Chronicles of a Luchador

by Ray Villareal

Overview

In this sequel to My Father, the Angel of Death and Body Slammed, Jesse Baron's parents expect him to go to college, but he is determined to follow in his famous father's shoes and become a wrestler, even if he has to do it on the sly!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558859319
Publisher:	Arte Publico Press
Publication date:	10/31/2021
Pages:	250
Sales rank:	1,052,558
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	820L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Ray Villareal is the author of five novels for young adults that capture the angst of adolescent life: Body Slammed! (Piñata Books, 2012); Don’t Call Me Hero (Piñata Books, 2011); Who’s Buried in the Garden? (Piñata Books, 2009), winner of LAUSD’s Westchester Fiction Award; Alamo Wars (Piñata Books, 2008); and My Father, the Angel of Death (Piñata Books, 2006), which was nominated to the 2008-2009 Lone Star Reading List and named to The New York Public Library’s 2007 Books for the Teen Age.

Editorial Reviews

02/04/2022

Gr 8 Up—Jesse Baron has been accepted into the University of Texas just like his family hoped, but instead of thinking about a possible future as a mechanical engineer, all Jesse can think about is entering the wrestling ring just as his father, the world-famous Angel of Death, did before him. When Jesse asks about taking lessons, his dad lets Jesse know he is welcome to join the beginner summer class—but he fully expects Jesse to go to college in the fall. Jesse makes the decision to begin wrestling in secret, not letting his parents know his plans, until the truth finally catches up with him. Fast-paced chapters fill readers in on the wrestling circuit and are full of day-to-day activities. Jesse deals with the typical changes that come with high school graduation, such as friends parting ways to attend different schools and uncertainties about romantic relationships. In the end, with the support of his friends and parents, Jesse finds he is able to juggle more than he thought and learns about his own identity. VERDICT A good addition to young adult collections, especially recommended for fans of lucha libre and where the author's previous titles are popular.—Selenia Paz

School Library Journal

2021-09-15
A young man on the verge of adulthood must choose between his dream wrestling career and his parents’ more pragmatic expectations.

In this sequel to Body Slammed! (2012), 18-year-old Jesse Baron wants nothing more than to be a professional wrestler. Only problem is, his dad was wildly successful at it—a hugely popular pro who battled under the name the Angel of Death—but his wrestling career cost him and his family greatly. Now, his parents are thrilled to send Jesse off to study mechanical engineering at the University of Texas, but little do they know how much he desires to follow in his father’s footsteps, preferably at his father’s own gym, the Ox Mulligan Pro Wrestling Factory. With the companionship of his girlfriend, Wally Morúa, and his close friends, Goose, Wendell, and Bucky, Jesse must balance his own aspirations with the expectations others have for him. The intriguing subject matter—the strange and fascinating subculture of pro wrestling—is interwoven with a sympathetically developed personal quandary as Jesse delves into duplicity while trying to figure out his future. Stilted dialogue and prose, however, mar the flow of Villareal’s earnest story; contemporary teenage characters unironically use expressions that feel corny and out of date. Most of the cast is Latinx.

An interesting premise impaired by stylistic weaknesses. (Fiction. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews