A Good Long Way - Softcover

Saldana Jr., Rene

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1558856072 ISBN 13: 9781558856073

Publisher: Arte Publico Press, 2010

Synopsis

"The two of you, stop it! You're father and son; you should love each other," Roel howls at his father and brother as their argument turns into a shoving match. Beto is home past curfew, smelling like a cantina.

When Beto Sr. tells his son to follow the rules or leave, the boy, a senior in high school, decides to leave. But, once he has walked away he has nowhere to go so turns to his best friend Jessy. Beto's decision to leave is told from shifting perspectives in which the lives of Roel, Beto, and Jessy are revealed in scenes that reflect teen-age life. Each one has a long way to go in growing up. Roel is book smart and fights teachers' assumptions that he's like Beto. Jessy is smart too, but most teachers only see her tough-girl act. And Beto somehow quit caring about school. And his teachers have given up too.

Rene Saldana, Jr. writes another fast-paced, novel that will engage teens in questions about their own lives and responsibilities to family, friends and themselves.

About this title

About the Author

RENE SALDANA, JR. is the author of The Case of the Pen Gone Missing / El caso de la pluma perdida (Piñata Books, 2009), The Whole Sky Full of Stars (Random House, 2007), The Jumping Tree (Delacorte, 2001), and Finding Our Way: Stories (Random House, 2003). He lives in Lubbock, Texas, where he teaches in the College of Education at Texas Tech University.

Reviews

Gr 7 Up–A coming-of-age novel set in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Beto López is a high school senior who thinks that family rules no longer apply to him. Roelito, an A student, wants to be like his “cool” older brother, yet Beto's bad habits of staying out late, skipping class, and making poor grades concern him. After a late-night confrontation with their father, Beto runs away from home. His first thought is to turn to Jessy, his best friend, for help and guidance. She wants out of her deplorable home life, too, but also wants to go to college and knows that being alone in the world and without plans is never the answer. The story unfolds during a 24-hour period and is advanced through the thoughts and feelings of the three main characters. Jessy wisely concludes that unless you have inner peace, running will not make your situation better. This fast-paced novel will make readers think about their own lives and responsibilities.–Sharon Morrison, Henry G. Bennett Memorial Library, Durant, OK. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

At 2 a.m., Roelito wakes up to a furious quarrel between his older brother, Beto, 18, and Dad over a broken curfew. When Dad tells Beto to leave, he does, and his best friend, Jessy, helps him find shelter for the night. She knows about running away; she flees the house whenever her drunken father and her mother scream and fight. Can she wait out the two months to graduation and make it to college? Told in the spare, shifting viewpoints of Roelito, Beto, and Jessy, this short novel, set in a Texas border town and peppered with Spanish phrases, is an absorbing narrative of anger, guilt, sorrow, and hope. When they spend the day together, Beto and Dad apologize, and Beto recognizes Dad’s daily struggle. College-bound Roelito loves his brother but recognizes their differences and focuses on his GPA. With the support of a teacher, Jessy learns to hang on, despite the terror in her violent home. The intense fights will grab readers, and so will the friendship and love. A great choice for readers’ theater. Grades 8-11. --Hazel Rochman

Edition details

• Publisher: Arte Publico Press
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1558856072
• ISBN 13: 9781558856073
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 105