Race and Relatability

We Were Here by Matt de la Peña brought up some really harsh feelings in my Adolescent Literature class, it was pretty shocking. The story itself deals with Miguel, a young boy of mixed Mexican heritage, living in juvenile hall after committing a mysterious crime. This mystery drove the story for me, so I won't give any spoilers here, but it definitely contained the emotional heart of the story in my opinion (not so for my classmates, apparently...). The judge demanded that Miguel keep a journal during his time in the boys' home, so the entire story is taught in a very personal strong voice in the form of journal entries. Miguel, stuck in juvi, tries to better himself by working through the library, making for some really great text pairing options with its mention of several really great classics. Making friends with Rondell and Mong, each with some obvious severe problems of their own, Miguel decides to run away to Mexico, hoping with his new friends to escape to a better life. The journey, however, is one more about self-discovery than it is about a physical destination, so it should come as no surprise that the boys never make it to Mexico; life very rarely turns out as we plan as teenagers.

I am frustrated by how much race played into the development of these characters--there were some really strong voices and interesting story elements, but almost every discussion about Miguel, Mong, and Rondell starts with their racial status. Our classroom discussion this week got very heated because of this, I feel, when I wish we had focused on the mystery of Miguel's crime even though the perspective is so directly first-person in this journal format. I didn't think about it until I read one other blogger's point, but the issue of race with Rondell is really handled poorly--he is obviously mentally challenged, a sort of modern day George from Of Mice and Men, with a slow wit but loving affability. His particular strengths include basketball and strong loyalty. Combine all of these traits, and you have an African American character nearing caricature status and tiptoeing into very offensive territory. From what I've seen of Matt de la Peña's other two novels, he tends to focus on race in young adults in a way I think has been done more effectively by other YA authors. There are some really compelling elements to this story, but it definitely pushes some buttons that I'm not sure it means to push. I'd recommend it outside of class to boys looking for a more rough-around-the-edges narrator, but otherwise I'd stay away.

Suggested grade level: 10th grade
Appropriateness: racial issues to be handled sensitively, violence
Classroom use: outside of class only