Customer Reviews

Any Small Goodness: A Novel Of The Barrio

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the best books for children and adults that I have read in years. A beautiful portrayal of a Mexican American family and a positive view of the people living in the barrio. The stories are simple but moving and socially-uplifting. A must-read for students 5th grade to 12th grade because of the positive and inspiring content. There is a "need" for this story to be read both in the schools and at home because being tough is not nearly as important or life-sustaing as the human need to experience goodness and kindness, no matter how small. After a day of encountering rudeness from almost every corner, I read this story in one sitting. The examples of what "goodness" is possible if we celebrate and teach the need to consider others, outside of the obvious, was healing to me.

The reviews on the inside cover of this book describe Arturo, the protagonist, as `a Latino Holden Caulfield'. Well, no.

After reading a few Hispanic American novels, I am beginning to see some similarities. They have all been family based, family oriented. They each include a glossary to help readers with the Spanish words and phrases sprinkled throughout the text. They are life affirming and tell an uplifting tale.

Any Small Goodness runs along the same lines. The title comes from what Arturo's father tells him: "In life there is bueno and there is malo. If you do not find enough of the good, you must yourself create it ... Remember this thing - any small goodness is of value."

To this end, Arturo and his friends form the Green Needle gang. In the Los Angeles barrio that is their home, they must deal with real street gangs. But the Green Needle gang sneaks up to people's houses and leave Christmas trees and gifts on the porch. This is only one of the ways they concoct to make their lives and neighborhood better.

Arturo and his friends resist their teacher's efforts to Americanize their names (Arturo, Jaime, Alicia, Raul become Arthur, James, Alice, and Ralph, but only briefly). They are proud of their Hispanic heritage and look to Arturo's grandmother as a touchstone to the traditional ways. She cooks Mexican food, uses old time utensils, and speaks Spanish. Arturo is both proud of his grandmother and embarrassed by her - in the fashion of all teens. But they are Americans, after all, and participate in all that is American. Some of the characters that walk on are an ex-NBA player who volunteers to coach at their school, a media specialist with a flair for choosing the perfect book, and a do-gooder piano teacher who keeps candy atop the piano to stave off sinking spells.

While this is a worthwhile and enjoyable book, each chapter is a little story unto itself. There is not as much continuity of story as in an ordinary book. Some of the story does spill over into the culminating formation of the Green Needle gang at the end, thus bringing the message home.

A liberal sprinkling of Spanish with a full measure of cultural similes makes this dish a spicy/sweet offering on the menu of "must reads". Eleven year old Arturo grows up in the L.A. barrio in a loving, supportive, extended family. He learns to develop a sense of "self" and respect for his people, his culture, and his neighborhood, while resisting the influence of "cholos" (lowlifes). Arturo and his friends find a creative, covert method to counteract damage inflicted by poverty and gangs. This is a funny, touching glimpse into Hispanic culture in L.A.

Arturo's family has emigrated from Mexico to East L.A. The teacher at his new school wants to change the kid's names to their American counterparts. Arturo's story reveals the need to adjust and assimilate to a new, sub-culture while retaining the need to maintain integral parts of his own culture. For many, family love and values aren't enough to keep you from the outside influences that can lead you down the wrong road. How do Arturo and his amigos maintain orgullo? This is a great book to open the doors to understanding the unfamiliar characteristics that lie within Mexican culture for school children that are subject to this integration. At the same time the book will offer a sense of pride within their Mexican culture.

A liberal sprinkling of Spanish with a full measure of cultural similes makes this dish a spicy/sweet offering on the menu of "must reads". Eleven year old Arturo grows up in the L.A. barrio in a loving, supportive, extended family. He learns to develop a sense of "self" and respect for his people, his culture, and his neighborhood, while resisting the influence of "cholos" (lowlifes). Arturo and his friends find a creative, covert method to counteract damage inflicted by poverty and gangs. This is a funny, touching glimpse into Hispanic culture in L.A.

Arturo (nicknamed "Turo") is a young Latino living in Los Angeles with his family. Having moved to the U.S. from Mexico not very long ago, Arturo is still trying to get used to American culture and society. It is not easy to understand and adapt to the unfamiliar culture in the new society. Life in the barrio is tough for many people, but Arturo tries to see and search for the positives in his life, his family, good food, and good friends. Almost every day, Arturo sees how dangerous life is in the barrio. His relatives try to remind him that there is both "bueno and malo" (good and bad) in the world and that "any small goodness is of value."
Turo sees "small goodness" on occasion, including the time a neighbor found their missing cat Huitlacoche (Corn Fungus in English) and returned her to the family. At other times, Turo sees difficult situations -- such as a demonstration against the school board, and outsiders threatening to disrupt a school dance.

Beware: If you read this book you will die from how amazing it is. It has a message that is important and it stops teenagers or anybody from doing improper things. Any Small Goodness comes to mind when you are going to be violent and it reminds you of the most important things in your life. Any Small Goodness has a glossary that helps you with the Spanish words used throughout the story. This story has an amazing family and it has lots of action in the story to keep you interested. We give this story a star rating of four. Our opinion is that the author, Tony Johnston, should have limited the amount of time spent discussing Gangs because it is frightening at times. Also, the author needs to spend more time discussing the kindness shown in the barrio. The author has wonderful ideas. He teaches a lesson which is we should share more.

Arturo and his family move to LA and run head on into both the terrible problems of the city and the amazing love of the town. Arturo's Papi is very wise, showing the children how to find good in the world and revealing to them how to make good from bad.

My favorite part:
'"Mijo." With carino, Papi touches my shoulders and looks into my face. The world seems to wait while he arranges his thoughts. Then slowly he says, "In life there is bueno and there is malo. If you do not find enough of the good, you must yourself create it." A big speech for him. And I can tell he's not done. After a moment he says, "Remember this thing --- any small goodness is of value."'

Overall, a very touching story about Arturo and his familia y amigos (family and friends) and even a few malditos (bad guys). Arturo learns that, "any small goodness is of value."

While this book focuses on a Mexican family, it may also reach children of non-Anglo descent, particularly first generation students.

In the book Any Small Goodness, the characater Arturo gets a thumbs up. He lives in L.A. in a place where random acts of generosity and good will improve the lives of L.A. There is also another L.A. , a place of movie stars and people who are too rich and people who are too poor. But Arturo manages to survive. We like Arturo because he is a good friend that could also make him a good person. He never talks down to his friends or talks behind their backs. We also like him because he's a growing kid- just like us. Another reason is he thinks about what will happen next, the reason he has so many friends is because knows he would lose them if he talked bad about them. We make good and bad desisions just like him. We think other kids should read this book because it explains a lot about growing up.