Customer Reviews

The Afterlife

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although I find _The Afterlife_ to be a somewhat mediocre (if unique) book, I have had several students in my classes read this and respond with much enthusiasm. It is important to keep in mind that adults are not the target audience here, and there is something that really grabs the interest of male adolescent readers, at least those in my classes who have read this book.

As a teacher of often reluctant readers, I am always keeping my eyes open for interesting new books, not just from lists of recommended reading, but by seeking input from my students as well. This is how I was first introduced to _The Afterlife_ by Gary Soto. One of my students read the book and began to recommend it to others. After reading _The Afterlife_, many students have responded that it is one of the best, if not the best book they have ever read.

Several students read the book, then I decided it was time to read it for myself. I was disappointed. However, after reflecting, I could see the appeal for my students. In order to attempt to define the appeal, I need to explain the basic plot.

The main character, Chuy, a young Latino, is stabbed and killed after complimenting another teenager's yellow shoes. His spirit leaves his body, and his spirit slowly begins to pass into the next world. However, he is still able to move around and observe his world without being seen. Along the way, he meets a young lady who has also left her body and become a spirit.

If all of this sounds fantastic, it is, but although it can be unusual, Soto never lets his book become sensational.

I believe the reason this novel holds the interest of my students is that it focuses on one of the deepest desires of teenagers: the desire to stand back and analyze their world without the world looking back at them, the desire to do good things without considering "image" or the disapproval of their peers, the desire to establish a relationship with a member of the opposite sex without the discomfort of their own body always getting in the way. In fact, although Chuy seems like a good guy before his death, he is better able to define his world, does some of his kindest acts, and forms more meaningful relationships after.

By the time we are adults, most of us have established a certain balance in our lives. It only stands to reason that a book like _The Afterlife_ appeals less to adults than those who are in the midst of a time in their lives that can seem very unbalanced at times. I give this book four stars based on the average between the three it would receive from me and the five it would receive from my students if they were writing this review.

The book that i read was titled: "The Afterlife" by Gary Soto. It has 158 pages. It's about a high school boy named Jesus, but everyone just calls him Chuy. As you've probably guessed, he dies in the first chapter. The book is about him wandering around as a ghost.
I'll bet you're wandering about how he dies. Well, he dies in a bathroom, inside a night club, when he tells this guy, who was wearing yellow shoes, that he likes his shoes. The guy then stabbed him. Yeah, I know. pretty dumb way to die, huh?
First, he goes to his parent's house. They were mourning his death. After this, he wonders around Fresno, California. Hey, guess who he sees! He sees the man in yellow shoes. You know, the guy who killed him. So, he does what anyone in his situation would do. He scares the crap out of him. The next thing he does is he goes to his girl freind's house, and as you can imagine, she was very upset with his death. It's here that he realizes that he's slowly vanishing. His feet have already become stumps!
After this, he travels down the street, where he spots a girl who is also dead. She has just died. So, Chuy shows her the ropes of being dead, like how to float and other things that ghosts do. He was also kind of showing off. He finds out that her name is Crystal. When they first meet, he notices that his hands have already started to disappear. Chuy says he has some stuff to straiten out, so they decide to meet there the next day.
The next day, he finds out more about his murderer. Later, he also finds out a lot more about Chrystal, like how and why she died, and how both of them are connected. What will he find out about the man with the yellow shoes? How did Chrystal die? What will happen to Chuy? Well, if you want to find out, you'll just have to read it.

I would definatley recommened this book. I enjoyed reading it. I think it would be an excellent addition to almost any library.

Growing up, i always feared death. At night, i would get on my boney, scraggly knees and beg my parents to let me sleep in thier bedroom. Even the thought of dieing and not knowing what would happen after that made me toss and turn all night.
In Afterlife by Gary Soto, we learn about Chuy, but only after hes dead. On the second page, Chuy gets stabbed my a misunderstanding and finds himself hovering over his bleeding lifeless body.
But the book is more than that. It shows how Chuy realizes that his life only begins when it is acually over. He finds that he cares about everyone that he has ever met with passion. And it tells how he finds the love of his life, well....afterlife, Crystal.
This book helped me understand that death is whatever you want it to be, and that in death, there is no fear, only serenity.

I have read this story more than once (I'm a teacher), but each time I come to the same conclusion: the writer must have gotten busy with something else because his ending is so weak. How can a writer write such a good story and then just let the ending fizzle. Even my students mentioned that the ending was disappointing. However, I have noticed this same thing in other young adult novels.

the afterlife is a book about a normal 17 year old boy living in Fresno califorinia he is about to go on a date with a girl he likes and as he is getting reddy in the bathroom of a club where they will me he comments on a mans shoes in the barthroom and the next thing he knows he in on the ground in a bloody mess slowly drifting away from his body. the afterlife is a story about boy named chuy living as a gosht for a few days, he has so wild adventures and meets new people and from time to time see's his killer around the streets of Fresno.

THE AFTERLIFE

The Afterlife is about a kid that gets killed at a night club when he is with his girl friend. After he died, he walks around as a ghost.

He can't talk to people or pick any thing up but he can go through walls and other things. When he dies he rises up from his body and thinks about why he got killed. He does all of the things he ever wanted but he never was allowed to do like make fun of cops or ride in a cop car and not even be in trouble.

This book is really fun to read. It's fun to read because it is funny and very exciting. I would recommend this book to people if they like adventurous stories.

Describes the author's perception of life after death.

In this story, a Hispanic teenager named Chuy is murdered by a guy for merely making his fun of his bright yellow shoes. As he dies, his soul rises from his body and he enters "the afterlife". As a ghost, he flies around his town, watching over his family and friends and the other citizens of his town. After getting the hang of his movement and skills as a ghost, he meets a girl who is a ghost like himself, named Crystal. He quickly starts to fall in love with her, and wants to tell her how he feels about her. He also meets a man named Robert Montgomery, who had died as a homeless man.
This book was entertaining and kept me reading to the end as I wondered what would happen to Chuy and Crystal. I also loved the author's perception of the afterlife, which as a pretty religious person, I can agree with myself. This book creates the author's perception of the afterlife, which could be possible and makes you wonder and think.
I liked this book a lot and I recommend it to anybody who likes a good book. It's got an interesting

The problem with killing your main character off in the first chapter is that it usually doesn't leave room for much of a climax in the end. I wanted to like this book, it's a great concept! The first chapter is very gripping, however, I just wasn't impressed with anything that followed. While the book is short, it seems repetitive and boring. Furthermore, the characters are very distant and unconvincing. While the entire book is spent following Chuy's ghost and listening to his thoughts and feelings, I never get a feeling of who he really is/was. Another downfall of this book is all the Spanish words thrown into it. Luckily there is a glossary included in the back, but since I *had* to know the meaning of every Spanish word I came across, I was constantly flipping to the back of the book. While it's interesting to study languages and cultures, I don't really think the words added anything to the book and they slowed down the flow of the story.

Killed before his time, Jesus, or Chuy as they call him in Fresno, discovers that his life in not completely over. In a way, it has just begun! After his brutal murder, the wind carries Chuy's ghost all over the city to see his grieving friends and family, and even his killer. Along his journey, Chuy meets the ghost of a young girl who has committed suicide. Together they are able to come to terms with their deaths, say their goodbyes, and move towards the afterlife.

Another compelling novel by award-winning author Gary Soto. It is filled with love, loss, compassion, and even humor. Death is so unfamiliar to us all, that it is always interesting to see a new idea of what goes on in the afterlife. Like Chuy, do we really visit the people we care about, torment the people we hate, or fall in love with someone new? The Afterlife makes us look at death and life in a new and refreshing way. The book is slow at times and there are some unresolved issues, but that is the way it is in real life, and somehow it makes the story more believable. Without being too dark, it's a great read that makes you think.

Growing up, i always was scared to death of death.I would always beg my parents, on my stubby knees, if i could sleep in their room at night, because even the thought of death made kept me tossing and turning all night long. But now after i read The Afterlife by Gary Soto, im a much more secure about death.
On the second page of this coming of age novel, Chuy gets stabbed (a great way to start a book....no joke), and that is where the begining of the end of his life starts. He discovers how much his family and friends truely cared for him, and he even meets the love of his love...or afterlife.... named Crystal.
This book gives a great oppinion of how death is, and really opens eyes to a whole new world.