The Afterlife Book Review

 
















1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Soto, G. (2003). THE AFTERLIFE. Harcourt. ISBN: 9780152047740

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

The Afterlife is a novel about Chuy who is murdered, and Crystal who dies by suicide. The two meet in the afterlife. Much of the story is Chuy watching the aftermath of his death while his spirit is slowly fading away from existence. Crystal grapples with her decision as they rekindle love from their childhood. Ultimately they make peace with death and fading into memories. 


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In The Afterlife, the characters are very authentic and culturally accurate. As the main character, Chuy is bilingual and exists between the two cultures of Latinx and American. His parents immigrated from Mexico and work hard, which is a traditional portrayal of Latinx families. His extended family is also described as loving and has close relationships. He is especially close to his uncle. Crystal is of the same background but has a different upbringing. Her family is wealthier and she has pressures to be the ideal daughter, which is common in Latinx families.  Secondary characters in their families are described as hard working, respectful, and deeply connected. The murderer felt as if Chuy was insulting him by complimenting his shoes. He reacts in a toxic masculine way by stabbing him. 

The setting is Fresno, California. The opening scene is in a nightclub bathroom, which is described as nasty. It is implied that it is a seedy place. Chuy lives in a lower class neighborhood, but not at poverty level. While floating over the city, readers are given a vivid description of the many areas. The streets and homes in his neighborhood are described as well taken care of; families take pride in their home and yards. When he floats over the poorer part of Fresno, the author speaks about how houses are dilapidated. Crystal lived on a farm on the outskirts of Fresno and is described as a migrant farm with sprawling fields. 

In this novel, there are many cultural markers for Hispanic/Latinx. One of the most noticeable is the mixture of Spanish words and phrases. Chuy’s real name is Jesus, which is a very common name in the Latino community. Familial ties are evident throughout the story. Both Chuy and Crystal’s families are tight-knit and spoken of fondly in death by both characters. Mexican food mentioned in the book includes tacos and pan dulce. Although Catholicism is not explicitly mentioned, there are examples of the religion. Chuy speaks about the priest and funeral mass along with the rosary. Honoring the dead and afterlife play a big role in Latinx communities as well. The socio economic background of Chuy’s family is working class and shows the hardships of not having enough money to buy a new outfit for the dance. He questions if his family will bury him in the suit from a couple of years ago for his confirmation. 


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

  • Book Links, 01/01/05

  • Booklist starred, 08/01/03

  • Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 10/01/03

  • Five Owls, 04/01/07

  • Horn Book Magazine, 11/01/03

  • Kirkus Reviews, 09/15/03

  • Publishers Weekly, 08/25/03

  • Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), 02/01/04

Wilson's Junior High School, 01/09/10

Wilson's Senior High School, 10/01/07

Wilson's Senior High School, 10/01/11

Full-Text Reviews
Booklist starred (August 2003 (Vol. 99, No. 22))

Gr. 7-10. Combing his hair in the dirty bathroom of a club where a dance is being held, 17-year-old Chuy makes the mistake of telling the rodent-faced guy next to him that he likes his shoes. The young man returns the compliment by stabbing Chuy to death. Where any other story would end, Soto's begins. It follows Chuy for several days after his death, as the teenager recounts what he sees and experiences. His parents grieve, and his mother asks a cousin to kill Chuy's assailant; then he goes to his high school's basketball game and sees the effect his death has had on his friends, realizing their sadness will be fleeting. He saves the life of a homeless man, albeit only temporarily, and improbably, he finds his first girlfriend, Crystal, a specter who died from an overdose. Crystal's character is not as well developed as Chuy's, but their relationship is beautifully evoked, with Chuy grasping every thread of love he can as he slowly disappears. Soto has remade Our Town into Fresno, California, and he not only paints the scenery brilliantly but also captures the pain that follows an early death. In many ways, this is as much a story about a hardscrabble place as it is about a boy who is murdered. Both pulse with life and will stay in memory.



  • 5. CONNECTIONS

Related books:

Jiménez, F. (2008). REACHING OUT. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN: 9780618038510


Reynolds, J. (2017). LONG WAY DOWN. Antheneum.  ISBN: 9781481438261






Activities:




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Whoever You Are Book Summary

Image
  Whoever You Are by Mem Fox 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Fox, M.. (2017). WHOEVER YOU ARE . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  ISBN: 978-1-32889-581-3 2.  PLOT SUMMARY Children from around the world are shown in everyday situations to show the reader that even though we look and talk differently, we are the same. Even when we grow up and become different people, we all feel the same feelings.  3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The characters represent many different cultures and nationalities of the world. They are shown in a variety of everyday activities that children would be engaged in when reading this book. While no specific culture/nationality is named, it is apparent that there are multiple depicted. Fox mentions they may have different skin, homes, etc.  On some pages, there is the world with many different children around it. There are also differing landscapes on other pages. There is a rounded horizon behind kids on many pages to represent the Earth in their region.  There are...
Read more

Grandad's Camper

Image
  1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Woodgate, H. (2021). GRANDAD’S CAMPER.  Little Bee Books.  ISBN: 978-1-49981-193-3 2.  PLOT SUMMARY This picture book tells the story of the grandchild who hears stories about Grandad and Gramp’s adventures in the camper. She convinces her grandad to fix up the camper to continue adventures together.    3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS In Grandad’s Camper, the story is a recount from Grandad about how he met Gramps and their adventures in their camper when they were younger. The characters are multicultural, showing many skin tones and hair textures and colors as well.  The setting is twofold: the landscape of traveling in the van internationally, and then Grandad’s house. Grandad and Gramps are shown visiting beaches, cities, towns, and countryside. At Grandad’s house, there is a large garden and shed where the van is kept. At the end of the story the van is seen heading to the beach for more adventures.  There are numerous references to t...
Read more

Pedagogy Before Technology

  Pedagogy Before Technology   Kathryn Major Library Science, Sam Houston State University  LSSL 5391 01 Digital Technology for the School Librarian Professor Gross June 5, 2024   Pedagogy Before Technology      I remember learning about Bloom’s Taxonomy in college classes. From there, Bloom’s implementation was through lesson plans daily focusing more on the higher order thinking skills. This is where scaffolding and spiraling from grade to grade are essential in the lower order thinking skills. The expectation between grade levels is that the previous has set the foundation to maximize learning. This leads to higher order thinking skills used with concepts already concrete. With technology interwoven into every aspect of our lives, we must embrace its presence and utilize it to the best potential. The update to Bloom’s Taxonomy “This revision is fundamentally based on the revised taxonomy proposed by Anderson et al [2], but is mor...
Read more