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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It’s unusual to have a book written in a voice like this. Usually when a narrator is looking back at childhood in a book that goes all the way to adulthood, it is still written in an adult voice. Here it’s like a children’s book when they are children, a YA book when they are teens, etc.
sad
Such a sad tale of abuse at the hands of their mother. Growing up gay in a Catholic home didn't help matters. The boys' resilience and their brotherly bond was inspiring.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Get this book, get your tissues, and allow yourself to experience this story. It's not an easy read, the material is often heart breaking, and this is why I chose to read this one slowly over the course of the last few weeks, but it's a very beautifully written and forceful novel. Finding out that the novel was inspired, in part, by the author's relationship with his own brother only added further emotional weight for me.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
At the end of July I heard a book review on NPR by Matt de la Peña about this book: "Pedro and Daniel are gay, neurodivergent, Mexican American boys growing up in this crazy kind of chaotic household in rural Ohio." As a young child we lived in the next county to where these boys lived; I knew farms where migrant children and their parents picked tomatoes, and there were a few Mexican American children in my kindergarten and first grade classes who lived outside the tiny town. Yet much, but not all, of Pedro and Daniel's experiences were very different than mine, and 15-20 years later.
The book has a number of things to recommend it -- beautiful language, prose mixed with poetry, charming and despicable characters and institutions, sections told by alternating first persons and others in third person, dichos/sayings and other mixtures of Spanish and English, some illustrations, and insight into children's lives that were hard yet where the brothers themselves shared a deep bond. I will always remember the story of kindergartener Pedro, when told to bring "his one true treasure" to school for show and tell, taking his one true treasure, his younger brother Daniel.
Trigger warnings were given at the beginning, so I gave myself permission to skip chapters or stop reading if it became necessary. The use of some Spanish words I didn't know helped in giving distance and I desperately wanted these boys to survive and thrive. Things didn't necessarily get as much better as we might wish but then, this is an autobiographical novel and the world is not as kind as we might wish. My library has marked this book as "teen" and I hope teens, especially those who need this book, will find it. It stretched my heart, and that is always a good, if painful, thing.
The book has a number of things to recommend it -- beautiful language, prose mixed with poetry, charming and despicable characters and institutions, sections told by alternating first persons and others in third person, dichos/sayings and other mixtures of Spanish and English, some illustrations, and insight into children's lives that were hard yet where the brothers themselves shared a deep bond. I will always remember the story of kindergartener Pedro, when told to bring "his one true treasure" to school for show and tell, taking his one true treasure, his younger brother Daniel.
Trigger warnings were given at the beginning, so I gave myself permission to skip chapters or stop reading if it became necessary. The use of some Spanish words I didn't know helped in giving distance and I desperately wanted these boys to survive and thrive. Things didn't necessarily get as much better as we might wish but then, this is an autobiographical novel and the world is not as kind as we might wish. My library has marked this book as "teen" and I hope teens, especially those who need this book, will find it. It stretched my heart, and that is always a good, if painful, thing.
CW/TW (provided by the author): References to domestic violence, child abuse, homophobia, colorism, racism, clergy abuse, suicidality, sex, death.
Pedro & Daniel charts the course of two brothers. From an abusive childhood through to coming out, and eventual HIV diagnosis, Pedro and Daniel remain loyal and true to one another. I found this a moving and deeply distressing read, having been unprepared for the sexual abuse Daniel experiences. It would have been much appreciated if the content warnings the author kindly provided on Goodreads could have also been made available on NetGalley. Overall, this is an important book that I hope will be acknowledged by the literary community.
I am grateful to NetGalley and Levine Querido for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pedro & Daniel charts the course of two brothers. From an abusive childhood through to coming out, and eventual HIV diagnosis, Pedro and Daniel remain loyal and true to one another. I found this a moving and deeply distressing read, having been unprepared for the sexual abuse Daniel experiences. It would have been much appreciated if the content warnings the author kindly provided on Goodreads could have also been made available on NetGalley. Overall, this is an important book that I hope will be acknowledged by the literary community.
I am grateful to NetGalley and Levine Querido for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
~~Thank you to NetGalley and Levine Querido for the arc in exchange for an honest review!~~
4.5 out of 5 stars rounded down.
Damn, Erebia was not afraid to throw some heavy emotional punches, whatsoever. This story about two brothers is filled with so much heart and heartache, unflinchingly addressing topics like colorism, homophobia, and the abuse within the Catholic church. You can really tell how much Erebia loved his brother, because the portrayal of Pedro and Daniel's relationship, which is directly lifted from Erebia's relationship with his brother, is so tender; this is probably my favorite sibling-duos in anything I've ever read.
I already feel like this one is going to go under people's radars when it officially releases in June, but I plead with whatever God that are out there to not let that happen. This book deserves any and all the attention and praise it can get.
4.5 out of 5 stars rounded down.
Damn, Erebia was not afraid to throw some heavy emotional punches, whatsoever. This story about two brothers is filled with so much heart and heartache, unflinchingly addressing topics like colorism, homophobia, and the abuse within the Catholic church. You can really tell how much Erebia loved his brother, because the portrayal of Pedro and Daniel's relationship, which is directly lifted from Erebia's relationship with his brother, is so tender; this is probably my favorite sibling-duos in anything I've ever read.
I already feel like this one is going to go under people's radars when it officially releases in June, but I plead with whatever God that are out there to not let that happen. This book deserves any and all the attention and praise it can get.
3.5 stars out of 5
A beautiful read. Instantly fell in love with Pedro and Daniel.
Had trouble following the narration style in the first section
A beautiful read. Instantly fell in love with Pedro and Daniel.
Had trouble following the narration style in the first section
Thank you to Libro.fm for the gifted ALC
Mexican-American brothers Pedro and Daniel grow up in 1970s Ohio. Both gay and neurodivergent, the duo struggle to find their places in school and at home. Together, the brothers endure an abusive mother, come out, find love, and live through the AIDS epidemic.
PEDRO & DANIEL is a marvelous and moving story that covers heavy yet essential topics. I love the brothers’ relationship and their different approaches to life. While it’s labeled as YA, there are philosophical and medical passages I’m not sure if younger audiences would fully grasp.
With poetic prose and absorbing writing, PEDRO & DANIEL is a beautiful ode to brotherly love inspired by Erebia’s own life.
Mexican-American brothers Pedro and Daniel grow up in 1970s Ohio. Both gay and neurodivergent, the duo struggle to find their places in school and at home. Together, the brothers endure an abusive mother, come out, find love, and live through the AIDS epidemic.
PEDRO & DANIEL is a marvelous and moving story that covers heavy yet essential topics. I love the brothers’ relationship and their different approaches to life. While it’s labeled as YA, there are philosophical and medical passages I’m not sure if younger audiences would fully grasp.
With poetic prose and absorbing writing, PEDRO & DANIEL is a beautiful ode to brotherly love inspired by Erebia’s own life.