By Maceo Montoya
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press – Albuquerque
This book is comprised of six short stories that will keep you wishing each was a full length book. Each of the stories is so captivating that you hate it when they end. This is a testament to the writer’s talent.
The author manages to capture each character’s thoughts and view of the world with great precision, that you can’t help but love them immediately – yes even the antagonists. The reader will be able to identify with each of the characters immediately. Mr. Montoya captures life in the raw with just the right ‘slice of life’ if you will.
For example, in one of his stories a student must fight three brothers in order to date their sister. Although all the characters in the story are Latino, he and the brothers come from different worlds; the main character is an intellect, the brothers are not. The story takes an interesting turn and Mr. Montoya captures perfectly the thoughts of how the protagonist will navigate through this trial and tribulation to get his prize. As I read the story, I was feeling everything that the protagonist felt and wondered if I would have worked through this dilemma in the same way. When a story makes you think about how you would react, this tells you it’s good.
In another one of his stories, he takes the reader into a University setting. A professor is teaching a course on Latino gangs and is being questioned as to his motives and method of teaching by one of his students. He makes an unfortunate decision in the classroom and this takes the story on a different spin. Again, the author did an excellent job of taking you into the professor’s head.
In his story titled The Twins, an artist meets up with twin adolescent boys (who happen to be poor white neighbors). These boys make his life hell and he doesn’t even how it occurred. He was, after all, only trying to be a Samaritan. Mr. Montoya did an excellent job of capturing both the thoughts and actions of the artist, the twins, and the twin’s father. As I was reading this I was imagining it all so vividly unfold. At times, I caught myself shaking my head and a few times I even said out loud, “What the hell.” I knew then I was hooked.
Mr. Maceo Montoya is an assistant professor in the Department of Chicano Studies at the University of California, Davis, and interestingly so his writing sheds light on the Latino culture in general; however, the characters he writes about could be any ethnicity. If he is as good a professor as he is a writer, then sign me up for the next class!
You must put this author on your radar. If you’re looking for a good read, then this is one book you have to pick up. I can’t wait to see what he writes next. In a nutshell I have six words to say about this author, “Wow, wow, wow – pretty impressive writing!”
Source: Book was provided by author for review. It was reviewed by Corina Martinez Chaudhry.
