Customer Reviews

Famous All Over Town

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is a page turner! I could not put it down or stop laughing and crying as the wonderful, realistic chicanos fought to stay sane one day at a time. I loved the characters; they're people that I encounter everyday,they make terrible mistakes, (over and over and over...), but somehow never give up the struggle to survive.
Although this book does not paint a pretty picture of the Mexican-American family it does give us a realistic one, one in which racism is a powerful threat to the evergrowing Mexican pride.
I also love the language that the author uses. I'm not disappointed to learn the Danny Santiago is really Danny James. I'm actually pleasantly surprised that a Caucasian can capture the Chicano way of life so realistically.
I laughed, I cried, I loved it!

I enjoyed reading this novel because it reflects the mexican lifestyle. I use the term mexican because "Chato" feels more mexican than chicano. During the novel "Chato" goes through many struggles, In which he learns that society keeps him from succeeding. He is a very intelligent boy but his surroundings do not allow him to expand his horizons. It is a great novel and I recommend it to all.

In a world where every other rap song tries to glorify the gangster lifestyle, here comes a book that shows how normal people who have no business in hurting others get caught in the web. But this book is even more important then that. It's about what it is to be an immigrant. It doesn't matter where you're from, if you are a second generation immigrant you will relate to this book.

The Chicano community has had very controversial outlooks regarding this book, due to it's author. Surprisingly enough, his name isn't Danny Santiago at all but rather Danny James. He is actually caucasian. As such, many who innitially praised it as THE book on the Chicano experience in the USA have now shunned it. But in my opinion it's strength still stands. It's deep, non-dramatic, and pure. It's easily as good as "The Catcher in the Rye" in terms of language, but due to it's negative press has been forgotten. If you are looking for a book that you will finish before you know it (and not soon forget), I highly recommend it.

Danny Santiago is a pseudonym for Daniel Lewis James. If you google him, you'll realize he wasn't a Chicano but posed as one using this Santiago fictional name. Then the New York Times Review of Books outed him soon after the book's publication in 1984. Does it mean you shouldn't read the book? No. But it might make a difference to you if you know who really wrote it. James died in 1988 at the age of 77.

At a crossroads in his life, Rodolfo Medina remembers the year he was 14, a time of turmoil and change, not only for him but also for his family and friends. A Los Angeles barrio is the people caught between two cultures, neither of setting for this witty novel about which offers welcome.

At a crossroads in his life, Rodolfo ("Chato") Medina remembers the year he was 14, a time of turmoil and change, not only for him but also for his family and friends. A Los Angeles barrio is the setting for this witty, poignant novel about people caught between two cultures, neither of which offers welcome.

I grabbed this book off my boyfriend's bookshelf. He read it in a cultural literature class and I'm surprised he kept it so long because he said it was terrible. I needed something to read, so I gave it a go and was pleasantly surprised. It depicts the life of a young Mexican boy, his family and neighborhood in East LA in the 70s. Simply written, it shows the highs and lows of Mexican life in the US and in Mexico, the relationships between family members, their neighbors, and rival gangs. I found myself rooting for the main character, hoping that he'd somehow rise out of the despair around him.

famous all over town is honestly the best book i have ever read in my entire life. it was gripping on so many diffrent levels. I recommend this book to everyone who has every felt like they don't belong.

this book was a great book. my faviriote charecter was the main charecter who was also the narrater.The least person I liked was his sisters boyfriend. I recomend this book to every one. The reason why I recomend this book is because it shows us how its like living in a poor neighbor hood and still living good.

This books is easy to read and not only so, it is also quite captivating, whether you are looking for past-time reading or would like to use it for studies. It is one of those readings that goes quite well in the gym, while you work out, because it is quite capable of holding the attention of any reader. I would definitely recommend reading it!