Barrio Bushido

by Benjamin Bac Sierra

Fiction. Latino/Latina Studies. Set in the barrio of an unnamed California city in the early 1990s, BARRIO BUSHIDO narrates the story and fate of three adolescent Latinos who join forces to rob organized crime gangsters. Lobo (wolf) hunts, scheming for street stardom, manipulating his homeboys for his Machiavellian goals. Unlike Lobo, Toro (bull), an ex-Marine, does not plot; he charges full-force at the red cape of life. Santo, the saint of the gang, venerates homeboy, not Christian, ideals. A genuine cholo, he never admits that paranoia and pressure take him to the brink of madness.

282 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

Reviews

[Hapa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barrio Bushido haunts a reader with its genius creativity that envelops the philosophical, real purpose, and human, and life experience. The book takes a reader to explore the fearless but decent journey each of the characters undertook staunchly. It is a labyrinth and verge of real and surreal. The story is so subtle and sublime that it distorts the difference between the two and takes a reader to the depth of the various concepts that the book encompasses. It is fascinating to develop a story with so many interrelated ideas that took their own lead. Barrio Bushido teaches. It has many lessons and to understand them all, one has to read it. It portrays a sense of belonging, dignity, and allegiance, power within a person and what pride and burden he or she carries throughout one’s journey. It is about power, mission, fight, love, and sublime. The book petrifies with the power of the ideas, the supreme and the purpose, the realization of the ultimate self, the empowerment. I highly recommend it to all and also to reread the book not only after the first time but also in years to understand the beauty of the powerful message and the language. It is a unique book with a new approach.

[J Bambino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barrio Bushido describes the ruthlessness, chaos, pain and unforgivingness that the world has to offer. At the same time it shows how regardless of this, a certain loyalty, honor and brotherhood or Carnalismo embrace four young men and gives them a modern street nobility.

This book to me, captivated the essence of enlightenment through pain, and the trials & tribulations most minorities in the U.S. go thru pursuing the "American Dream". It reminded me of our own San Francisco Mission District. Benjamin Bac Sierra did an excellent job of fusing together his great knowledge of the "streets" and his literary genius. Barrio Bushido has given me hope & confirmed the fact that we need more Latinos to be phenomenal writers.
SI SE PUEDE!!!!

[Fion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be honest. If I had been browsing in a bookstore, this would probably not have been the book I would've picked up. I would probably have reached for more Shakespeare, or some science fiction or fantasy. And I would've missed out.

So why did I read this? Well, Ben did a reading, and I thought, "Hey, he's interesting and engaging; I'll give him a shot." (Okay, and it doesn't hurt that a friend of mine is teaching this book in one of his classes this coming semester.)

This book made me uncomfortable. It made me squirm. But you know what? That's okay. Because you're not supposed to be comfortable reading this. You can't help but be pulled along with the story anyway—with the violence and gore, yes, but also the friendship and loyalty. I'm squeamish and put down the book a couple times, but felt compelled to keep reading in spite of that.

It's an intelligent book. You're pushed to think—about your own life, about your own values. Heck, life in general, too. At least I was. And maybe that's the beauty of it. You don't have to have grown up in that kind of environment, or even have experienced being in that kind of environment, to get something out of this book. (Can you tell I'm trying hard to avoid spoilers of any sort?)

Oh. And it might help to look over the glossary before reading the book. Just in case.

Last thing: warning for language, violence, gore.

But read it anyway. Maybe you'll learn something. About life, about yourself. About whatever.

[Andrea Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell hard for the home boys, Toro, Lobo, Santo and Lil Toon. I know these guys are bad, but I couldn't help but root for them. I was sucked into the story and it transported me to the streets, homes, shops, and parks of the Mission District in San Francisco. It's fast paced, action packed, dramatic, and filled with machismo bravado. But like I said, I was a sucker for it to the end and cried when I finished the book.

(I read the manuscript in preparation for designing the cover.)

[Oscar Salinas · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! When I read the first five pages of the book I was thrusted backwards in a time machine. It brought me back to the Mission when I was in my late teens and early twenties. This is written in a whole different way than I would have expected. I knew a Lobo a Santo and a Toro.I was a Lobo, Santo and a Toro. It was very thought provoking. It really made me feel for that very moment in each of the characters souls what they were feeling and thinking. I pictured myself driving in the stolen car with Santo and Lobo from up in "Tweak Peak". I could feel the cold air at 3am rushing in the car while we go find Toro and get him out the hospital. My aderenaline was popping during the story. When you read the book it will give you a whole new appreciation of the "thug" or the "homeboy" you see walking in your neighborhood. This reminds me everyday of the things I was feeling and thinking growing up in the Mission. Now I have three new friends that thought and felt like I did. Thank you Lobo, Santo and Toro for reminding me that I was a human being growing up with feelings and emotions not just a ruthless thug nobody wanted around.I am now 40 years old and have a career and live a healthy life. This book reminds me to give back to the very neighborhood that made me who I am today. A humble indivual, a loving father, grandfather and a caring friend. I carry this book with me everywhere. When people see the cover it always sparks a conversation with strangers. I challenge everyone to give this book as a gift to someone. Carry it with you and spread the "homeboy" movement.

Oscar Salinas

[Antonio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing a good solid novel isn't easy: it's not enough being an expert on the topic, as Mr. Bac Sierra is, and not even staging it out quite well. When it comes to the characters, you need to make your reader believe they are flesh and blood, you can even give them nicknames such as Toro, Lobo or Santo, but remember they should be more than just symbolic entities in the truss of your story, otherwise you just get to some kind of Commedia dell'Arte novel with the loyal strong bull,the foxy wolf, and the saint ready for martyrdoom. Then, the narrative voice is another piece that doesn't fall in place in Barrio Bushido, because often I cannot tell apart the voice of the writer from the ones of the characters, and eventually it all comes to the glorification of the life style of these pandilleros. Is that it? No alternative for your "gente"? Yet I am sure Mr. Bac Sierra have more complex ideas that he didn't manage to communicate in this novel. Perhaps in the next one, because nonetheless there are some promising points in his pages, and the solid good novel may be waiting in the tip of his pen or under the circuits of his keyboard.

[Macaroni · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Barrio Bushido, literature has finally reached its peak. Barrio Bushido is an inspiring piece of cultural art that has broken the silence that has muted many. Many people have been waiting to hear this unique voice. Characters of this degree are an honest reality that occurs in most Chicano barrios. This book shows how our American experience is webbed throughout many cultures, from the Marines to the capitalists as well as to the self destructive homeboys that make up a significant portion of our society. Literature has been based upon a certain lens until now. I want people to grasp the intense concepts that are written in between the lines of this book and apply it to what is happening in our present day society. I hope readers truly get to see that there is a new brand of literature out there and that Barrio Bushido is it.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It's possibly one of the most underrated books on goodreads (which, can I add really pisses me off- this book deserves so many more ratings and reviews) but the fact that it's rated so highly by nearly all the people who have taken the time to read it says something. It's not a book for everyone, some people just won't 'get it' or connect with it and that's ok, but for the people who do? You'll probably carry a little bit of Toro, Santo and Lobo (and more than likely Little 'Toon too ) around with you in your heart for a while. This book is gritty, authentic, disturbing and challenging in some parts but so worth your time and effort.
Benjamin Bac Sierra PLEASE please please write another book!!!

[Nmgagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barrio Bushido is a brutal family portrait of life on the the barrio, told by first hand accounts of the homeboys that lived this ferocious lifestyle. The story is relentless and compels the reader to want more -a must read!

[Julio Bonilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the fuck you talkin about, nigga.

This book ,literally, took me back to my Freshman year of high school. The way the 3 characters, Lobo, Santo and... talk is how some students spoke among themselves. Not to mention, they’d use the N-word every time they were talking to their friends-NIGGA.

A Latina, Tiffany, had a crush on me. However, I was a good student that had just graduated from a private school.

[Karen Mahtin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the hardest books I've ever read. The violence the characters inflict on others and themselves is horrifying (this would make a great horror parody-type movie tho), and the book seems to be basically a screed against what angel dust can do to your brain. Props to the author for including a strong woman who doesn't snitch.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benjamin Bac Sierra’s new book, “Barrio Bushido” walks right up to you, throws you against the wall, and demands you to pay attention. “Listen up this is not a dream, this is reality, my reality!” it seems to be saying, and then moments later he’s lulling you into a nurturing illusion that whispers, “Everything will be alright.” While engaging in a heart pounding and heart wrenching experience you can’t help but feel connected to the players on his stage, enraptured by the sense of honor and courage that guides them on. This is an emotional and colorful journey into a world many walk by, but few ever enter. It’s a world entered by pain and sacrifice, at once beautiful and poetic; moments later brutal, raw, and ruthless. This book explores a piece of the world without judgment, but with the neutral understanding given to a disenfranchised people finding a way in an unforgiving and uncaring society. Benjamin has stepped outside the box and created a truly important, relevant, and unparalleled piece of literature.

[Katerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most shocking and challenging book I have ever read. Extremely original ideas and the magical element in it is incomparable. It is a must read for everyone who dares to face the real world. We need more literature like Barrio Bushido in order to be able to deal with the truth and to end inequalities in the world. I recommend it to everyone who looks for intellectual fulfillment and growth.

[Solita · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got this book for free. That's the only reason I read it. Never would've thought to read it, otherwise. I was hoping I'd be pleasantly surprised, that this would be a well-written novel. It isn't. It's awful. The narrative is unsophisticated, I mean, really naive, and downright ridiculous. If that weren't enough, the misogyny is painful. I think the writer had good intentions, though I cannot take this novel seriously.

[Jake Stenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was as thought-provoking as it was emotionally compelling. The author tells a vivid story about three men caught in a battle with themselves, each other, and the world in wich they live. Each page is alive with raw humanity, interwoven with the atmosphere of the barrio, sucking the reader into an (for at least me) unfamiliar, but fascinating world. I couldn't put it down.

[Walter Panzar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping novel of young men caught up in seemingly irrational, self destructive behavior with a hard eye to motivation and situation. Page turner.