We Were Here, Were You?

We Were Here, by Matt de la Pena, is the story of Miguel who is sent to a group home because of an unspoken incident for which his mother will not even look at him for. During this time, Miguel meets Rondell and Mong. Together the three boys hatch a plan to run away towards the border and go to Mexico. All three teens come from different ethnic (Hispanic, Black, Asian) backgrounds and would be unlikely friends under normal circumstances.

First, I would like to voice my disagreements with this novel. I am unfamiliar with the juvenile detention system and have never associated myself with young criminals, so I may be mistaken with this criticism, but I think this novel has a few too many stereotypes. The dialect of the young men seemed a bit too much like people trying to impersonate young hardened criminals. Maybe that makes it seem more real but for me it exuded a sense of "this is what I think these people probably talk like". I could be completely wrong on that point though.

Another criticism I have is with the character of Rondell. There was little original about his character. He is a large, quiet, poor black male who has been on the wrong side of the law his whole life. How often have we seen that depiction? Oh, and wait, he is really talented at basketball? Well that doesn't help dissolve any stereotypes. While this may not have detracted from the merit of the story, it left me feeling a bit uninvolved.

Now, aside from my aforementioned criticisms, I do believe the story has redeeming qualities if only because it is about a world which many, myself included, are so unfamiliar with. It opens the door on a part of society that few realize exists or else choose to ignore. As unfamiliar as these people may be, they are still capable of speaking to us on a level which is both recognizable and reciprocated.

Also, I enjoyed Miguel's reflections on novels that he is reading and well as his journaling. It very much reminded me of Gantos' Hole in my Life which I also liked a lot.

Recommendation: I see many positive aspects in the novel for adults young and old if they have never personally experienced anything or anyone from this region of society. However, my one caveat would be to not immediately accept any stereotyped characters and let any young adults you know reading the novel to do the same.