Module 2: Book Access

 Module 2: Book Access

Mexikid by Pedro Martin (Newbery Honor Award Winner)

1. Bibliography

Martin, Pedro. Mexikid. Dial Books. August 2023. ISBN-13: 978-0593462294.

2. Plot Summary

The story follows Peter or Pedro, a young Mexican American boy with a large family. They set off on a family trip to Mexico to help his grandpa move over to the USA. Throughout the trip, they are met with challenges such as the fake fireworks seller, the road bandits, and the dead deer. Not only do the challenges help them bond as a family but also the experiences help them bond such as packing, sharing old stories about when his parents worked, talking about their hobbies and interests such as the action figures, going to the mercado, and trying to do the Mexican grito. These experiences also help Pedro learn more about his culture and his family’s traditions and history and ultimately make him feel proud of his family and its heritage.

3. Critical Analysis 

There is a lot of back and forth dialogue between the characters which helps establish the warm feeling of a big, Mexican family throughout the graphic novel. I especially loved the inclusion of the Spanish language throughout these conversations in the book. This graphic novel provided a lot of exposure and representation of Mexican culture and traditions such as large family dinners and parties, adjustments to living situations to help family members in need, bickering with your cousins and siblings, and the pressure of living up to your parents’ high expectations. It was nice to see that there were a lot of flashbacks used throughout the graphic novel. These provided a good opportunity for the reader to see into Pedro and his family’s history. Lastly, one major point that I really appreciated was the inclusion of oral stories. In Hispanic and Black communities, oral stories passed down from our parents and tios and grandparents are super important. Their advice given through stories shape our future, and it’s ultimately a huge part of literacy. The use of storytelling originates from one of the earliest stages of literacy in human history, and it’s a beautiful thing to include in the graphic novel, as it’s a major part of our culture.

4. Review Excerpt

Kirkus Reviews: Martín brings his successful Mexikid Stories online comic series to print.

Living in California’s Central Coast as a first-generation Mexican American, Pedro (or the “American-style” Peter) struggles to find his place. As an American kid growing up in the 1970s, he loves Star Wars and Happy Days but dislikes the way his five oldest siblings, who were born in Mexico, make him feel less Mexican just because he and the three other younger siblings were born after his parents immigrated to the U.S. to work picking strawberries. A family trip to Jalisco to bring their abuelito back to California to live with them presents Pedro with an opportunity to get in touch with his roots and learn more about the places his family calls home. Told from Pedro’s perspective, the panels read as a stream-of-consciousness travelogue as he regales readers with his adventures from the road. Along the way, Pedro has fresh encounters with Mexican culture and experiences some unexpected side quests. Full of humor, heart, and a decent amount of gross-out moments, Martín’s coming-of-age memoir hits all the right notes. Though the family’s travels took place decades ago, the struggles with establishing identity, especially as a child of immigrants whose identity straddles two cultures, feel as current as ever. The vibrant, action-packed panels offer plentiful details for readers to pore over, from scenes of crowded family chaos to the sights of Mexico.

A retro yet timeless story of family and identity. (family photos, author’s note) (Graphic memoir. 9-14)

5. Connections

There are a lot of connections to be made in this book, especially for our heavily populated Mexican American community here in the Rio Grande Valley. Starting with the connection of having to change your name to fit an “American” version of it to make it easier for white people. Pedro and his siblings all had to change their name somehow so that others could feel more comfortable saying it. This form of assimilation is very common among students with immigrant family members. Another connection is the music and instruments that are mentioned throughout the graphic novel. There’s the grito, the mariachi, the guitarra, the “Prieta Linda” song, etc. Another connection is that of the action figures that Pedro loves. Lastly, teens are able to connect to struggling with having a set identity. Some young adults feel too American when they’re in Mexico and too Mexican when they’re in America, which I completely understood 100%. 

The Rose that Grew from Concrete by Tupac Shakur 

1. Bibliography

Shakur, Tupac. The Rose that Grew from Concrete. MTV Books: PocketBooks. New York, NY. 1999. 

2. Plot Summary

This collection of poems ranges from all sorts of topics and emotions such as achieving and failing to reach your goals, regret, respect, critics, opportunities, love, innocence, family, etc. Each of these poems carry a meaningful message that helps bring the expressions of emotions that Tupac delivers so well to the minds and hearts of readers.

3. Critical Analysis 

Tupac is well known for valuing language and always finding such creative ways of expressing his emotions and experiences. The various styles of poetry presented in this volume such as freestyle in most poems, ABCB in “What is it that I Searched 4,” and AABBCC in “”The Fear in the Heart of a Man,” allow for great opportunities to students to model after them and teachers to help use these to have students model them and mimic their own versions. The use of this anthology of poems and styles provides a bridge for students to create their own.

4. Review Excerpt

Goodreads Review: This collection of more than 100 poems that honestly and artfully confront topics ranging from poverty and motherhood to Van Gogh and Mandela is presented in Tupac 

Shakur's own handwriting on one side of the page, with a typed version on the opposite side.

5. Connections

Young adult readers are able to connect through the multitude of topics covered in this collection of poems. Tupac is able to effectively capture certain emotions that our teens are also experiencing. The HipHop influence might also connect well with teen readers because the mere fact that Tupac was an influential, successful rapper it might encourage students to pick up his book and see how poetry and HipHop are extremely interwoven and more connected than they may think. Collection poetry books by famous people like him can serve as bridges to help bring over students who have a sparked interest in reading!

LIVING BEYOND BORDERS edited by Margarita Longoria

1. Bibliography

Longoria, Margarita. Living Beyond Borders. Viking Books for Young Readers; Bilingual Edition.  2021. ISBN-13: 978-0593204979

2. Plot Summary

This compilation of stories edited and brought together from various Latinx authors helps depict the life of living in a border town, including the beauty of it and the difficulty of it. The separate short stories combine to form a heartbreaking representation of different struggles such as feeling alone and excluded like Dolores, struggling financially like Filiberto, wanting outsiders to understand you instead of stereotyping you like Yoli, etc. The stories, however, also show a beautiful representation of feeling proud of your family and your culture like “Ode to My Papi,” “I Want to go Home,” and “Ghetto is Not an Adjective.” 

3. Critical Analysis

This book did an amazing job at compiling stories together so that readers get various points of views from narrators in different perspectives that all feed into a larger image of what it’s like to be Latinx. There was a lot of metaphors and imagery throughout the book such as when they mentioned the monarcas, the “City of Ghosts,” and how when you move to America, the nights are “pregnant with possibilities.” There was a lot of descriptive language used throughout the book, especially when describing settings both in Mexico and in Texas, talking about the cactus, the plants, the “zone of sweet and windy hurricanes,” and “lingering suns.” The use of Spanish words throughout the book such as “flaca,” “que loco,” “canicas,” and “luciernagas,” just to name a few can also be comforting to readers like us that are fluent in both English and Spanish. Lastly, I loved that this book addressed and criticized racism and systemic issues on how language is oftentimes used to oppress and segregate Mexican American students and people.

4. Review Excerpt

Kirkus Reviews: Twenty original contributions by Mexican American authors about growing up in the U.S.

In a note to readers, editor Longoria describes feeling compelled to create this anthology as she saw Mexican Americans being attacked and derided in the media. The result is this collection of short stories, personal essays, graphic stories, and poems by Mexican American authors. The standouts here pack a real emotional punch. Awareness of the impact of socio-economic status often takes center stage, and several pieces are set in the Rio Grande Valley. Protagonists vary in age from middle school through adult and are predominantly mestizx. “The Body by the Canal,” by David Bowles, is not to be missed and, along with “Coco Chamoy and Chango,” by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, brings queer representation to the project. The opening story, “Ghetto Is Not an Adjective” by Dominic Carrillo, successfully cannonballs into the deep end of the social justice pool, while “Morning People” by Diana Lopez wades into the murky waters of the taboo. “Yoli Calderon and Principal Hayes” by Angela Cervantes offers an exemplary use of the first person, and both “This Rio Grande Valley” by Daniel García Ordaz and “Sunflower” by Aida Salazar are full of beautiful imagery. “Ode to My Papi” by Guadalupe García McCall and “La Princesa Mileidy Dominguez” by Rubén Degollado both tug at the heartstrings. The variety of narrative styles contributes to the broad appeal of this volume.

Well worth reading; a welcome addition to any bookshelf. (contributor bios) (Anthology. 13-adult)

5. Connections

Students are able to connect to these stories through the mentioning and representation of Mexican culture such as experiences and foods and traditions we have. Another important representation mentioned was the naming of Texas cities such as El Paso, Fort Worth, Del Rio, San Antonio, Galveston, and the Rio Grande Valley. Lastly, and most important, students are able to connect to this because we can feel and understand exactly what issues and struggles are brought up throughout the book such as feeling “too mexican for some, and not Mexican enough for others,” as mentioned in Chapter 1, the entire “Ghetto is not an Adjective speech given on the bus,” having the struggle of not fitting into one single box like some white Americans want you to (and thank goodness we have way more than just one single box to offer!), and the “laughter of some white boys experimenting with racism and seeing what they can get away with.” All of these examples and experiences are felt deep in the core of all of our memories because at some point, we Hispanics have experienced this and are able to relate and connect with the stories.