Güero occasionally faces flak from a few schoolmates on account of his pale, freckled skin and copper hair, resulting in a revealing exchange with his dad: “M’ijo, pale folks catch all the breaks / here and in Mexico, too. 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. Güero’s voice brims with humor, wit, and bits of slang, and a diverse cast of characters offers hints of other cultures. His English teacher even gets Güero interested in poetry! In this slim verse novel, Bowles splendidly translates border life via loosely connected vignettes in an eclectic mix of poetic forms. Seventh grade soon begins, and Güero reunites with los Bobbys (or, as his sister Teresa calls them, “los Derds-Diverse Nerds”) for some reading, mischief, and girls (a new interest).
He goes marketing in the boisterous pulga with Mom and listens to his abuela Mimi’s scary folktales. On Saturdays, he crosses the border into Mexico with his dad and chats with the locals. Honoring multiple poetic traditions, They Call Me Güero is a classic in the making and the recipient of a Pura Belpré Honor, a Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award, a Claudia Lewis Award for Excellence in Poetry, and a Walter Dean Myers Honor.Explore the life of a border kid in Bowles’ spirited verse novel.įor the 12-year-old Mexican-American narrator that everyone calls Güero, the borderlands (that “strip of frontier, / home of hardy plants”) means more than home. And when life gets tough for this Mexican American border kid, he knows what to do: He writes poetry. Güero faces the start of seventh grade with heart and smarts, his family’s traditions, and his trusty accordion. (Don’t cross Joanna-she's tough as nails.) Together, they joke around and talk about their expanding world, which now includes girls.
Güero is also a reader, gamer, and musician who runs with a squad of misfits called Los Bobbys. He feels at home on both sides of the river, speaking Spanish or English. Like the Mexican boxer Canelo Álvarez, twelve-year-old Güero is puro mexicano. Sometimes people only go off of what they see.
They call him Güero because of his red hair, pale skin, and freckles. An award-winning novel in verse about a boy who navigates the start of seventh grade and life growing up on the border the only way that feels right-through poetry.
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