The Boys from Little Mexico: A Season Chasing the American Dream |  | Author: Steve Wilson
Publisher: Beacon Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
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Seller: strandbookstore
Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 266243
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.1 x 1
ISBN: 0807021679
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.334620979537
EAN: 9780807021675
ASIN: 0807021679
Publication Date: June 1, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The all-Hispanic boys' soccer team from Woodburn High has made the playoffs for nineteen straight years. As they prepare to make it twenty, the boys are determined that this will be the season they beat the wealthy suburban schools around them and finally win the Oregon state championship. Their spirited drive gives a rare sense of hope and unity to a blue-collar farming community that has been transformed by waves of immigrants over recent decades, a town locals call "Little Mexico." In 2005, Woodburn High's Bulldogs, aka Los Perros, will start the season with eight undocumented students, three boys who speak almost no English, a midfielder groomed to play for a pro Mexican team, a goalkeeper living in his third foster home, and an Irish-descended white coach desperate to lead all of them to success. Watched over by a south Texas transplant—a surrogate father to half the squad—this band of brothers must learn to come together on the field and look after each other off it. More than just riveting sports writing, The Boys from Little Mexico is also about the fight for the future of the next generation and a hard, true look at boys dismissed as gangbangers, told to "go home" by lily-white sideline crowds. At school, these kids battle academically in a country where barely half of all Hispanic boys graduate and fewer still make it to college. Now, in a gutsy quest for their first state championship, one thing will become clear: Los Perros play the beautiful game with heart, pride, and their lives on the line. The wins and losses they notch along the way spin a striking and fast-paced tale of how sometimes it takes more than raw talent, discipline, and passion to capture the American Dream.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 14
heartwarming and interesting July 2, 2010
Katie (Boston)
I'm not a huge soccer fan, but I always love a good sports drama, and this book delivers that without being formulaic. I felt like I really got to know the boys profiled in the book, and I truly cared about what became of them both on and off the field. I also loaned this book to a friend who's a big soccer fan but not a big reader, and she loved it.
Excellent story, and much more July 29, 2010
C. Grayson
This book was excellent, and thoroughly enjoyable, and I recommend it.
It's about a high school soccer team in Woodburn, Oregon, and their quest for the state championship. What makes their story more interesting is the fact that, unlike almost every other team in the state, the team is almost entirely Hispanic.
At first it seemed a little incongruous that there would be a large community of Mexican immigrants in the Pacific Northwest, closer to Canada than Mexico. But the explanation of how that came to be, dating back to the World War II-era Bracero Program, is just the start of the story Wilson has written.
It's a good example of one of my favorite aspects of this book: Wilson's ability to zoom out from the details of the story in Woodburn, give a thorough, "big picture" background, and then zoom back in to the the people at the heart of the story. He does this many times, covering everything from historical immigration, to ESL (English as a second language) instruction, to the physics behind "bending it like Beckham", to Major League Soccer's evolving relationship to Latino players and fans.
But I don't mean to say this book is an academic essay at all; far from it. The remarkable thing about these zoom-outs of big picture information is that they're able to add so much to the story in spite of how brief they are.
For it's the story, and the people in it, that are central here. This book will introduce you to a rich cast of characters, not just the boys on the team, but also their coaches, teachers and foster parents.
One of the these characters is Octavio, whose story is traced from the Mexican village where he was born, to his time with the Club Atlas youth program, to his harrowing journey over the border into the U.S., and of course, to his quest for the Oregon high school soccer championship with Woodburn High. Octavio's story in particular is one that I won't soon forget, and that I know will come to mind whenever the subject of immigration in America comes up.
Another aspect of the book that impressed me is the soccer writing itself. Wilson really brings to life the action and excitement of the team's games. The glory of victory and the crush of defeat both feel as vivid as if you were there -- maybe more so, given the omniscient coverage of players, coaches and fans.
A good story, characters with depth and good sports-writing: this fine book brings it all together.
Read Steve's Wilson's book! August 1, 2010
D. Cox
Well written and intimate view of these young men's lives. You don't have to be a soccer fan to enjoy the story but if you are ... all the better.
highly recommended! May 18, 2010
maria
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
quick read, but a touching and informative look at one high school's soccer season. as only a moderate soccer fan, i found the author's descriptions of the soccer games to be completely engaging and understandable. as a high school teacher, though, i was swept up in the story of the primarily immigrant, low-income team & the challenges they faced. from language barriers to undocumented status to the often-discouraging distance from family members, it was so easy to get lost in this book, and to see parallels with my own students. the players, their friends & family, the coaches, and the school administration were all described simply, realistically, and with dignity, throughout the high and low points of the season. definitely recommended for anyone who loves soccer, is interested in immigration & education, or just wants a great story!
a must read, even if you don't like sports May 19, 2010
Rachel D. Linder
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is a really compelling read. It's an insight into a side of the immigration debate that we rarely get to see -- how it impacts the kids who were either born here, brought here or sent here and who try to achieve the American dream. I'm not a big soccer fan but I'm social worker and work with immigrant families, and I really loved this book.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 14
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