Buried Onions - Softcover

Soto, Gary

3.56

1,509 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0064407713 ISBN 13: 9780064407717

Publisher: Trophy Pr, 1999

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On the mean streets of southeast Fresno, nineteen-year-old Eddie is just trying to get by. All he wants is to forget his violent past, hold down a job, and walk a straight line. But after his cousins murder, Eddie finds himselfslowly but inexorablydrawn back into the cycle of violence. . . . Set against the backdrop of a city sweltering in the grip of poverty, crime, and unfulfilled dreams, this is the unforgettable story of a young man struggling to survive in a world spiraling out of control.Unrelenting ... unsparing ... A valuable tale, its one that makes no concessions. Kirkus ReviewsSotos clear, finely honed poets voice shines in this tale of barrio life in Fresno, California ... wholly believable. ALA Booklist

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Review:

Eddie can always smell onions in the air--the sharp bitter odour of hopelessness and anger that haunts the poor side of Fresno. "I had a theory about those vapours, which were not released by the sun's heat but by a huge onion buried under the city. This onion made us cry. Tears leapt from our eyelashes and stained our faces." Eddie tries to escape from the poverty and gang society that surrounds him by taking vocational classes and staying away from his old "cholos", (gang friends). But when his cousin is killed, his aunt urges him to seek out and punish the murderer. To avoid the pressure building in his neighbourhood, Eddie takes a landscaping job in an affluent suburb. But this too goes awry when his boss's truck is stolen while in his care. In the end, with his money gone and a dangerous gang member stalking him, Eddie's only choice is to join the military and hope that they can give him a better future than the one Fresno seems to offer.

There is no tidy closure--certainly no happy ending--to this bleak novel. But that is exactly what gives Buried Onions its strong, acidic flavour. Teens with a low tolerance for any type of pretence will appreciate Gary Soto's honesty in not trying to force a fairy tale ending. In spare but always striking prose, Soto has written an unrelentingly grim story that teens will savour because it rings true. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert, Amazon.com

Review:

"Soto's descriptions are poetic, and he creates deep feelings of heat and despair. A powerful and thought-provoking read."--School Library Journal
-Soto's descriptions are poetic, and he creates deep feelings of heat and despair. A powerful and thought-provoking read.---School Library Journal

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