Trino's Choice

Bertrand, Diane Gonzales. Trino’s Choice. Houston: Pinata, 1999.

            This novel, written by Mexican-American Bertrand, tells the story of a seventh grade boy named Trino struggling to not only come to terms with the harsh living conditions of his south Texas barrio, but also in figuring out his true identity during this difficult period of adolescence. After falling in with a dangerous crowd led by an older boy with a violent streak, Trino must discern the kind of person he will become against extenuating circumstances that put un-due pressure on him: the lack of family finances, their life in a trailer park, his dead father and absent male figures, and his mother’s freeloading cousin.

            Trino’s Choice, while fitting within the typical plot of a adolescent novel, (Trino must defy the odds against him in order to discover his true self) offers extremely teachable material for the middle grades as the content and description of Trino’s life is so detailed and believable that many students could at least identify with one aspect of the book. The novel was full of action sequences that would serve to capture the attention of students and allow them to make strides in prediction making skills. Furthermore, Trino becomes torn between his chaos-causing gang of older friends and another group of seventh graders drawn to the relatable poetry of a Mexican poet, attending poetry readings at a local bookshop. In this way, the book builds upon the themes and power of poetry, similar to Bronx Masquerade.

            This book is extremely teachable for the middle grades and I can envision it functioning successfully in a classroom setting. While the book would work exceptionally well in a classroom with a majority Latin American population, I feel its themes can extend to all ethnic identities. Furthermore, the protagonist is a boy, which could deter some educators away because it would not be appealing to young female readers; however, I felt this novel could be appealing to both genders as there are some interesting female characters that students could analyze, as well. 

Shizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori

Mori, Kyoko. Shizuko's Daughter. New York: H. Holt, 1993. 

224 p.    ISBN: 978-0-449-79433-2

     Shizuko’s Daughter is a novel written by Japanese-American author Kyoko Mori.  The novel depicts the adolescent struggles of Yuki, a young girl growing up in Japan, from her childhood through her adolescence.  However, Yuki’s once simple life is complicated in the first chapter when her mother, Shizuko, commits suicide.  Despite her love for her daughter, Shizuko leaves Yuki to live with her cold, stubborn father and, shortly thereafter, his new wife.  Yuki’s situation lends itself to a story that is emotionally startling as well as enticing.  The reader cannot help but sympathize with Yuki even when it seems as if no one else will.  Eventually, Yuki’s maturity and life-experience as a young adult brings her to a better understanding of her situation, her mother’s death and her place within her family.
    

     Although dramatized in the context of the novel, Yuki’s feelings of loneliness and confusion are feelings felt universally by adolescents, specifically middle-schoolers.  Along with this intensity, the novel also describes Yuki’s experiences as the track star, struggling with stubborn teachers, making friends and eventually feeling confused about love.  These aspects of the novel make it relevant to a middle school classroom despite the foreign setting and culture.  While it might be slightly more enjoyable for girls, I think that the novel could surely be taught in a co-ed classroom.  In addition to the plot, the novel is also rich in imagery, symbolism and motifs as well as many other literary devices.  It presents a wonderful opportunity for students to become invested in a story while also learning about literary devices and their role in the quality of the novel.  Overall, I found the novel to be highly teachable as well as compelling for a middle school setting. 

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

Alvarez, Julia. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. New York: Algonquin Books, 1991.
286 p. ISBN 0452268060


    Julia Alvarez’s novel, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents describes the story of the Garcia sisters and their immigration from the Dominican Republic to New York City.  From their attempts to assimilate into American society to their struggles with their father to their personal issues in adolescence and adulthood, the girls experience things that make the story both realistic and relatable.  The structure of the novel is unique as it begins in a present time when the girls are middle-aged and progresses backward all the way to their childhood in the Dominican Republic.  Although presented in reverse order, Alvarez presents a Bildungsroman intertwined with issues of racial identity and instability.

    While I found the structure of the novel to be very interesting and perhaps even worthwhile in the long-run, I also thought that this aspect of the novel hindered its teachability.  The novel may be better-suited for high school students, but I do not think that it would be the best option for middle schoolers.  Because it begins with adult characters, it would be difficult for young children to relate and become interested in the story right away.  Additionally, the sexuality of the girls and their father’s commentary seems somewhat inappropriate for this age.  The novel would be useful to teach because of its ability to introduce the reader to the Dominican culture as well as the experiences of immigrants and minority groups in the search to define their racial identity in the context of the United States and in the context of their more-traditional family units.  However, despite these aspects, I do not think that the novel is appropriate nor engaging for a middle school classroom.