So after I sort of metaphorically kicked Stiefvater's butt again with a negative review, I have to share another negative review with you. I've read some reviews where the question is asked, "Why did this stupid book get the National Book Award?" and to me the answer was easy.If you look at the year it was published, the fact the setting is in California, and you take into account the racial tensions that occurred at many high schools there during that time period, the love people felt for this book makes absolute sense. What this book did at that time was unveil the mystery behind the contemporary impoverished Mexican family, and unlike that idiotic book House on Mango Street, Martinez does not mind showing you the ugly side of things at all.Sandra Cisneros (who will never be praised for her amazing book Caramelo and only remembered for that terrible book House on Mango Street) liked to dress up the ugly side of being impoverished by using pretty sentences and never really being direct. It's all seen through a kid's eyes so Esperanza's perception of life can be questioned.It's pretty hard questioning Manny's view on things. He's an older teen boy in high school. Manny may be very ignorant about some things, but for the most part he is an honest narrator. We as a country are more aware of the injustices that certain minority groups had to endure, then we were back in 1998. We didn't really talk about how dysfunctional families were, the resentment that impoverished Latinos had towards the white community, the discrimination Latinos experienced in all areas of their lives, the intolerance between the black and brown community, health care, educational inequality, joblessness, and the cycle of poverty.Martinez was basically saying, "Oh, I'm gonna tell it like it is," and to those unaware of the world around them this book had to have been powerful back in 1998. He dared to touch on all those issues without necessarily preaching, but spotlighting on what a certain segment of society went through.Each chapter is a vignette, much like Cisneros, hence the comparisons, but that's where it ends. Where the House on Mango Street is this 8 year old kids acid trip, Parrot in the Oven is about a boy trying to make sense of his life. Or so I thought until I reached the very end and was quite disappointed by the choices that Manny made. I blame Victor Martinez for Manny's stupid choice. When you find out why he gets clicked in to a gang, you're just disappointed in the entire story and what could have been a good story or even a good story to reference the cultural temperature back in the mid to late 90s becomes a weak story with a silly plot and it's a shame.I'm positive those who read this for the first time between 1998-2001 got more out of the novel then someone today could. Some of the issues are still present today within the Latino community, but the difference now is that I think America is more aware of what is happening to his or her neighbor today than they were 20+ years ago. Which is why I think people praised this book so much. It was an eye opening experience. (Not to mention a Latino writer receiving such a huge award for a book is a big deal, especially considering the racial tension back then. Hello, L.A. riots.)I have my qualms about this book, especially the ending, which I just inherently disliked, but as a book framing a certain segment of history it did well. It's not necessarily a fictional book I'd recommend, but one I'd want people to read if they're only experience with Latino Fiction is House on Mango Street.
Imagine not being able to afford a car or bus. Imagine living in a house with your alcoholic father. Imagine joining a gang. A parrot in the oven by Victor Martinez is called parrot in the oven because the main character, Manuel's father sometimes calls him Perico. It is from a mexican saying about someone who complains about how hot it is outside. It is a fictional story that could easily happen in reality. It is set in a poor dangerous area in the projects. The main character, Manuel Hernandez, is a hispanic boy. He lives with his family. Manuel struggles to find his place in the world so he enters a gang. He believes this idea would help him throughout his life. His dysfunctional family, and educational standings drive him to that conclusion. Reading this multicultural book was a bit different from what I normally read. It includes a different style of living which confused but educated me. I enjoyed reading something about another culture for a change. I learned the struggles of living in a poor neighborhood. There are other interpretations of the Mexican culture many of which were included in this book. I felt a little disturbed reading this book. I felt it was very dark with a clever ending. Someone that likes dark stories about the Mexican culture should read this book. I thought an important theme was that at the end it's all about your family. Whatever you go through in life, the love and care of your family will make you happy. Through reading this book, a person can gain a new knowledge about life in a gang. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. The rating would have been higher if it wasn't so disturbing. Overall, the book was interesting despite being dark.
Do You like book Parrot In The Oven: Mi Vida (2004)?
I read parrot in the oven and i thought it was a good book. The main characters were Manny, Magda, and Nardo. Manny is a 14 year old boy that struggles through his life because of his father that is alcoholic. Nardo is Manny's older brother who cant find a job because he usally gets fired from every job he gets. Magda is the oldest child in the family Manny's older sister who gives abortion. Manny's dad turns out to be alcoholic because he gets fired from his job. He can't find a job either. By this everyone struggles through their life. Manny tries to join a gang to gain respect from other people.Nardo tries to find a job. Magda turns out that she is pregnant and gives abortion. Find out what happens to Magda! Some things that i liked about this book is that it gave expecific details of how Manny's life went. I disliked this book because it talks about gangs and how a life for a gang is. I would recommend this book to people that like drama and like a good story about someone's life. The genre of this book is Realistic Fiction.
—Maria Romero
If you like a good mistery book. The name of the book is "Parrot In The Oven Mi Vida" the book was by Victor Martinez. This book follows a life of a boy who gets in some trouble with his brother and friends.The theme of book is to trust your friends. There is a point in time where you have to get in trouble just like this kid in the book and get in trouble with your brother or sister. This shows that they were normal kids like us at some point in their lives.The main character has a older brother named Bernardo but they call him Nardo. His brother is a very smart, intelligent and talented at sports. The main character plays baseball for school.The setting described very well, I like how the author put the detail together in the book.This is because I can imagine an entire movie in my head as I read the book. No I cannot imagine myself there because in the story there too much going on. The brother and the friends are getting in too much trouble and I am not that type of person that looks for trouble or likes getting in trouble. This book is very different from my world when the kid in the book gets to play sports and get into mischief, in my case I know that I have to do what I have to doThe story follows a kid but we dont get his name and his older brother who is good at sports and school but the kid is only good at sports. But he still gets along with his brother even though they dont have that much in common.I can see the author in this book because he seems like the type that would get into mischief with his family and friends.I have seen this in real life because I grew up in a neighborhood were kids got into trouble.The main idea of the book is trust your friends, they can get you through the hard times. I they get through hard times you have to do the same for them and be there for them.Thus book is good for people who have good friendships and I would recommend this book to anyone.
—Aaron Cabrera
I will be teaching this novel to 8th grade struggling readers this year, on the recommendation of a teacher friend of mine.At first, I was less than impressed. Now that I think about it though, that might be because I have been living in dystopian YA fiction for awhile and am used to starting a book with a dramatic event (like a choosing). But as the story progressed, I found I liked the main character more and more, and I found that the rhythm of his life is much like the students I teach. When he is focused on his family, everything is about his family. When he is focused on his friends, it's all about the friends. I think this is exactly what it's like to be teen. I'm very curious how my students will react to this novel...
—Jess
