21FA-LS-5653 - Latinx Literature: They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems by David Bowles
Bibliography:
Bowles, David. 2018. They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems. El Paso, Texas: Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN: 9781947627079
Plot Summary:
Along the Texas border, a 12-year-old boy named Güero starts a typical seventh-grade year, gaming with his best friends, crushing on the cute fregona girl, and dreading the school bully — who treats him as if he isn't Mexican enough because of his pale skin and red hair. Güero celebrates his Mexican American heritage and cultural traditions with his family through food, music, and fiestas. He is also a poetry enthusiast who escapes the problematic parts of life by writing Spanish and English poems. As Güero commences his new school year balancing family, friendship, music, and poetry, he learns the importance of standing up for himself and embracing his unique differences.
Critical Analysis:
They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems by David Bowles is an excellent collection of poems written in English with integrated Spanish. Bowles' poetry accurately depicts Mexican American culture and traditions, especially the family dynamic and how they celebrate their heritage. Latinx readers will identify with the protagonist, Güero (weh-ro), particularly Mexican American's who are light-skinned, doubly if they have red hair and freckles. Güero is a unique character because he loves writing poetry and uses it as a tool to defend himself. Güero also plays the accordion, a traditional Hispanic musical instrument often played in Mariachi bands. Additionally, readers will enjoy the "derds" (Diverse Nerds), Los Bobbys, Güero's best friends, who portray authentic Hispanic characters that balance social and emotional supporting characteristics. The boys share a love of reading, adventure, and gaming. I can see some readers identifying with Delgado, one of the most realistic characters, because he struggles with his father's absence, which is an unfortunate actual situation that children of all backgrounds may experience. Readers may also identify with Güero's love interest, Joanna, la fregona, the tough girl. I easily imagined myself as a la fregona growing up, so middle-grade girls who read this book might feel represented in this character, and boys with crushes on tough girls will swoon over her too.
Another aspect of this novel that felt authentic and realistic were the descriptions of Texas and crossing the border into Mexico. As a young girl, I traveled across the border to shop in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, several times with my family. They Call Me Güero made me feel as if I were in the story taking a day trip with my family, especially walking or driving through the border patrol inspection. Furthermore, the descriptions of Texas are consistent with the various cities mentioned in the book, like San Marcos and South Padre Island. Anyone who lives in Texas will recognize the poems that describe towns in the state. Latinx readers will also recognize Hispanic religions and traditions, such as Catholicism, breaking cascarones over someone's head on Easter, or a grandmother rubbing an egg over them singing, "Sana, Sana, Colita de Rana." My favorite part about the novel was reading the different descriptions of food, like tamales, raspas, quesadillas, and carne asada.
Overall, David Bowles' poetry is rich in Hispanic cultural details and provides insight into life on the Texas border. Readers will come across familiar poetry formats, such as rhyme schemes, as well as new concepts like pantoums and sonnets. They will be introduced to Texas and Hispanic folklore, as Güero's grandmother shares urban legends to scare him from eating all of the cookies, which is a large part of Hispanic culture. Readers will also come across Korean customs as Güero interacts with his teacher. Lastly, the novel invites readers to reflect on the importance of not judging others and being inclusive to all. Güero experiences personal prejudices against him from the school bully because he doesn't look like the stereotypical Mexican American. More so, Güero meets a new kid in school who is an immigrant from Honduras who has experienced many hardships to get where he and his family are in Texas. The novel appeals to Hispanic traditions and culture and celebrates diversity in the various ways that people speak Spanish, how people look, and the vast ethnicities from multiple countries. Readers ages 12 and up will love this story, and those who struggle in the Spanish language will have no problem reading this book as they can refer to the pronunciation and translation guide at the end of the novel. I recommend this Mexican American collection of poetry for middle-grade readers to all and for all.
Awards & Reviews:
- 2021 Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee
- 2019 ALSC Notable Children's Book
- 2019 Claudia Lewis Award for Excellence in Poetry
- 2019 Pura Belpré Award Nominee for Narrative
- 2019 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award
- 2019 Walter Dean Myers Award Nominee for Younger Readers
From Kirkus Reviews, "In this slim verse novel, Bowles splendidly translates border life via loosely connected vignettes in an eclectic mix of poetic forms. Güero's voice brims with humor, wit, and bits of slang, and a diverse cast of characters offers hints of other cultures. The author, however, does inject some complex themes and topics for rich discussion, touching on immigration, prejudice, and even the narrator's nickname, 'güero,' a term used to refer to light-skinned men and boys..."
From Publishers Weekly, "An achievement of both artistic skill and emotional resonance, Bowles’s volume is both a richly rewarding tour through many borderlands, including adolescence itself, and a defiant celebration of identity: 'no wall, no matter how tall, can stop your heritage.'"
From Lettycia Terrones' review in The Horn Book, "Bowles confidently intersperses the voices of Güero’s many family members, using Texas Spanglish colloquialisms with specificity (back matter includes a generous glossary and pronunciation key), in diverse poetic forms, resulting in a welcome contribution to the bildungsroman corpus of Chicana/o literature."
Connections:
Discussion: one of the poems in the novel, "The Newcomer," is about the protagonist, Güero, meeting Andrés Palomares, who is new to the school and an immigrant from Honduras. Read this poem aloud to patrons, and invite them to discuss what's happening in the story. What are the struggles that Andrés has faced? Is his story relevant to other immigrant children? Has anyone experienced similar issues? Ask patrons to also reflect on Güero's reaction to learning Andrés' story. How would they treat him, and what would they do if they were Güero?
Activity: the author, David Bowles, incorporates Spanish into his poetry collection and includes a glossary of terms at the end of the book. Invite patrons to choose a Spanish word or phrase from the book and look up the English translation. Afterward, encourage patrons to share what they learned and the meaning of their chosen words or phrases. For example, what is a raspa or a raspa man? Can they tell their peers what raspa translates to?
Patrons who enjoyed They Call Me Güero might also like these novels by David Bowles:
- Bowles, David. 2021. My Two Border Towns. Illustrated by Erika Meza. ISBN: 9780593111048 — picturebook for young children
- Bowles, David. 2021 The Witch Owl Parliament. Illustrated by Raúl the Third. ISBN: 9781620145920 — YA graphic novel
- Bowles, David. 2020. Tales of the Feathered Serpent: Rise of the Halfling King. Illustrated by Charlene Bowles. ISBN: 9781947627369 — Middle-Grade graphic novel adaptation of Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky
- Bowles, David. 2018. Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky: Myths of Mexico. ISBN: 9781941026717 — recommend for 12 and up
- Bowles, David. 2015. Border Lore: Folktales and Legends of South Texas. Illustrated by José Meléndez. ISBN: 9781942956013 — recommend for 16 and up
For patrons interested in similar Latinx books to They Call Me Güero, recommend the following:
- Cartaya, Pablo. 2017. The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora. ISBN: 9781101997239
- Cisneros, Ernesto. 2020. Efrén Divided. ISBN: 9780062881687
- Delacre, Lulu. 2017. Us, in Progress: Short Stories About Young Latinos. ISBN: 9780062392169