Concluding Thoughts

The writing style of Pena seems to be very appealing. His detailed  description of the setting really makes the reader feel as if he is actually there. He uses commonly known things to make a connection with the reader, creating imagery with very little though behind it. It wasn't until I reread sections of the book that I realized how complex everything is. I knew what it looked like mentally, but I then realized how I had took so much imagery from the book.
There were some things about Pena I didn't understand. His harsh description of the Mexican culture is fascinating. Almost all of what Pena wrote dealt with the poor culture. He may have been just describing the area, but it focused on the culture. Like I've said earlier, I have never been in a area with high concentrations of Mexicans so maybe its just how other people see the culture.
Personally, I liked Mexican White Boy. Somethings didn't make much sense or seemed logical, but the overall story was enjoyable and has a nice plot which goes deeper then most novels dealing with teenagers. I would highly recommend the novel to mature teens who can better understand everything.

Uno to Oxnard

After Uno's father talks to him about moving to Oxnard with him, Uno cannot keep Oxnard out of his mind. The only requirement for Uno is raise 500 dollars. He finds trouble getting a job and looks for Danny to help him hustle kids. After the first failed hustle, Uno tells Danny that he gained a job as a bus boy saying he'll "have the money in no time." The two start hustling again but start doing it successfully. Near the end of the book, Uno says he's almost got $500. A few hustles later they finally loss to one the nations top prospect. At the end of the book, Uno is short of $500.
I wonder why he didn't make it to $500? With the hustles and the job it seems  it would be easy to make $500. He makes no mention of quitting his job, he just didn't gain enough money. I feel this is a mistake that Pena made. It is an unexpected ending, but I feel it is unrealistic. The final hustle was the only loss of money, maybe he found a way to blow his money and just not mention it. It does provide a debatable topic considering it from a logical stand point.