Leaving Yesler

by Peter Bacho

Fiction. Filipino American Studies. Latino/Latina Studies. African American Studies. Young Adult Fiction. LEAVING YESLER features a sensitive, mixed-race protagonist (Bobby). Bobby's life is difficult-in short order, he lost his mom to cancer and his older protective brother to Vietnam. His Filipino stepfather is old and not long for the world. The plot, which takes place in the politically tumultuous year of 1968, follows him from his last days in the Yesler Terrace housing project in Seattle to just short of his first day in college. Not only must he survive the dangers within the projects, he must also come to terms with questions about his ethnic identity and his sexuality. The novel is set within the literary realm of magical realism. The ghosts of Bobby's mother and older brother continuously reappear to comfort and advise him. It would best be classified as Young Adult, although it is clearly not limited to such an audience. Essentially, this is a coming-of-age novel set in an urban environment, and it deals with serious issues in a young man's growth and development.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult

292 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2010

Reviews

[Sheela Word]

I so wanted to like this book. Non-macho Filipino youth, growing up in Seattle in the '60's. Father's a boxer, dead brother was a bully. Started out well: boy wants to go to college and struggles to escape his humble origins. Some of the early scenes were persuasive and interesting.

But what a mess it turned into! The occasional ghost is tolerable in a fantasy ("Harry Potter") or comedy ("Blythe Spirits"), but in a serious, realistic novel, the dead should stay dead--and in "Leaving Yesler," ghosts unfortunately just can't seem to leave the hero be. At first, I thought Bobby was dreaming or delusional, but it turns out he's just supernaturally gifted. As well as being gifted in every other way -- good-looking, sensitive, gentle, intelligent, a powerful boxer, a great cook, and catnip to women at all times. His girlfriend (who mysteriously metamorphoses from a bookish type to a beautiful tart with a history of abusive relationships) considers him an "angel," as well she might (aside from his oddball sexual fascination with Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz").

There's no real plot here, the characters are mostly unconvincing, and the writing style is at best, workmanlike, and at worst, obtrusive--every bit of dialogue or action is coated in unnecessary authorial explanation--it's as though Bacho believed his readers incapable of making the smallest inference about anything. And I absolutely hated that a cold-blooded murder, discussed toward the end of the book, is treated by all the main characters, including the hero, as a righteous act!

[Michele Cacano]

This was a beautiful glimpse into a world that has passed, in a neighborhood adjacent to my own.

Bobby Vincente is a teenager living on the south side of Seattle in the 1970s. Unlike his tough older brother and ex-boxer-father, he's always felt out of place, and taken the punches for being soft. The novel begins not long after Bobby and his father are left alone: his mother dead a few years, and his brother recently killed in Viet Nam. The two remaining Vincente men grow to love and understand each other, even as they take care of each other. While Bobby discovers himself and plans for his future, he meets and falls in love with Deena.

I love ghost stories. This is not that, but it is a story with recurring ghosts. I'm not sure if it is a common occurrence in Phillipino culture or if it is unique to this character and this author, but Bobby is visited regularly by the ghost of his brother, Paulie, both in dreams and in waking life. I enjoyed reading about Bobby and his family, and the maturity he has when it comes to both life and death.

I live near Yesler and was looking forward to geographical details I would recognize. There is just enough here to do that, but, of course, I don't recognize the hidden card rooms and Chinese restaurants referred to. Probably, they aren't even around anymore. But it was fun to imagine Bobby and his dad on these stomping grounds.

The thoughtfulness of Bobby's character was refreshing. The way we are shown Bobby's world is natural, organic, and unassuming. Bacho's writing style has such cadence and flow, the reading was smooth going.

[Melissa]

It is a SHAME that Peter Bacho's books aren't better known. Leaving Yessler is a coming-of-age story set in Seattle in the sixties about 18 yr old Benny lives with and cooks for his father--brain damaged by his career as a boxer--and lives with the ghosts of his mother and brother. He is trying to catch his balance between his father and brother, both fighters, and his own desire to attend college and get out of the Seattle housing projects where he grew up.

I found this a little slow to start--it's not a genre that I read much (is literary fiction even considered a genre?)--but by ten percent in, I was absorbed in Bobby's growth and in his silent contemplation of the world and his place in it.

Oddly, it reminds me rather strongly of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, although they are likely to appeal to different audiences. The Outsiders was written for readers near the same age as the protagonist while Leaving Yessler might appeal more to older readers looking back at their own emergence into the world.

However, the two books share some themes: the sensitive soul in a setting that doesn't have much tolerance for sensitivity; the older/younger brother relationship; sacrifice; identity.

I wish this author had a wider following. He really deserves it.

[Cyndi]

Some might describe this book as a coming of age novel and it is that, but more. Bobby Vicente's is missing his mother who died recently, then his brother is killed in Vietnam, and he knows his father is not long for this world. He knows he will be left alone but then a woman enters his life and they change each other. (Didn't like everything about this part). Through visions and conversations with his departed family he comes to realize that he is not separated from them forever and that he and Deena now have each other and can build what his parents had - or maybe more.

Set in the projects in Yesler, the author paints a picture of a Seattle he remembers from the 60's - a great place to grow up but not always an easy place to grow up. Bobby and all youth must become street smart in order to survive. Bobby does this through boxing (another of the author's loves), and comes to know a father he never knew.

Also in the story are themes of extended family which run large in Filipino culture. Mangong's appear throughout the book and provide guidance and a sense of kinship for Bobby who has lost the three most important people in his world. Ultimately Bobby is given the strength to face a future with Deena and his son.

[Vince Gotera]

Peter Bacho's fascinating novel Leaving Yesler tells the story of a biracial teenager in the late '60s who lives in two worlds: the street life of Seattle and a dream life peopled by ghosts. One of my favorite things about this novel is Bacho's vivid and accurate descriptions of boxing. Check out this great book!

[Michael Vavrus]

Peter Bacho incorporates magical realism into his story of trans-generational changes among Filipinos in Seattle -- gives reader an informative and entertaining peek into this world through a great narrative

[Tifinie]

this book is really good it takes place in the late 60s and it tells you a story of how not to give up your dreams of becoming something in your life. this book is good for someone who like to read about boxing

[Laurie]

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