We had a pretty heated discussion in class last week over the novel We Were Here by Matt de la Pena. The novel follows the story of sixteen-year-old Miguel after he gets sent to Juvi and then a group home for committing a crime. His counselor tells him to keep a journal, and so he does, even after he escapes the group home with fellow "delinquents" Mong and Rondell. The three begin a journey to Mexico with little money, only the clothes on their backs, and just the stars to sleep under. In the midst of adventures, Miguel begins to realize that fleeing from the past doesn't change it, doesn't erase it. Instead, he must figure out how to deal with it if he ever wants to really live.
The debate raging in class centered on the relatability of the novel. Can your average high school student relate to this novel about a half-Mexican, lower-class criminal who ends up in the system? It seems to be a very narrowing demographic, many people stated. Well, I am not Mexican, I am not male, I've never been to Juvi, and I've attended private schools my entire life and I had no difficulty relating to this novel. Granted, most of the time, my perspective in the story was not from Miguel's position so much as from his counselor. Not because I am a counselor but because the counselor was outside of the story. He never experienced Miguel's situation and yet he empathizes with him and desires only to help. However, because I had access to Miguel's journal, I had insight into his life that the counselor never had. I could understand Miguel more deeply. There were also times when I understood Miguel perfectly. There's a famous author named Salman Rushdie and after he wrote his novel Midnight's Children he said people came up to him on the streets of India and told him, "I could have written that." This, he said, is the greatest compliment because it shows you've touched on something real. There were parts of this novel I could have written, even if I could never have told the story. It is not my story, but Matt de la Pena touches on something real, a reality that may not be entirely my own but reality nevertheless.
One of the most poignant and striking aspects of this novel is that it critiques, or at least raises important questions about, the justice system in the U.S. It is no secret that our justice system is flawed and that minorities take the hit. In fact, while African Americans account for only 12% of the population, they account for a staggering 44% of all prisoners. A ridiculous 1 in 9 black men is in prison. (If you don't believe me, here's a link to the human rights watch http://www.hrw.org/legacy/backgrounder/usa/incarceration/ or the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/us/28cnd-prison.html) Clearly the Justice system has a problem. Minorities are prosecuted and sent to prison at a much higher rate than the white population. In We Were Here, at Miguel's group home there are three African Americans, two Mexican Americans, one Asian American, and one lone European American. Why, one is forced to ask, are the number so skewed? Miguel is just your average teenager, how does he wind up in Juvi? The theme of race runs through the entire book, exposing both the subtle and explicit racism of our culture and the destructive consequences it has on our youth, ourselves, and our society. And it does so from an under-represented but much needed voice.
This is a great read. It is engaging, fast, and sucks you in, leaving you wondering just what Miguel has done and if you're going to see him differently when you find out. It also allows an insight into a perspective that is often neglected, the "juvenile delinquent." It's definitely worth the time.
The debate raging in class centered on the relatability of the novel. Can your average high school student relate to this novel about a half-Mexican, lower-class criminal who ends up in the system? It seems to be a very narrowing demographic, many people stated. Well, I am not Mexican, I am not male, I've never been to Juvi, and I've attended private schools my entire life and I had no difficulty relating to this novel. Granted, most of the time, my perspective in the story was not from Miguel's position so much as from his counselor. Not because I am a counselor but because the counselor was outside of the story. He never experienced Miguel's situation and yet he empathizes with him and desires only to help. However, because I had access to Miguel's journal, I had insight into his life that the counselor never had. I could understand Miguel more deeply. There were also times when I understood Miguel perfectly. There's a famous author named Salman Rushdie and after he wrote his novel Midnight's Children he said people came up to him on the streets of India and told him, "I could have written that." This, he said, is the greatest compliment because it shows you've touched on something real. There were parts of this novel I could have written, even if I could never have told the story. It is not my story, but Matt de la Pena touches on something real, a reality that may not be entirely my own but reality nevertheless.
One of the most poignant and striking aspects of this novel is that it critiques, or at least raises important questions about, the justice system in the U.S. It is no secret that our justice system is flawed and that minorities take the hit. In fact, while African Americans account for only 12% of the population, they account for a staggering 44% of all prisoners. A ridiculous 1 in 9 black men is in prison. (If you don't believe me, here's a link to the human rights watch http://www.hrw.org/legacy/backgrounder/usa/incarceration/ or the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/us/28cnd-prison.html) Clearly the Justice system has a problem. Minorities are prosecuted and sent to prison at a much higher rate than the white population. In We Were Here, at Miguel's group home there are three African Americans, two Mexican Americans, one Asian American, and one lone European American. Why, one is forced to ask, are the number so skewed? Miguel is just your average teenager, how does he wind up in Juvi? The theme of race runs through the entire book, exposing both the subtle and explicit racism of our culture and the destructive consequences it has on our youth, ourselves, and our society. And it does so from an under-represented but much needed voice.
This is a great read. It is engaging, fast, and sucks you in, leaving you wondering just what Miguel has done and if you're going to see him differently when you find out. It also allows an insight into a perspective that is often neglected, the "juvenile delinquent." It's definitely worth the time.
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