Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same [Paperback]

Mattox Roesch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2009

Cesar leaves his gangbanging life behind in Los Angeles to help his mother reconnect with her estranged family in rural Alaska, where she hopes they both can get a fresh start. When Cesar arrives, he meets his college dropout cousin, Go-Boy, who believes he s part of a good world conspiracy and who bets Cesar he will stay in Alaska for a year. Here is Cesar ex-gangbanger from Los Angeles, seventeen years old, younger brother of a convict getting off a small bush plane, walking the gravel tarmac, meeting his rural Alaskan family for the first time. Here is Cesar, meeting his cousin Go-boy big hair, Eskimo Jesus tattoo on his forearm, a belief in heaven-on-earth. Here are the two, touring the tiny village in a busted up station wagon, stopping on the bridge at the edge of town, making a bet, I bet you stay in Alaska for a year, both staring through the windshield and down a road that just ends, both waiting for something. Here is where the story begins. Sometimes We re Always Real Same-Same is the account of two unlikely cousins and their parallel journeys through guilt and loneliness. A refreshing, coming-of-age story set in a location like no other, Cesar and Go-boy struggle with their matriarchal family and the quirky challenges of life in Unalakleet, Alaska. Inevitably, setting becomes its own character, pushing and pulling against the other characters. With his absent father and an older brother in prison for a gang murder, Cesar is badly in need of a male role model, even in this matriarchal society. In spite of being haunted by his passive involvement with an LA street gang and his older brother s involvement in a gang murder, Cesar believes his real life is waiting for him in California. He sees his time in rural Alaska as a temporary pit stop to help his mother reconnect with her estranged family. That is, until he meets Kiana, Go-boy s stepsister. Cesar muses that Kiana is the type of girl who can change everything, and after one drunken night of passion between the two, everything for Cesar does begin to change. He becomes split by his obsession for Kiana and his budding dependency on Go-boy. As Go s mental stability deteriorates, Cesar is forced to choose between fleeing Unalakleet, or staying with the family and community to help his cousin. Go believes the meaning of life is creating a heaven on earth, and he tries to rope Cesar into his cause. When Go-boy falls into a dark depression, Cesar struggles to understand Go s mental illness and the chain of events that led Go-boy to attempt suicide. It is then the two cousins realize that their strength has been in their similarity to each other, and to the community. Or as Go-boy puts, sometimes we re always real same-same. What Cesar finally discovers is how starved we are for the experience of tight-knit community, for being part of and known by a community, for better or worse, a very exhilarating and fulfilling and scary phenomenon that certainly penetrates into the DNA of Sometimes We re Always Real Same-Same.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Roesch's offbeat debut is set in Unalakleet, Alaska, population 700, a destination that seems like the end of the world for teenage L.A. gang member Cesar Stone, uprooted by his mother after his older brother catches a murder conviction and a life sentence. Navigating without his brother or father, Cesar dwells on regrets while attempting to find himself in the refuge of his mom's native Alaska. Aggrieved at leaving L.A., but also relieved to be free from the gang's demands, Cesar bonds with his older cousin Go-boy, a Native with an optimistic outlook that belies personal tragedies. Go-boy bets a homemade tattoo of Eskimo Jesus that Cesar will stay in Alaska for a year, where he believes Cesar truly belongs. After becoming accustomed to Go-Boy's peculiar dependability, Cesar begins to see troubling changes in his cousin; as he charts Go-boy's drift, he begins to see himself changing as well. Roesch's compelling story, exotic setting and eccentric characters make this coming-of-age tale a fresh, welcome read. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Roesch's offbeat debut is set in Unalakleet, Alaska, population 700, a destination that seems like the end of the world for teenage L.A. gang member Cesar Stone, uprooted by his mother after his older brother catches a murder conviction and a life sentence. Navigating without his brother or father, Cesar dwells on regrets while attempting to find himself in the refuge of his mom s native Alaska. Aggrieved at leaving L.A., but also relieved to be free from the gang s demands, Cesar bonds with his older cousin Go-boy, a Native with an optimistic outlook that belies personal tragedies. Go-boy bets a homemade tattoo of Eskimo Jesus that Cesar will stay in Alaska for a year, where he believes Cesar truly belongs. After becoming accustomed to Go-Boy s peculiar dependability, Cesar begins to see troubling changes in his cousin; as he charts Go-boy s drift, he begins to see himself changing as well. Roesch s compelling story, exotic setting and eccentric characters make this coming-of-age tale a fresh, welcome read. --PUblisher's Weekly

Seventeen-year old Cesar has just moved with his mother to her hometown, a tiny village in remote Alaska, in order to escape the tough environment in Hispanic Los Angeles. Although neither boy is Hispanic, both Cesar and his brother were in gangs, and Cesar has just participated in a gangbang and his brother Wicho is serving a life-sentence for his involvement in a murder. In Alaska Cesar becomes friends with his slightly older cousin Go-Boy, a recent drop-out from a Bible college who preaches love, good deeds, and optimism and bets Cesar that he will stay in Unalukleet for more than just the three summer months despite his desire to return to L.A. as soon as possible. Both boys fall in love and get summer jobs counting salmon as Cesar meets family members and learns Eskimo ways of life. First appearances are deceiving, however, as both boys bring prior lives to their current relationships and then face unexpected challenges. Cesar comes to realize the importance of the social environment ~ strong community and family ties ~ in shaping behavior. The author, like Cesar, lived in the lower forty-eight, moved to Unalukleet, and plays drums. Teens will enjoy the likeable Cesar s informal laid-back voice and dialogue; his credible and easy-to-read first person narrative contains many flashbacks, digressions, and some convoluted time sequences. Teenage boys, Coming of Age, Family Life, Alaska --Eleanor Howe, Pennsylvania School Library Association

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 317 pages
• Publisher: Unbridled Books; First Printing edition (September 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932961879
• ISBN-13: 978-1932961874
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #238,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reviews from Brizmus Blogs Books, February 11, 2010

By 

A. Baker "brizmus" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same (Paperback)

N.B. Really 4 1/2 stars

I'll admit it - the only reason I wanted to read this book was because the title sounded cool, and I liked the author's name, Mattox. But make no mistake, this book was powerful. It's also not about what you think it's about; the story is not the story you expect it to be.

It starts off when Cesar, an L.A. gang member, moves to small town Unalakleet, Alaska with his mom, a native Eskimo, when his brother is sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. When he arrives, he befriends his cousin, Go-Boy, and their relationship, along with Unalakleet, or rather, Unk, changes his life. One might even say it saves his life. And maybe it saves Go's life, too.

Go-Boy and Cesar are such well-developed, emotionally real characters that I wouldn't be surprised if I ran into them if I ever find myself in Unalakleet. The idea that the descriptions and reactions and emotions of these two people without them actually existing is just baffling to me. Even the lesser characters, some of whom we only saw once or twice, were so real, as were their struggles. I've read that some find these characters flat and undeveloped, but I disagree. I just found them REAL.

I think when it boils down to it, Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same is the story of the importance of being loved, of feeling needed, of feeling connected to other people. It is also the story of hope. Roesch gets the feeling of living in a small, disconnected town down to a T, and each of the characters represents some different aspect of what it must be like. Go-Boy with his craziness and his idealism, Cesar's mom with her desire to be Native, Cesar with his desire to fit in, Kiana with her NEED to get out,. . . It moved me in such a way that I find myself desperately wanting to move to a small town like Unk, to live the life that I experienced so vividly through this book.

It's hard to really explain why, but there was something about this book that jumped out at me and screamed "Live life to the fullest! Be grateful for every moment!" Normally, I can tell if the feeling a book gives me is the feeling intended by the author, but in this one I really just can't. And that's a good thing here. Let people take whatever positive message they choose from it.

Mattox Roesch's debut novel is gripping and enchanting, and any reader will without a doubt find themselves wildly caught up in the emotions and the follies of all of the characters. This book is an extremely enjoyable read that comes highly recommended by Brizmus Blogs Books!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A charming and unique coming of age tale, October 15, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same (Paperback)

Transplanted from LA to Alaska is a heck of a shift. "Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same" is the story of young Cesar, a young man who has embraced urban culture when his mother moves them to Alaska in a small village where she grew up. A fish out of water, Cesar has to make his way in life and into adulthood in a place that's totally alien to him. "Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same" is a charming and unique coming of age tale, well composed and a worthwhile read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quirky but not light, November 29, 2009

By 

Laura de Leon (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same (Paperback)

This book attracted me mostly due to its name-- somehow, the book description didn't give me an idea of what to expect.

(I much prefer the description on <a href="[...]to the one that is here and on Amazon).

Same-same is as quirky as the name would lead you to expect- quirky without being either cute or light. The focus was on character-- mostly that of Cesar.

Cesar was on a bad path in LA, one likely to end like that of his brother, who is in jail because of his role in a gang shooting. Cesar has already found himself involved in one truly terrible crime.

Moving to Alaska with his mother gives him a new start, just not the one he's looking for. He's got a plan to move back to LA and move in with his dad. Unfortunately, his father is most notable in this story for his absence.

Luckily for all involved, Cesar meets up with his local cousin, Go-boy. The reader as well as the characters in the book wonder whether Go-boy is crazy. Certainly, the letters he writes to Yoko Ono are crazy. The signs he puts up around town are pretty crazy. On the other hand, there seems to be a method to his madness.

My favorite character was Kiana, Cesar's girlfriend and Go-boy's cousin. She's a teenage math genius who doesn't always make good personal choices. I'd love to know what happens to her down the road.

The books looks at issues of character and of responsibility, questions of how one decision (or non-decision) can change a life. It's thought provoking while being funny and readable.