree with me, but this book increased my compassion for those coming here to seek a better life. The system stinks and needs reform but I am doubtful that any reform that occurs will be the type of reform I think needs to happen.
January 20, 2019
The tale of four Hispanic teens and their low paid teachers who did extraordinarily well in robotics competitions. Reading this made me want to invent things. Then I read what happened to the kids after the competitions were over. The American Dream is a lie and all too many of my fellow citizens are racists and assholes.
February 28, 2019
Our immigration system AND our education system are a hot mess. This true story shows us what is stake - and what the possibilities are - if we could just get our shit together and start embracing immigration and respecting teachers. I cried repeatedly, both from joy and frustration, as I read. I think all educators - actually all humans - should read this true story of four undocumented young men and their two outstanding high school teachers who beat MIT in an undersea robot contest. Read it for an excellent example of what happens when you hire well educated and passionate teachers and then respect them - give the freedom to teach and experiment. And for much evidence about why immigration matters, and the damage that our immigration policies have done to outstanding people. I don't want to suggest that only "good immigrants" like these young men deserve to be in the US. The stories shared in this book of young people being rounded up while hanging out at the pizza shop, or on a school trip to Niagara Falls, jailed and deported are just heartbreaking "even" if they aren't outstanding scientists.
This book raises so many issues. How do four young men each with unique strengths but not traditionally "A" students bond together to create an impressivelly innovative robot that can go underwater, measure a submarine, enter the submarine to retrieve prizes, and take a liquid sample from a 1/2" wide tube? Obviously the young men are outstanding, but their two teachers are as well. I think there is great strength in having two very brilliant and well educated teachers who can feed off and encourage each other. These teachers had freedom to allow students in class to experiment and follow dreams and ideas without Guaranteed Viable Curriculum or Common Core. They were trusted to provide a valuable education for their students. Also they had each other. I'm not sure one teacher alone would have had the strength or energy to put in the long long hours and emotional support, much less have the technical and intellectual ability on their own.
But even after these boys build an incredible robot, kept their grades up in all their classes, battled college teams with huge sponsors while these boys had a budget of $1,000 - their college and life choices were still incredibly limited because they were brought to the US by their parents who wanted better lives for their children, crawling through breaks in fencing, ducking under fences, crossing in cars with faked papers. All this scientific and innovative brilliance and the boys were excluded from many scholarships and all federal help, forced to pay out of state tuition even though their parents had been working and paying taxes in the US. Just heartbreaking I can't tell you how many times I cried and cheered - confusing my dog profoundly.
This book raises so many issues. How do four young men each with unique strengths but not traditionally "A" students bond together to create an impressivelly innovative robot that can go underwater, measure a submarine, enter the submarine to retrieve prizes, and take a liquid sample from a 1/2" wide tube? Obviously the young men are outstanding, but their two teachers are as well. I think there is great strength in having two very brilliant and well educated teachers who can feed off and encourage each other. These teachers had freedom to allow students in class to experiment and follow dreams and ideas without Guaranteed Viable Curriculum or Common Core. They were trusted to provide a valuable education for their students. Also they had each other. I'm not sure one teacher alone would have had the strength or energy to put in the long long hours and emotional support, much less have the technical and intellectual ability on their own.
But even after these boys build an incredible robot, kept their grades up in all their classes, battled college teams with huge sponsors while these boys had a budget of $1,000 - their college and life choices were still incredibly limited because they were brought to the US by their parents who wanted better lives for their children, crawling through breaks in fencing, ducking under fences, crossing in cars with faked papers. All this scientific and innovative brilliance and the boys were excluded from many scholarships and all federal help, forced to pay out of state tuition even though their parents had been working and paying taxes in the US. Just heartbreaking I can't tell you how many times I cried and cheered - confusing my dog profoundly.
December 2, 2016
Spare Parts wasn’t even on my radar until I recently received an email from Goodreads that it was on sale and I might be interested. I have to say Goodreads, you were right. Now, if you have followed my blog for a while you know that I rarely read Nonfiction but for whatever reason I wanted to read this and I’m so glad that I did.
This book was inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time.
About Spare Parts
It follows the story of Oscar, Lorenzo, Cristian and Luis. They were all born in Mexico but immigrated to the US illegally as young children. The story gives you a bit of a background about the boys and why the immigrated to the US. It also shows their different personalities and despite their differences they were able to come together and build a robot with $1,000 each out of basically spare parts. It was amazing to have two teachers and four undocumented teens win a competition against a school like MIT. It showed me that when you are willing to work together as a team despite your circumstances then you might very accomplish the goals you set out for yourself.
I also liked the fact that the story brought up the important issue of immigration. I had heard of the Dream or the beginning of the Dream act and how many times Republicans blocked it. I was about 13 when this story took place so I didn’t know a lot of the information provided in the book. It was pretty eye opening for me and I felt like even though the story took place in 2004 it still holds true today.
The Narrator
The Narrator was Will Damron. He had an interesting voice but I found myself losing focus throughout the story but I could blame that on the parts that discussed the actual robot. I personally know nothing about robotics so that was a bit over my head.
Overall
I’m pretty excited to watch the movie. I didn’t even know there was a movie but I can watch it with my Prime membership. I am disappointed that I didn’t know about this story sooner but I am glad that I read the book and that it has inspired me to look more into reading nonfiction.
* just a FYI it does talk about the film at the end and does talk about the difference that were made from the actual events to the film. *
This review was originally posted on As Told By Tina
This book was inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time.
About Spare Parts
It follows the story of Oscar, Lorenzo, Cristian and Luis. They were all born in Mexico but immigrated to the US illegally as young children. The story gives you a bit of a background about the boys and why the immigrated to the US. It also shows their different personalities and despite their differences they were able to come together and build a robot with $1,000 each out of basically spare parts. It was amazing to have two teachers and four undocumented teens win a competition against a school like MIT. It showed me that when you are willing to work together as a team despite your circumstances then you might very accomplish the goals you set out for yourself.
I also liked the fact that the story brought up the important issue of immigration. I had heard of the Dream or the beginning of the Dream act and how many times Republicans blocked it. I was about 13 when this story took place so I didn’t know a lot of the information provided in the book. It was pretty eye opening for me and I felt like even though the story took place in 2004 it still holds true today.
The Narrator
The Narrator was Will Damron. He had an interesting voice but I found myself losing focus throughout the story but I could blame that on the parts that discussed the actual robot. I personally know nothing about robotics so that was a bit over my head.
Overall
I’m pretty excited to watch the movie. I didn’t even know there was a movie but I can watch it with my Prime membership. I am disappointed that I didn’t know about this story sooner but I am glad that I read the book and that it has inspired me to look more into reading nonfiction.
* just a FYI it does talk about the film at the end and does talk about the difference that were made from the actual events to the film. *
This review was originally posted on As Told By Tina
May 20, 2021
I heard about this book in a great review by the Washington Post. The book is excellent. I was amazed by the intelligence, ingenuity, energy, hopefulness, positive outlook and commitment of four young illegal immigrants and their two dedicated teachers. But this is far from just a light-hearted “feel-good” story of underdogs winning a competition.
The book is substantive in capturing the story of young people living in the U.S. illegally because they were brought here as children. The story captures the constant feeling of fear and the restriction of what one can do because of the danger lurking around every corner. It captures the depressing reality that your aspirations don’t matter -- no matter how hard you work, how smart you are and what you can contribute, no matter how committed you are to success and to the United States, there is no place for you.
I am not an immigrant but work with immigrants and have first-hand knowledge of the high-handed, irrational and even illegal actions perpetrated by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) now called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
I am hopeful that the recent steps taken by President Obama will reduce the negative impact of ICE and allow good people who want to work hard for our country to do so.
The book is substantive in capturing the story of young people living in the U.S. illegally because they were brought here as children. The story captures the constant feeling of fear and the restriction of what one can do because of the danger lurking around every corner. It captures the depressing reality that your aspirations don’t matter -- no matter how hard you work, how smart you are and what you can contribute, no matter how committed you are to success and to the United States, there is no place for you.
I am not an immigrant but work with immigrants and have first-hand knowledge of the high-handed, irrational and even illegal actions perpetrated by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) now called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
I am hopeful that the recent steps taken by President Obama will reduce the negative impact of ICE and allow good people who want to work hard for our country to do so.
December 2, 2017
Like Stinky, their extraordinary underwater robot, the four undocumented high schoolers Oscar, Cristian, Luis, and Lorenzo are made of spare parts--more specifically, Mexican and American "spare" identities that had been pieced together and then regarded as "nothing but junk." But like so many Dreamers, whose lives now hang in the balance with the suspension of DACA, looks can be deceiving. These would-be engineers--underwater robotics engineers living in the middle of the Arizona desert--tackle obstacles as formidable as the MIT engineering team, the U.S. immigration system, and even Joe Arpaio.
I don't want to give away any more of this inspirational true story, but I do hope people choose to read and more importantly, to hear the much maligned and rarely heard voices of undocumented Dreamers. Yes, the narrative is anecdotal, and yes, the U.S. immigration system needs an overhaul, but these boys should remind us all that there are real people behind our national immigration debate. I can think of no other issue, especially in this era of Trump, that needs humanizing more than this one.
I don't want to give away any more of this inspirational true story, but I do hope people choose to read and more importantly, to hear the much maligned and rarely heard voices of undocumented Dreamers. Yes, the narrative is anecdotal, and yes, the U.S. immigration system needs an overhaul, but these boys should remind us all that there are real people behind our national immigration debate. I can think of no other issue, especially in this era of Trump, that needs humanizing more than this one.
July 26, 2015
I cried while reading this book... It's one thing to have a kickass story of four lower income high school students beating college students (including some from MIT) at a robotics competition. It's another to continue the story and show what happens when the four students (all from Mexico, none of them citizens, two of them in the country illegally) cannot continue with their success and, in most cases, do not get four year college degrees.
My tears occurred when the students were praised for their engineering. Because they and their school were poor, they actually used simpler and more effective engineering principles than the teams that had bucks (and a ton of assumptions of how to do things). A heartbreaking book and a strong witness to those who can rise above and the laws that can bring them back down.
My tears occurred when the students were praised for their engineering. Because they and their school were poor, they actually used simpler and more effective engineering principles than the teams that had bucks (and a ton of assumptions of how to do things). A heartbreaking book and a strong witness to those who can rise above and the laws that can bring them back down.
December 16, 2021
Most members of Book Group admitted to crying at some point in this true story about the champions of the 2004 Marine Advanced Technology Education Robotics competition. The whole thing was astounding - what these 4 disadvantaged teenagers achieved with a minimal budget, minimal self confidence, and no previous history of having worked together on a technical project. What they had was two amazing teachers who led from behind; framed the project for them, provided suggestions and resources and encouraged as necessary- (Fredi to Lorenzo when he is thinking of dropping out) "Where would we be without your crazy ideas?" You get to think about the plight of DREAMERS in a really personal way and we had the BEST discussion. Highly recommended for a book group selection.
March 28, 2015
Fascinating read. I always love stories of people discovering their own unexpected talents. Apparently the movie version ends at the Disney style good ending. While it was depressing, I'm glad to have read the book, and learned what has really happened so far with these great kids. Our country, our politics, our Xenophobia, have really done them and us such a disservice. It's shameful. Great book about teachers too, though.
March 12, 2015
Can you imagine four high school students building an underwater robot called Stinky that cost less than $1,000 and putting it in a national robotics competition, sponsored partially by NASA and going up against a college team from MIT who spent about $10,000? That’s exactly what four Mexican-American teenagers did in 2004 from Carl Hayden Community High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Three of the four boys were undocumented and had come to live in America as children.
Joshua Davis is the journalist who tells their story in Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream (I love this title). Davis started by writing their story in a magazine in 2005, and eventually turned it into a book. It was made into a movie and supposedly released in January 2015, but I have not seen it anywhere. Davis mentioned the movie when I attended his author event, and noted that it ends on a happy note, a la Hollywood style. However, he doesn’t end the book after the competition, but follows the four boys after they leave high school.
This book not only describes how the boys put together the robot, an insurmountable fete, but also about their lives as undocumented teens and the constant fear they lived in for fear of deportation. It was also a challenge for the boys to come together as a team, and it was a challenge for the two teachers as well. They built an underwater robot despite living hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean. They had no pool, no money and little encouragement from their parents or their community. However, the two teachers who believed in the students and who gave of their time freely to support them really become the heroes of this story in my eyes. Without them, none of this would have been possible.
The book is easy to follow; Davis' journalistic style is clear and straightforward. It should be read not only for the story about the teens, but also for the issue of immigration in this country. Davis spent a lot of time interviewing the subjects of this book, and as he tells their story of success, he also tells the story of just how complicated their lives are. They live in the United States illegally, and no matter how talented they are, their future is not necessarily bright. It is obvious from reading the book and from my contact with him at the book event, that Davis is a compassionate person who really cares about people and who wants to have their story told accurately. He is passionate as a person and as a writer. It’s a captivating story and a book well worth reading.
Joshua Davis is the journalist who tells their story in Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream (I love this title). Davis started by writing their story in a magazine in 2005, and eventually turned it into a book. It was made into a movie and supposedly released in January 2015, but I have not seen it anywhere. Davis mentioned the movie when I attended his author event, and noted that it ends on a happy note, a la Hollywood style. However, he doesn’t end the book after the competition, but follows the four boys after they leave high school.
This book not only describes how the boys put together the robot, an insurmountable fete, but also about their lives as undocumented teens and the constant fear they lived in for fear of deportation. It was also a challenge for the boys to come together as a team, and it was a challenge for the two teachers as well. They built an underwater robot despite living hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean. They had no pool, no money and little encouragement from their parents or their community. However, the two teachers who believed in the students and who gave of their time freely to support them really become the heroes of this story in my eyes. Without them, none of this would have been possible.
The book is easy to follow; Davis' journalistic style is clear and straightforward. It should be read not only for the story about the teens, but also for the issue of immigration in this country. Davis spent a lot of time interviewing the subjects of this book, and as he tells their story of success, he also tells the story of just how complicated their lives are. They live in the United States illegally, and no matter how talented they are, their future is not necessarily bright. It is obvious from reading the book and from my contact with him at the book event, that Davis is a compassionate person who really cares about people and who wants to have their story told accurately. He is passionate as a person and as a writer. It’s a captivating story and a book well worth reading.
January 5, 2021
I picked this up from the library thinking it would be a feel-good story or at any rate a departure from my usual nonfiction reads, which have been rather dark lately, to say the least.
And, on the whole, this is an upbeat tale of undocumented underdogs who succeed beyond their wildest dreams. I liked the straightforward, fairly simple prose, but also recognized there was considerable skill behind the telling of the tale. The backstories for each of the teens and their two mentors are interwoven with broader information about the plight of illegal immigrants. Davis makes the reader realize the challenges the teens faced, not just for the robotics competition, but for their lives in general. There's some gentle humor, as well, and I particularly enjoyed reading of the unlikely friendships and bonding that took place between these four disparate teens.
But a feel-good story this is not. I was sad and a bit angry at the end of the story. Apparently the movie version of the book ends on an upbeat note, but in reality the future for the four didn't pan out as one might expect. I won't further spoil the ending for you, but just be aware that this is nonfiction, so don't expect a fictional happy ending.
And, on the whole, this is an upbeat tale of undocumented underdogs who succeed beyond their wildest dreams. I liked the straightforward, fairly simple prose, but also recognized there was considerable skill behind the telling of the tale. The backstories for each of the teens and their two mentors are interwoven with broader information about the plight of illegal immigrants. Davis makes the reader realize the challenges the teens faced, not just for the robotics competition, but for their lives in general. There's some gentle humor, as well, and I particularly enjoyed reading of the unlikely friendships and bonding that took place between these four disparate teens.
But a feel-good story this is not. I was sad and a bit angry at the end of the story. Apparently the movie version of the book ends on an upbeat note, but in reality the future for the four didn't pan out as one might expect. I won't further spoil the ending for you, but just be aware that this is nonfiction, so don't expect a fictional happy ending.
May 18, 2015
I saw the documentary Spare Parts and the feature film La Vida Robot. Which means I already knew most of the plot. I enjoyed reading the book for the extra detail. Both on the characters and the build. I also liked seeing how the FRC (FIRST Robotics Challenge) competition fit into the season.
The book has a good bit more "after the competition" than either movie. Along with more detail about the implications about being in the country illegally.
The book has a good bit more "after the competition" than either movie. Along with more detail about the implications about being in the country illegally.
December 29, 2021
Best book I've read this year! Demonstreates clearly that race and/or country of birth are not factors in intelligence, integrity, ambition and willingness to work hard. In this true story, four underprivileged boys from Mexico find themselves thrown together in a poor American area high school science class. With the guidance and support of two incredibly dedicated teachers, these boys achieved a goal just about everyone except themselves and their teachers believed beyond their reach.
January 8, 2017
This is my favorite kind of non-fiction - a look at ordinary people doing something interesting, written in an engaging way. I appreciated that the author balances his "feel good" story with the awkward parts. There is some great insight here, particularly into the issues of immigration, education, and the role of ingenuity vs money.
February 13, 2019
In relation to the current event of Trump's wall, this is a very enlightening story. Fabulous story about 4 smart kids who showed the engineering community how it can be done.
May 4, 2018
The book Spare Parts by Joshua Davis is an intriguing book about four undocumented teenagers in the United States. However, it is important to know a little bit about the author. Joshua, an editor for Wired Magazine, is also a film producer, cofounder of Epic Magazine/Digital, and writer as well as having many other roles pertaining to writing. While Joshua has written many articles and stories about various subjects, this one was far different from others. As he does every morning, Joshua was looking through his emails, deleting spam and the thousands of pointless emails he gets from various people. However, there was one email that he did not delete and held onto for days before even opening it, and that was a letter from Carl Hayden Community High School. Inside this letter from a school Joshua had never heard of, was information regarding four latino high schoolers who were partaking in a Marine Advanced Technology Education Robotics Competition at the University of California in Santa Barbara. The potential of the students, regardless of the bad reputation of the school was also later shared. After some contemplation, Joshua decided to keep the email and do some research about the school and the competition, still not knowing why he felt compelled to do so. Joshua did an amazing job showcasing this story in book form.
Joshua’s once skeptical thinking has turned into a book (and movie). As one could guess, the book Spare Parts is about the four high school students and their journey to the robotics competition. Cristian, Lorenzo, Luis, and Oscar, under the supervision of two of their teachers, created a unique robot. Due to the underfunding of the school, and this club, their robot was unlike any other at the competition. It was made almost completely of scraps the students found, spending less than $1,000. While other schools, such as MIT and other large universities, had over $10,000 budgets, the students took pride with what they had. “Damn, that’s stinky” (Davis, 137) Lorenzo said, and that is how they named the robot, because of the awful smelling glue they had used to hold the scraps together. Little did they know, they would fall in love with these forgotten pieces as Stinky was assembled. Finally, as the competition arrived, the four boys were ecstatic, however, this was not enough for them. They had decided since they have put so much effort into making Stinky, they wanted to compete in the higher division, rather in the high school division. Not only did they win this division, but they won against MIT and other top schools. These undocumented Latino students have finally proved to everyone what their teachers have been try to for years, and that is how successful and intelligent these students are. Now, Joshua keeps in touch with the four boys on their new adventures and new challenges they have endured.
There were many advantages and disadvantages of this book, the former outweighing the latter. First, I will start with the advantages, which may have an unfair advantage due to my liking of the author and my attendance at the presentation he gave at NIACC. The elongated title of the book, Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and The Battle for the American Dream, helped paint a picture for me before opening the book. The second personal touch that I enjoyed was the photos of the students. This helped create an even better picture and made it easier to understand. The style of the book itself was very easy to follow along, however, there are a few points I found distracting. The two main complaints I have about the format is that there was an absence in titles of the chapters. Rather than creating a title, he chose to bold the first few words in each sentence. I felt this did not give me a well enough understanding of what was in the chapter ahead. The second complaint is that the chapters were not even lengths. I typically am attracted to smaller chapters so my interest is kept, but these chapters were either long or very short. Another general complaint I have is that the first few chapters of the book were not appealing to me at all. While I realize it is important to introduce the characters, I believe there may have been a more efficient way to do so. Overall, I would still give this book a high rating.
There are a couple other points that made this book stand out more than others. Not only did the author tell a story about the teenagers, but he also told some “hidden” stories as well. For example, this book shows that anyone can overcome the odds or low expectations of their peers and that your past does not define your future. While these teenagers had some troubles at home, some more so than others, this did not impact their success. This book showcased a poor, beat down school and helped them shine and show that success does not always have to come from the best schools or the richest towns. It was a perfect showcase of real life situations. I also believe it is important to note that, while it seems like most editors and writers publish whatever they please, Joshua did not. When it came to the publication of the first article written by him on this topic, he made sure to speak with the students and parents of the students regarding their undocumentation. This publication could either mean fame or deportation for these teenagers, and Joshua wanted them to know the potential hazards of doing so. While he may be a writer with publicity, he is also a man with a caring heart.
All in all, this is an exceptional book that can be read by almost any age group. My interest was kept through the majority of the story and I felt the author made great points throughout the book. With a few format changes, this book would probably be the number one on my favorites list. It is also refreshing to know that there are some authors that care about the person enough to write about them, but also enough to keep in touch with that person. I felt that the author connected with these students on a personal level as well as a professional level, making this book so great. It was a perfect reflection of real life situations and I truly enjoyed reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone.
Joshua’s once skeptical thinking has turned into a book (and movie). As one could guess, the book Spare Parts is about the four high school students and their journey to the robotics competition. Cristian, Lorenzo, Luis, and Oscar, under the supervision of two of their teachers, created a unique robot. Due to the underfunding of the school, and this club, their robot was unlike any other at the competition. It was made almost completely of scraps the students found, spending less than $1,000. While other schools, such as MIT and other large universities, had over $10,000 budgets, the students took pride with what they had. “Damn, that’s stinky” (Davis, 137) Lorenzo said, and that is how they named the robot, because of the awful smelling glue they had used to hold the scraps together. Little did they know, they would fall in love with these forgotten pieces as Stinky was assembled. Finally, as the competition arrived, the four boys were ecstatic, however, this was not enough for them. They had decided since they have put so much effort into making Stinky, they wanted to compete in the higher division, rather in the high school division. Not only did they win this division, but they won against MIT and other top schools. These undocumented Latino students have finally proved to everyone what their teachers have been try to for years, and that is how successful and intelligent these students are. Now, Joshua keeps in touch with the four boys on their new adventures and new challenges they have endured.
There were many advantages and disadvantages of this book, the former outweighing the latter. First, I will start with the advantages, which may have an unfair advantage due to my liking of the author and my attendance at the presentation he gave at NIACC. The elongated title of the book, Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and The Battle for the American Dream, helped paint a picture for me before opening the book. The second personal touch that I enjoyed was the photos of the students. This helped create an even better picture and made it easier to understand. The style of the book itself was very easy to follow along, however, there are a few points I found distracting. The two main complaints I have about the format is that there was an absence in titles of the chapters. Rather than creating a title, he chose to bold the first few words in each sentence. I felt this did not give me a well enough understanding of what was in the chapter ahead. The second complaint is that the chapters were not even lengths. I typically am attracted to smaller chapters so my interest is kept, but these chapters were either long or very short. Another general complaint I have is that the first few chapters of the book were not appealing to me at all. While I realize it is important to introduce the characters, I believe there may have been a more efficient way to do so. Overall, I would still give this book a high rating.
There are a couple other points that made this book stand out more than others. Not only did the author tell a story about the teenagers, but he also told some “hidden” stories as well. For example, this book shows that anyone can overcome the odds or low expectations of their peers and that your past does not define your future. While these teenagers had some troubles at home, some more so than others, this did not impact their success. This book showcased a poor, beat down school and helped them shine and show that success does not always have to come from the best schools or the richest towns. It was a perfect showcase of real life situations. I also believe it is important to note that, while it seems like most editors and writers publish whatever they please, Joshua did not. When it came to the publication of the first article written by him on this topic, he made sure to speak with the students and parents of the students regarding their undocumentation. This publication could either mean fame or deportation for these teenagers, and Joshua wanted them to know the potential hazards of doing so. While he may be a writer with publicity, he is also a man with a caring heart.
All in all, this is an exceptional book that can be read by almost any age group. My interest was kept through the majority of the story and I felt the author made great points throughout the book. With a few format changes, this book would probably be the number one on my favorites list. It is also refreshing to know that there are some authors that care about the person enough to write about them, but also enough to keep in touch with that person. I felt that the author connected with these students on a personal level as well as a professional level, making this book so great. It was a perfect reflection of real life situations and I truly enjoyed reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone.
October 16, 2022
This is a fantastic story of innovation, friendship, and perseverance. While focusing on a robotics competition (which could get highly technical), I found that the writing was engaging and easy to understand.
This book also sheds light onto some of the nuances surrounding illegal immigration. While I still believe that illegal immigration is wrong, I gained insight into the difficulties faced by children brought here illegally by their parents. This truly is a very complex topic that deserves more dialogue and more scrutiny than simple stereotypes.
I’d recommend for anyone looking for an inspiring story of grit and determination.
*PG13 for a few instances of mild swearing.
This book also sheds light onto some of the nuances surrounding illegal immigration. While I still believe that illegal immigration is wrong, I gained insight into the difficulties faced by children brought here illegally by their parents. This truly is a very complex topic that deserves more dialogue and more scrutiny than simple stereotypes.
I’d recommend for anyone looking for an inspiring story of grit and determination.
*PG13 for a few instances of mild swearing.
March 3, 2015
*******WARNING: THIS POST HAS SPOILERS, AND ALSO EXTENDED RANTS.*****
AMAZING. TREMENDOUS. INSPIRING. HEARTBREAKING. I could go on like this for a while.
I wish I could give more than five stars. I love this story! I kept saying to my son as I read it that it should be a movie, only to find at the end that it IS being done. I'll be first in line to see it if possible! I guess this touches on so many of my favorite things. It's an underdog story. A science story. A creativity story. An immigration story. And I think it'd make an even better movie than, say, Stand and Deliver. It's not that I don't love the "teacher-driven" success stories. Or that I think the teachers in this story were not important. They were! They gave the students the opportunity and the space. But this particular story is all about the students. Four young men, all of them brought to this country from Mexico by their parents when they were children. One actually does hold legal status; the other three do not. None fit in terribly well. There is the science nerd. An overachieving ROTC kid. An unusual butt of teasing and jokes who comes up with unconventional ideas. And a big guy that no one ever thinks to really talk to. They live in West Phoenix, in poverty and bad conditions, with parents who are poorly educated manual laborers. And somehow they pull together into a team and enter robotics competitions. They do relatively well, for first-timers, considering they are a poor district and have little budget for robotics components. And they manage to build an underwater robot that GOES TO A NATIONAL COMPETITION, AT THE TOP LEVEL, AND BEATS COLLEGE TEAMS INCLUDING MIT. I don't really know how to emphasize this enough. They beat grant-funded, slick, many-member COLLEGE teams. With a robot made out of PVC pipe and borrowed components. When a part springs a leak---they absorb the moisture with tampons. When they ended up wiping the floor with their opponents at the competition, I was hollering and cheering. An inspiring, feel-good story of the very, very best kind.
Then the story collided with reality. These kids are really bright. They are hardworking. They are adaptive and creative and resourceful. They don't give up. And yet, our country gives them the finger. The brightest kid? Enrolls in college, using some of the donations that rolled in after Wired writer and author Joshua Davis wrote about. But when Arizona passes racist legislation so that the kid, who has lived in Arizona since he was five, now has to pay out-of-state tuition, he can't come up with the money and drops out of school. He does manual labor and invents stuff in his bedroom at home. Two other kids do manual labor and cater part-time. One of those had to worry about deportation until some of Obama's changes meant he could apply for deferred status. And the ROTC kid? Of course he couldn't join the military. He did manage to go to Arizona State, but he also ran into the law about out-of-state tuition. He was able to find the money, graduated with a mechanical engineering degree, and started and led a robotics team while there. But, when he tries to do the right thing after college and deports himself and then reapplies, he's barred from the country for TEN YEARS. (Did I mention he also had a wife and daughter by this point?) I cried and cried for all the lost potential in these four kids. And for the many, many thousands like them. I also feel sad for what our country will be like in the future. Probably whiter, but certainly less creative and competitive with the rest of the world. It's a crying shame. No happy endings here, we can't allow that in the Land of Disopportunity.
AMAZING. TREMENDOUS. INSPIRING. HEARTBREAKING. I could go on like this for a while.
I wish I could give more than five stars. I love this story! I kept saying to my son as I read it that it should be a movie, only to find at the end that it IS being done. I'll be first in line to see it if possible! I guess this touches on so many of my favorite things. It's an underdog story. A science story. A creativity story. An immigration story. And I think it'd make an even better movie than, say, Stand and Deliver. It's not that I don't love the "teacher-driven" success stories. Or that I think the teachers in this story were not important. They were! They gave the students the opportunity and the space. But this particular story is all about the students. Four young men, all of them brought to this country from Mexico by their parents when they were children. One actually does hold legal status; the other three do not. None fit in terribly well. There is the science nerd. An overachieving ROTC kid. An unusual butt of teasing and jokes who comes up with unconventional ideas. And a big guy that no one ever thinks to really talk to. They live in West Phoenix, in poverty and bad conditions, with parents who are poorly educated manual laborers. And somehow they pull together into a team and enter robotics competitions. They do relatively well, for first-timers, considering they are a poor district and have little budget for robotics components. And they manage to build an underwater robot that GOES TO A NATIONAL COMPETITION, AT THE TOP LEVEL, AND BEATS COLLEGE TEAMS INCLUDING MIT. I don't really know how to emphasize this enough. They beat grant-funded, slick, many-member COLLEGE teams. With a robot made out of PVC pipe and borrowed components. When a part springs a leak---they absorb the moisture with tampons. When they ended up wiping the floor with their opponents at the competition, I was hollering and cheering. An inspiring, feel-good story of the very, very best kind.
Then the story collided with reality. These kids are really bright. They are hardworking. They are adaptive and creative and resourceful. They don't give up. And yet, our country gives them the finger. The brightest kid? Enrolls in college, using some of the donations that rolled in after Wired writer and author Joshua Davis wrote about. But when Arizona passes racist legislation so that the kid, who has lived in Arizona since he was five, now has to pay out-of-state tuition, he can't come up with the money and drops out of school. He does manual labor and invents stuff in his bedroom at home. Two other kids do manual labor and cater part-time. One of those had to worry about deportation until some of Obama's changes meant he could apply for deferred status. And the ROTC kid? Of course he couldn't join the military. He did manage to go to Arizona State, but he also ran into the law about out-of-state tuition. He was able to find the money, graduated with a mechanical engineering degree, and started and led a robotics team while there. But, when he tries to do the right thing after college and deports himself and then reapplies, he's barred from the country for TEN YEARS. (Did I mention he also had a wife and daughter by this point?) I cried and cried for all the lost potential in these four kids. And for the many, many thousands like them. I also feel sad for what our country will be like in the future. Probably whiter, but certainly less creative and competitive with the rest of the world. It's a crying shame. No happy endings here, we can't allow that in the Land of Disopportunity.
August 25, 2022
This was a shameful attempt at propaganda. As an immigrant myself, I find the attempt to make citizenship meaningless to be a very sad thing. A country that does not put the needs of its citizens 100% above the needs of foreigners is like a marriage where the wife or husband loves strangers as much as they do their spouse. Its useless. A break of promise. A country that allows people who want to steal citizenship as anything other then vile criminals has completely lost its way. And while a child is not responsible for the actions of their parents, they should not be allowed to profit from their parents crimes. If I found out my mom stole something, I would give it back. If a teenager knows their parents were wrong to enter America, they should leave. This point is likely to go right over the heads of most of the intended readers. Kids have not earned the safety, food, and comfort of their lives, so to them, it seems like no big deal to share it. They figure that because they have done nothing to earn what they have, it is an entitlement. They don't get that you can only divide a pie so many ways until the slices get thin. This book exploits the inexperience starting with the very title. These are not undocumented teens. One doesn't need a document to be a teenager. You need documents to be in this country. These are illegal foreigners who want nothing more then to take something that doesn't belong to them. If they had heart they would stay in their own country and work to improve it. Not take from us. Funny, I doubt anyone preaching this propaganda is likely to leave their house unlocked so bums could live in it...but they are only too happy to leave this country wide open.
Besides this, there really isn't too much to say. Its a coming of age story that is neither good nor bad. I dont even know why the robot won, really. I know it didn't look as slick, and it was sealed water tight . That doesnt sound like a reason for the award.
Besides this, there really isn't too much to say. Its a coming of age story that is neither good nor bad. I dont even know why the robot won, really. I know it didn't look as slick, and it was sealed water tight . That doesnt sound like a reason for the award.
March 19, 2016
I recommended that V give this book to the middle school students he tutors. It's a great story written at that level. The message this book has about the short-sightedness of our immigration laws is one that should be heard. Giving a real face to the politics of that topic makes an interesting read. That being said, I liked Davis' message more than his writing.
March 7, 2016
Probably 4 1/2 stars. Spare Parts is both a feel-good, root-for-the-underdogs story and an important treatise on the need for immigration reform. I couldn't stop thinking or talking about this one all the time I was listening to it.
November 29, 2017
It was an alright story, but I didn’t like how it was written. It was written more like a 222 page article.
May 2, 2018
Although this is not necessarily a book I would have picked out on my own, Spare Parts by Joshua Davis proved to be a very interesting read. It was a very quick moving book and easy to keep reading. After reading the book I formed the opinion that I would recommend this to others. It has a great story line of four teenagers that appear to many as outsiders, as ones that don’t belong here and never will. In this book they show that with hard work and determination and a few spare parts, anything is possible.
Once introduced to the teenagers throughout the book, I found each one of them was portrayed as odd and poor, not necessarily feeling a sense of belonging to the world they were living in. They appeared to be worthless teenagers. Teenagers that came from nothing and would most likely amount to nothing according to their peers. The typical way that people are treated because of where they come from, their looks, their differences from others is not only sad, but also wrong. Each one of these boys had potential, so much potential that they were recognized by people that finally believed in them. They saw something in them and this was a game changer. They were not only a mentors, they were friends. They gave them what they deserved; respect, attention, time and faith in them. These four teenagers could have very easily taken a different path in life, but chose to push past what they were believed to be. They showed everyone just who they really were.
For Lorenzo Santillan, he had found a specialty in creatively coming up with quick fixes when he worked for a mechanic. The mechanic didn’t have much so Lorenzo learned to worth with all he had and nothing else. For Cristian Arcega, it was building things and an obsession with Bob Vila. Luis Aranda didn’t enjoy much of anything, studying, reading, nothing really fit well with him. Last but not least was Oscar Vazquez, all he wanted to do was join the army until the news was broken to him that as an illegal that would not be possible. Together, these four teenagers became the underwater robotics team of Carl Hayden Community High School.
Carl Hayden Community High School was a poor school, with a lot of poor kids. There wasn’t an excellent program for the contest these boys wanted to enter. Carl Hayden Robotics was never a program until these boys made it a program. The four teenagers set out to make something for themselves. They proved that they were not worthless, but geniuses in the making. Each of them in their own individual way. Working together entering this competition they faced their own struggles. Where do they find the money for the project? How do they make it work? How will they succeed? Winning the competition wasn’t even considered. They only place they had hoped to finish was better than last place.
The began forming their robot, with odds and ends and anything the could find to make it work. Stinky, as they named the robot because of the horrible smell that came from it because of the glue, started to form. The struggle to get it to operate like they wanted proved to be a very trying time for the boys. With each problem, the boys still work hard and push through. Going up against a school like MIT who had a $10,000 donation for their robot didn’t turn the boys away. If anything, it made them work harder for what they wanted; success. Facing a problem at the competition when the “brain” of the robot was damaged by a leak made the boys have to work extra hard to correct the problem with their robot. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the book. I can only imagine four boys having to go into a store to buy tampons because they would absorb the leak. I would have loved to see that in person.
When it came down to the actual competition it wasn’t easy by any means but they worked hard and worked together, scoring much better than they had initially thought they would. They were disappointed with their finish in the physical competition, but they didn’t give up. They had to work harder than anyone else and had nothing to start with. They turned themselves from poor, worthless, dumb kids into smart, talented, hard working dreamers. For once these kids belonged to something. They were exactly where they were supposed to be without a doubt.
The hardest part of this book for me was the constant fear of ICE and the fear of being deported. It was hard to read of all the fears that each one of these people had to face every day. The potential that so many of these kids have is sometimes hidden because of the fears they have deep within.
Lastly, I would also recommend watching the film Spare Parts. While reading the book and learning there was also a film I decided it was one I had to see. Although there are differences between the two, there are many similarities and seeing it in front of my face rather than just imagining everything made a rather large impact. Overall, this was a great book with a great story and one I am very glad I was able to read.
Once introduced to the teenagers throughout the book, I found each one of them was portrayed as odd and poor, not necessarily feeling a sense of belonging to the world they were living in. They appeared to be worthless teenagers. Teenagers that came from nothing and would most likely amount to nothing according to their peers. The typical way that people are treated because of where they come from, their looks, their differences from others is not only sad, but also wrong. Each one of these boys had potential, so much potential that they were recognized by people that finally believed in them. They saw something in them and this was a game changer. They were not only a mentors, they were friends. They gave them what they deserved; respect, attention, time and faith in them. These four teenagers could have very easily taken a different path in life, but chose to push past what they were believed to be. They showed everyone just who they really were.
For Lorenzo Santillan, he had found a specialty in creatively coming up with quick fixes when he worked for a mechanic. The mechanic didn’t have much so Lorenzo learned to worth with all he had and nothing else. For Cristian Arcega, it was building things and an obsession with Bob Vila. Luis Aranda didn’t enjoy much of anything, studying, reading, nothing really fit well with him. Last but not least was Oscar Vazquez, all he wanted to do was join the army until the news was broken to him that as an illegal that would not be possible. Together, these four teenagers became the underwater robotics team of Carl Hayden Community High School.
Carl Hayden Community High School was a poor school, with a lot of poor kids. There wasn’t an excellent program for the contest these boys wanted to enter. Carl Hayden Robotics was never a program until these boys made it a program. The four teenagers set out to make something for themselves. They proved that they were not worthless, but geniuses in the making. Each of them in their own individual way. Working together entering this competition they faced their own struggles. Where do they find the money for the project? How do they make it work? How will they succeed? Winning the competition wasn’t even considered. They only place they had hoped to finish was better than last place.
The began forming their robot, with odds and ends and anything the could find to make it work. Stinky, as they named the robot because of the horrible smell that came from it because of the glue, started to form. The struggle to get it to operate like they wanted proved to be a very trying time for the boys. With each problem, the boys still work hard and push through. Going up against a school like MIT who had a $10,000 donation for their robot didn’t turn the boys away. If anything, it made them work harder for what they wanted; success. Facing a problem at the competition when the “brain” of the robot was damaged by a leak made the boys have to work extra hard to correct the problem with their robot. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the book. I can only imagine four boys having to go into a store to buy tampons because they would absorb the leak. I would have loved to see that in person.
When it came down to the actual competition it wasn’t easy by any means but they worked hard and worked together, scoring much better than they had initially thought they would. They were disappointed with their finish in the physical competition, but they didn’t give up. They had to work harder than anyone else and had nothing to start with. They turned themselves from poor, worthless, dumb kids into smart, talented, hard working dreamers. For once these kids belonged to something. They were exactly where they were supposed to be without a doubt.
The hardest part of this book for me was the constant fear of ICE and the fear of being deported. It was hard to read of all the fears that each one of these people had to face every day. The potential that so many of these kids have is sometimes hidden because of the fears they have deep within.
Lastly, I would also recommend watching the film Spare Parts. While reading the book and learning there was also a film I decided it was one I had to see. Although there are differences between the two, there are many similarities and seeing it in front of my face rather than just imagining everything made a rather large impact. Overall, this was a great book with a great story and one I am very glad I was able to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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