Summary: In the first two pages of this novel, the main character is murdered at a nightclub; the rest of the novel chronicles his journey as a ghost through the first few days following his death. Chuy learns what it means to be dead (and to have lived) as he "visits" his friends and family and discovers the powers he does, and doesn't, have as a ghost.Response: My first reaction to this book is to realize how different it is from my usual reading material. For example, this book is about a boy, and I guess I usually read about main characters who are girls. Second, as both a teacher and as a parent, I have only read to children 9 and under, so I have not read much young adult literature; this book is about a high school student, and the issues and questions are definitely not those of a younger child. The further I read, I also found that I was struck by the connection I made to "The Lovely Bones" - particularly in the differences and similarities between the concept of the afterlife that each author presents. Also, simply, in the difference between the experiences and genders of the two main characters. I felt each captured the your person's voice very well, and it makes me want to go back and reread "The Lovely Bones" which I thoroughly enjoyed despite the difficulty of the subject. As I followed Chuy's ghost journey, I enjoyed his discovery of what it had meant to him to be alive - something he maybe couldn't fully feel until he was dead. People always talk about the feeling of immortality that teenagers have, and this book struck right at that notion. I kept wondering what it would feel like to read this book at the same age in life as Chuy; as an adult, I couldn't help but read it with the hindsight I have on my own teenage years. I also couldn't help but read it as a parent, and I mourned for Chuy's parents, not just for their son's death but because of how little time he spent with hi as a ghost. I (in my parent mode!) wanted him to spend ALL his ghost time with them, especially once I knew it was limited; I would imagine his desire to see his friends, and his uncle and cousin so much, ring much truer to the books intended audience. I would love to hear a discussion of this book among actual teenagers - I wonder how it would speak to them? Finally, on a very small point, I found one scene particularly touching: it is when Chuy thinks back to a punishment he received when he was seven for breaking the pencil sharpener at school. he remembers feeling so wronged that he tells himself how sorry his parents would be if he died, how much they would miss him and would be sorry that they had treated him so poorly. I thought is was very powerful to hear 17-year-old Chuy look back with hindsight on his 7-year-old self, knowing that he would never have the chance to grow any older and develop any more hindsight over his own choices. I think that "you'll be sorry when I'm dead!" feeling is fairly universal among 7-year-olds, and to have such a childish thought reflected on by Chuy, still a child compared to adults, but older and wiser than his own child-self, was very meaningful.CONTEMPORARY REALISTIC FICTION
what happens after you die? Is there a Heaven? Do you just disappear? The genre of this book is fiction. I didn't really like this book, but that might have been cause didn't understand some of it. ***spoiler alert*** The story takes place in Fresno. Chuy just a happy life he didn't expect much considering he thought of him self as an average teenager, but what would happen to him if everything was taken away from him. In just one night, everything ended for Chuy and he didn't even understand why. Why would someone just take his life away. Chuy later regrets every little thing he had done and goes around to see how his family is cooping but hes stumbles upon a girl, shes a ghost like him. He slowly starts to fall in love with her and he doesn't even care that hes a ghost now he just wants to spend the rest of his time with her. I think the conflict in this story is person vs. super natural. Chuy is Hispanic he doesn't think hes special. He kind of just wants to fall in love or be a lady's man. He turns into a ghost after being shanked by a guy in yellow shoes. Crystal is the girl Chuy meet and falls in love with she killed her self, she seems to be stubborn. In the book Chuy describes his death in detail, but it wasn't serious it was actually pretty weird to me he says "he stuck me a second time, just above my belly button- blood the color of pomegranate juice spread across my shirt." I thought it was pretty funny when in the book he says "he stuck me just left of my heart, right where I kept an unopened pack of juicy fruit gum -I had intended to sweeten my breath later when I got Rachel alone." To me this means hes always thinks about girls which to me kind of says a lot about him. When he says he goes back to see his family I thought that part was really sad cause he didn't know that a lot of those people loved him but it also makes me wonder if after you day you can actually do that. When Chuy says hes dying and tries to do everything he can but at he same time accepts that the mans going to die. I actually disliked that part because like you cant save everybody its bound to end but at the same time I think its like good that he atleast tried saving him. My favorite line from the book is the last chuy says " I loved her like no other. she flew by my side, southward toward what, I know knew, is called the afterlife." To me this means like there is something good out there even after death. Over all I didn't really like the book because through out the story hes kind of just thinking about her and they had just met. I would rate this book like a 7 1 being the worest 10 being the best. I thought the book was good with out all the drama with the girl. I would recommend this book to kids in about 6-8 grade because its not that interesting I think to keep a highschooler interested but it talks about death and other stuff anyone younger might not like.Do you believe in happiness after death or atleast the afterlife?
Do You like book The Afterlife (2005)?
The story starts out with the main character named Chuy, who is later killed in a bathroom because he complimented some guys yellow shoes. After he found himself looking down at his own body. He knows he's a ghost. He experiments with his new abilities. He visits his family and friends before he completely disappears, while being a ghost he falls in love with a girl who is also a ghost. I love how Chuy still finds love in the afterlife. In my opinion, this book was very interesting and entertaining.
—Lisa
This book was in a word, awful. The plot was thin and the excitement of the book died out very quickly. The main character dies within the first 10 pages of the book and you don't even feel bad because in the beginning he literally has no friends and he dies alone in a bathroom. After he dies he floats around aimlessly for about half of the book before the author's intended purpose is revealed,it's a love story. He finds this girl that is also dead from a suicide and is the exact opposite of him. She is nice, is actually liked and appears to have people who cared about her, unlike the Chuy, the main character. If this book were to be re-written I would change the characters name to something way less stupid than Chuy and actually make him like able, but if you're into crappy books about dead people who try to have relationships AFTER they're dead, this is the book for you. (But seriously don't read it)
—Cory Penick 3rd
The book it's about this guy names chuy, he's 17 years old and he got killed at a club night party just for telling a guy he liked his shoes. After his death he became a ghost and so he sees his family and friends crying for him. When he sees the yellow shoes guy he started following him and doing things to him and realized that her body is diseaparing part by part every amount of time after a little while he mets this ghost girl named Crystal so he decided to teach her some tricks about ghost and after a while of being teaching to her he fall in love with her. When he's finaly death in the after life and all his body parts disapear he finally realized that he couldn't do many of the things that he could do when he was alive. In my opinion the book was a good book because it kind of makes you think about your death and to enjoy your life everyday because you never know when you are going to be gone of this world. =]
—Ana
