Bertrand, Diane Gonzales. (1999). Trino's Choice. Houston, Texas: Pinata Books, Arte Público Press, 192 pp.

Grade Level: 6-9

Genre: contemporary fiction

Summary and Critique

Life has gone terribly awry for Trino Olivares after witnessing Rosca and his small gang beat Mr. Epifaño, the owner of the neighborhood grocery store. Fearing for his life, he sneaks into a small, corner bookstore to hide, where he meets Lisana, an avid reader and fellow student. Trino becomes torn between being friends with Lisana and her group, or returning to his own group. Furthermore, Trino's attempt to avoid Rosca at school comes to an end, and he agrees not to tell the cops about his crime. Rosca offers him to opportunity to join him in a "job" for extra cash. Because his mother recently lost her job and the family needs the money, Trino considers the option. He must choose between taking the job Rosca has offered or earning Lisana's approval. On his way to meet Rosca about his new job, Trino witnesses another murder; his friend Zipper has been shot.

There are some very powerful and real issues conveyed in this book, such as peer pressure, first loves, loneliness, and family conflict. This is why it carries a wide appeal to several young readers. Probably most significant is the concept of choice as it plays itself out in this novel. Despite growing up in poverty, the message that Trino can choose his destiny resonates clearly. However, conflict is inevitable, especially when Trino must deal with very valid reasons for choosing, such as taking care of his family. The conclusion of this book leads us to examine the ethical question,"What exactly is the right thing to do?"

Awards

Finalists in the Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children's Book Award

Austin Writer's League "Teddy" Award

Best Young-Adult Book of the Year from Forward Magazine

Best Young Adult Fiction in English from the Latino Literary Hall of Fame

Texas Lone Star Reading List

Themes/Topics

Families

Friends and Enemies

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

Challenges and Triumphs

The Individual vs. Society

Adventure

Author Information

Diane Gonzalez Bertrand is originally from a large San Antonio family. She serves as the Writer-in-Residence at St. Mary's University for the English and Communication Departments. She lives with her husband and two teenage sons.

For more information about Diance Gonzalez Bertrand visit:

http://www.childrenslit.com/f_dianegonzales.html

Media Connections

Movies

Poetic Justice (1993) Orphaned by the deaths of family members, Justice (played by Janet Jackson) seeks release through poetry and her writings. In her writing, she deals with issues of loneliness, violence, and society. After venturing on a mail-trip with a friend, she encounters Lucky who behind his rough surface, shares many of Justice's thoughts.

Do the Right Thing (1989) An awesome portrayal of a neighborhood culture and statement about race relations in America. Tensions build as characters respond to Sal's Famous Pizza joint, which touts pictures of famous white people and definitely no rap music. The prejudice of the owner leads him to be abandoned to his fate.

Finding Forrester (2000) After being accepted to a prestigious private school, Jamal Wallace strikes up an unlikely friendship with legendary, recluse writer William Forrester. With the guidance and support of Forrester, he proves himself to his peers, teachers, and himself.

Save the Last Dance (2001) Sara Johnson, a white girl from Vermont, moves to a ghetto in Chicago to live with her father after her mother dies. She connects with a black teenager, Derek, and deals with social pressures and coming-to-terms with her mother's death.

West Side Story (1961) A modern remake of Romeo and Juliet, this play features the love story of Maria and Tony, both from rival gangs. Through their love, they make the choice to commit to each other regardless of the dire consequences.

Television

Boy Meets World The series actually begins with Teens in middle school, dealing with adolescent issues, and spanning through high school into college. One of the main characters, Cory, eventually chooses a marriage with Topanga, sacrificing his friendship with Shawn.

Boston Public This show is constantly dealing with students, such as gang members, being torn between making powerful connections with teachers and other positive influences and being accepted by their friends.

Life Goes On Becca, who has a brother with Down Syndrome, deals with the daily struggles being a teenager. Issues include family and peer conflict.

Dateline Episode on July 14, 2002, called "A Separate Peace" focuses on Israeli and Pakistani Teens who created friendships as part of a camp experience call Seeds of Peace and whether or not their friendships have lasted over the years.

Music

"Complicated." Performed by Avril Lavigne. Let Go. Arista, 2002. A girl gets frustrated when boyfriend acts like someone else in front of others.

Online Resources

http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/auth-illDianeGonzalesBertrand.htm Interview with children's and YA book author Diane Gonzales Bertrand. This offers a very detailed interview about her inspiration for writing books and about her writing career. Also includes a list of resources to other ethnic/Hispanic resources on the Web.

http://clnet.sscnet.ucla.edu/Latino_Bibliography.html Annotated bibliography of children's literature focusing on Latino people, history, and culture. Provides a detail list of both fiction and non-fiction for teachers and librarians interested in Latino issues.

http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/Texas.htm Texas Children's Books, authors, and illustrators from Cynthia Leitich Smith. As a resource, this website hi-lights notable Texas authors and has links to lesson plan ideas.

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/mulhispbib.htm Selecting Hispanic Books: Hispanic Bibliography Central & South America & Hispanic Americans. List of various bibliographies from Latinos.

Related Texts

Hinton, S.E. (1967). The Outsiders. New York: Puffin Books, 180 pp. Considered by many a classic in YA literature, this book offers a powerful story about Ponyboy, a teenager who grapples with stereotypes, peer pressure, and self-identity.

Wojciechowska, Maia. (1964). Shadow of a Bull. New York: Aladdin Books, 151 pp. Everyone in Manolo's town expects him to be a great bullfighter, just like his deceased father. Manolo discovers that despite these expectations and the pressure he feels, he can choose whether to be a bullfighter or not.

Cisneros, Sandra. (1984). The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Books, 110 pp. Through a series of vignettes, we learn about Esperanza Cordero's life in a poor, Hispanic neighborhood in Chicago. We see through her eyes, the pressures of growing up, expectations imposed on her by others, and the fulfillment of her dream to have a home.

Soto, Gary. (1985). Living Up the Street. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books, 167. A series of twenty-one stories about growing up in Fresno, California. Stories focus on adolescent issues, but rooted within the context of the Mexican-American experience.

Spinelli, Jerry. (2000). Star Girl. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Novel about a girl who struggles with choosing to either exemplify happiness and kindness (which comes across as weird) or to conform so as to please her boyfriend.

Teaching Ideas

(1) "Introductory Activity" The purpose of this mini-lesson is to get students thinking about the moral issues surrounding the choices they make. First, have students respond in journal form to the following topic:

"A thirteen-year-old girl broke into the grocery store in the middle of the night. When the police arrived on the scene, they found her stealing food. She said she needed the food for her family. Her mother had been fired two weeks ago and her little brothers needed to eat something. Did the girl do something that morally wrong? How do you can you tell if something is right or wrong? Please explain your answer."

After students have responded, ask some students to share their responses and to explain why they have chosen their answers. Using a board or overhead, make a list of the reasons for their answers. Then lead a class discussion about various ways to tell if something is right or wrong. Ask students to reflect on this discussion as they read Trino's Choice.

(2) "While Reading the Book" This activity focuses on stereotypes students have about groups in their school. First, have the students brainstorm a list of the various groups of students that are in their school. (This list might include groups like jock, nerds, social types, gang members, etc.) Then separate students into work groups. Assign each group one of the group types from the list. Have them draw a picture of what that person looks like and write the characteristic of that person on a poster board. Have students share their posters. Then write this statement on the board: "Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are" (Mexican proverb). Ask students if they agree with this student. Then ask them if classifying people into the various groups really tells you who that person is. Students can respond in discussion format or with journal writing.

(3) "After Reading the Book" This activity traces "choice" as a theme throughout Trino's Choice. Separate students into work groups of about four people. Give each student a sheet with four large squares. Label each square with the following: Friends, Family, School, Rosca. In each square, students are to write down the various choices that Trino made in that area, what his reasons were, and what the outcomes of that choice was. For example, in school, Trino chose to sit in the back because he did not want to be called on. The consequence of this choice was that he really didn't learn much in class or mingle with other students besides Zipper. Have the group work on completing the chart. Then give each group a poster and ask them to write their answers to one of the four topics on it. Have each group share their responses.

(Review written by Antonio J. Castro and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)