and the shadows took him: A Novel

by Daniel Chacon

In the barrio of Fresno, California, the Molina family is living out the Chicano version of the American Dream. Father William works on an assembly line while his wife, the well-bred beauty Rachel, stays at home to care for their three children--and to keep them off the streets. But when William is offered an opportunity to enter the ranks of the middle class, he quits his job, packs up the Ford Maverick, and transports the Molinas to a brand-new the small town of Medford, Oregon.
So begins the dramatic transformation of youngest son and aspiring actor Joey, who assumes the role of a vato loco gang member in order to win the respect and fear of his gringo classmates. While Joey tries to make himself popular with tall tales of guns and glory, his father embarks on a bitter struggle to develop his career and combat age-old cultural stereotypes. How William's extraordinary efforts and deepening despair affect the lives of his loved ones is at the heart of this haunting and incandescent novel--one destined to become a classic in Chicano-American literature.

Genres: Novels, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Russ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to recommend this book. I want to say I liked it, that it was good. But I can't.

It's too bad, because the majority of this book IS good, well-written, engaging, and moving. If the author had led things to a more satisfying conclusion, I would even say it's excellent. But, alas, the last twenty or thirty pages, everything just goes sideways. The ending is like watching a cherished friend, or even a brother, completely ruin whatever chance he had for a successful life. Throughout the book, I mostly liked him. At the end, I just want to leave him behind to marinate in his own selfish, stupid choices.

Should you read this? Well, it does have some good writing and characters. There are some very tough themes, but also some parts that may bring you back to childhood or falling in love. Just be forewarned that you may not get the conclusion you're looking for.

I may reread this at a later time, knowing what I know now. Maybe it will change the way I read the book.

[Ricardo Medina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story. Ending is not even an ending.
More like "the Shadows took the ending "

[Heather Bivona]

Really liked this story, it was a poignant tragedy.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chacón's novel has been compared to "Pocho" by Jose Antonio Villarreal; however, I highly disagree with that idea.

And the Shadows Took Him functions as a fierce psychological autopsy of the American Dream, shifting the Chicano narrative away from historical assimilation and into the claustrophobic arena of modern identity performance. When the Molina family trades their Fresno roots for the bleak, alienating surroundings of Oregon, Daniel Chacón brilliantly exposes the hidden costs of upward mobility. The novel’s true genius lies in its dual portraits of erosion: the father, William, whose grueling pursuit of middle-class acceptance culminates in domestic volatility, and his son, Joey, an aspiring actor who survives high school by weaponizing a hypermasculine, stereotypical vato persona. By framing identity as a survival tactic, a mask that eventually threatens to swallow the wearer whole, Chacón delivers a raw, deeply authentic masterpiece that doesn't just chronicle the Chicano experience but interrogates the heavy psychological fragmentation that comes with it.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ended up staying up until 3:30 the night before a busy day because I just couldn't stand not to finish this book. It follows a Mexican-American family as they make the move from a working-class neighborhood in Fresno to a middle-class neighborhood in small-town Oregon. But it's really about an impressionable boy, Billy, and how the tendencies of his childhood self--and the influence of his brilliant but deeply disturbed father--shape him into a youth who wants to do right but finds himself adrift on the winds of his own lack of resolve.

There are melodramatic moments throughout the book, but the ending takes things to a level of crisis and failure so extreme that I fell right out of the dream that the rest of the book had spun for me. Just too over-the-top.

But this is still an important book, one that I think would be worth reading for anyone interested in Latino literature or looking for a spin on the typical "ethnic" coming-of-age story.

[Shawnee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was required reading for one of my English courses, and when I began reading I fully expected to be bored with yet another cliché Latino American story. I was delightfully surprised. The story focuses on a single family, mainly told from the point of view of the youngest son, from his elementary years and onto his high school years. I was captured by the story and the authors willingness to address some of the darker moments in this families evolution. This was no feel good novel, but a story that allows us to watch as a young man is overwhelmed with the many "shadows" in his life. Strongly recommend this book.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chosen as one of the 150 books recommended by the State Library for Oregon's 150th birthday, this deals with a family that moves from Fresno, CA to Medford, OR in the late seventies or early eighties.

A dysfunctional family drama focused on the youngest child, Joey, as he grows from childhood to young adulthood, thinking he is choosing his path but not truly seeing where he is going.

The style is herky-jerky, especially with time--we skip around a lot in remembrances and Joey's imagination. The narrative flow irked me until I got to the chilling end and realized how I'd been set up.

Not pretty, but intense. 3.5 stars.

[Mana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember when I first heard about this book. My middle-school librarian announced that Daniel Chacon was going to pay the school a visit and talk with us and sign copies of his book. Excited to meet an author, I asked my librarian if she had a copy available so that I could speak with him about it. Her answer still confounds me to this day; "Oh, we don't keep him in stock... too racy."

Anecdotes aside... I ended up finding this book at the city library and was absolutely delighted. 'and the shadows took him' sets itself apart from other latino novels of its kind. It's an emotionally raw story that doesn't pull its punches.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed a lot of aspects about this book. The language used in it was engaging and the story line made me feel for each of the family members at one point or another through out the story. The ending, however, left something to be desired for me and felt slightly rushed. A story that built tons of tension ended on a flat note. It is not a bad book or even necessarily a BAD ending, I just felt as though it was missing something.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of a Chicano family from California who moves to Oregon to live "the American dream." Over the span of approximately a decade, Joey grows and learns and as he gets older finally understands scenes that played out in his childhood. It does get dark in parts, but overall it is entirely enjoyable and even a bit cathartic at the end.

[Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good book.