Iron River

September 15, 2018
Grades 7-10 The train tracks bisecting San Gabriel, California, separate Manuel's Mexican American neighborhood from the area's Anglo population. It is also the iron river bringing drifters to town, and it makes a dangerous playground for Manuel and his friends. In a pivotal year, 1958, the eighth-grader also views it as a road leading outward as his world expands in disturbing ways. A light like a powerful train beacon shines on prejudice, family demons, and a corrupt local police officer who preys on minorities. Acosta's intricate plot illustrates childhood naivet� and guilt?Manuel and his friends are convinced they accidentally killed a hobo who fell from a train, a belief exploited by a bad cop. It also gives readers a detailed portrait of a time and place connected in important ways to the present. Manuel, nicknamed Man-on-Fire because of a birthmark and red hair, is a worthy and believable hero who will intrigue thoughtful teens as he fights to stand for truth and himself. A powerful debut.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
In 1958 California, four goodhearted Mexican American boys find themselves in deep trouble when they stumble upon the body of a murdered homeless person along the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks that run through their town. Told from the perspective of twelve-year-old Manuel, this coming-of-age story is also a moving exploration of institutionalized racism.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from August 1, 2018
Haunted by nightmares and the dangers of life in a Los Angeles barrio, Manuel Maldonado Jr.'s courageous testimony forever changes his community.Born with a port-wine stain that earns him the nickname "Man-On-Fire," 12-year-old Manny plays with a group of three friends in the shadow of the Pacific Railroad in the late 1950s. He and his buddies engage in dangerous games along the tracks, throwing oranges at hobos who ride on the cars. When they find a dead body and run into trouble with a crooked policeman, they seem destined for juvenile detention. With the return of an uncle from prison, a drug-ridden hometown, and a racist cop on the loose, Manny's small circle of friends and family is his only safety net. In the wake of another death, a secret comes to light, leading the way to forgiveness in his family. A story about a sensitive Mexican boy in a multicultural community that also includes Japanese-Americans and African-Americans, the novel treats difficult themes with hope. "I'm telling you this now because I don't know when I'm going to die," our young narrator says at the beginning of the novel. By the end of the story, readers will understand the obstacles thrown in the paths of youths from disadvantaged communities. A dense story with rich associative leaps, the novel will prompt discussions about race, class, sexuality, and gender. (Historical fiction. 12-18)

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Starred review from October 1, 2018

Gr 7 Up-Set in San Gabriel, CA in 1958, this novel captures life from the perspective of 12-year-old Manuel Maldonado, Jr. or Manny, who lives in an ethnically diverse section of the city. He is set apart from the majority of his Mexican American community due to his blue eyes, light skin, red hair, and large port-wine birthmark, which has earned him the nickname "Man-on-Fire." Manny is a gentle soul, but manages to get into constant trouble with his mischievous friends by doing things like throwing fruit at homeless people on passing trains or sneaking onto a stopped caboose and inadvertently being carried far away. However innocent Manny's infractions are, they land him in serious trouble-finding a dead person, witnessing the murder of a Black child-and result in heavy burdens of guilt, grief, and fear given the racist practices of the town police. Detailed descriptions of daily life and family members capture the essence of Manny's heritage in a time period and setting greatly impacted by institutionalized racism, drugs, gangs, and the lingering trauma of violence experienced by military war veterans. The trains are a constant backdrop to the story; iron currents of metal and noise, thundering through the boy's nighttime dreams and daytime reality, as he comes of age. VERDICT An essential title for any library.-Ruth Quiroa, National Louis University, Lisle, IL

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