Jesse
Grade 9 Up-Set in Fresno, California, in the late 1960s, this coming-of-age tale is told from a Mexican American's point of view. Jesse, 17, is full of self-doubt amid the increasing tensions caused by the war in Vietnam, pressure from within his circle of friends to join the protests of Cesar Chavez, and by the general social and academic milieu of the local community college that he and his older brother attend. The young men share a rundown apartment; they work as day laborers in the fields as well as find and sell junk to earn their way. Already insecure about his lack of experience with girls, Jesse has his nose bloodied by a drunken high-school acquaintance while on his first date. This violence presages other incidents that, although relatively minor, allude to the overarching shadow cast by the war and by the omnipresent draft. The story is poignant, pregnant with unfulfilled promise and dreams of a future that is hoped for but rarely imagined. Simple words reveal universal experiences; innocent and open, Jesse begins to see the real world and discover his place in it. The ending is a bit bleak, suggesting the likelihood of more of the same mindless, backbreaking, spirit-crushing work, with a plethora of unknowns lurking just over the horizon. Readers looking for a finely written, contemplative narrative will appreciate this work.Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Jr. High School, Iowa City, IACopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.