This engrossing coming-of-age novel for teens follows a young Chicano artist who wants only to develop his craft and study in Paris, but who must deal with the daily struggles of family, community and their expectations for him. Gr 8 Up—This collection of short stories captures the liminal spaces inhabited by Victor Reyes Jr., a Mexican American/Chicano Fresno teenager who is caught between the dangerous allure of the streets and his creative aspirations. At times, the choice between becoming another "cholo" stereotype and going down another path eludes Victor. The gravity of the streets often proves to be beyond Victor's control. For example, the chain of events that lead to Victor being shot—and, as a result, dead for 2.2 minutes before regaining life—start from adolescent posturing over girls. Victor and his buddy Equis scrap with a group of boys who are part of a gang and have access to guns. Though Victor is an ordinary witty, imaginative teenager with a knack for drawing, at times he seeks danger. Freddy, an older friend who witnessed Victor's shooting, invites him to tour Fresno City College. A love interest, along with Victor's teacher Mr. Garcia, offers him outlets and spaces for his intelligence and artistic talents. Chacón breathes life into Victor in these scenes, and the youth becomes someone to root for. After multiple disappointments, Victor sinks headlong into street life and starts seeing the elusive ghosts of living-dead people and reckons with a past that seems to transcend him. He cannot shake off the doomed destiny of gang life. Chacón has written a classic and powerful underdog story about a brown teen building the self-efficacy to see his worth and achieve his dream. VERDICT Recommended for high school classroom libraries and YA collections; will appeal to reluctant readers.—Lettycia Terrones, Los Angeles Public Library "Do you know what a stereotype you are?" Jessica asks her son. "You're the existential Chicano." Fourteen-year-old Victor has just been released from the hospital; his chest is wrapped in bandages and his arm is in a sling. He has barely survived being shot, and his mother accuses him of being a cholo, something he denies. She's not the only adult that thinks he's a gangbanger. His sociology teacher once sent him to a teach-in on gang violence. Victor's philosophy is that everyone is racist. "They see a brown kid, they see a banger." Even other kids think he's in a gang, maybe because of the clothes he wears. The truth is, he loves death (metal, that is), reading books, drawing, the cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz and the Showtime series Weeds. He likes school and cooking. He knows what a double negative is! But he can't convince his mom that he's not in a gang. And in spite of a genius girlfriend and an art teacher who mentors and encourages him to apply to art schools, Victor can't seem to overcome society's expectations for him. In this compelling novel, renowned Chicano writer Daniel Chacn once again explores art, death, ethnicity and racism. Are Chicanos meant for meth houses instead of art schools? Are talented Chicanos never destined to study in Paris