Martinez, Victor. Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida. New York: Joanna Cotler Books/Harper Collins. 1996. ISBN:0-06-026704-6
Plot Summary:
Manuel Hernandez is a Latino teen growing up in an urban area in the United States who is struggling to find an identity amidst what seems to be a chaotic situation. Manuel’s father is an abusive alcoholic who spends the family budget on drink. The actions of the father have a negative impact on the rest of the family and each member of the family reacts in a different way. Manuel attempts to hold it all together and keep his family going while working seasonally, going to school, assisting the school boxing club, and eventually joining a gang. The internal dialogue which goes on shows Manuel to be a confused youth with a good heart and a deep desire to do something positive with his life. A number of dramatic episodes fill the book, such as his sister becoming pregnant at an early age and losing the baby, his father going to jail after trying to kill his mother, being a victim of racism at a party, and being involved in a small time gang.
Critical Evaluation:
The book shows the struggle of a Latino youth in the United States, it is artfully written and seems to accurately represent incidents which may very well happen. Some of the community and familial challenges in the story are very emotional and are purveyed with the voice of someone who has witnessed such things in real life. The story moves along at a fast pace, but does not really lead up to a defining incident, and even the final chapter that could be seen as the defining incident in the book seemed anti-climactic. There are a number of times in the book where the power of writing was very strong and the material discussed was of such a dramatic nature that it they could have made very significant endings. However, the ending the writer supplies left a great deal to be desired, especially after such a full story. The issues brought up in the book are very important to some youth who may pick the book up, and the moral of the story might be best summed up as ‘bad things happen it is what you do in response which makes the difference’. Manuel seems to come out of this story looking like a good guy who is put in bad situations, and many teens may relate well to that.
Reader’s Annotation:
Manuel tries to keep his family together and get ahead despite the threats of poverty and an alcoholic father. Manuel tries to find a place and define himself and survive in a harsh environment.
Information about the author:
Born in to a Mexican American family with 12 children, the author was raised in Fresno, California. Victor Martinez started writing after holding a number of other jobs. He has been a field laborer, welder, truck driver, firefighter, teacher, and office clerk. His experience as a working class wage earner has allowed him to be able to allow his description of laboring in the story to ring particularly true.
His knowledge of Latino culture is also an important part of his background. He grew up in a similar situation as the novel’s protagonist. Parrot in the Oven is his first novel, but he has written a number of poems and short stories which have been published. He currently lives in San Francisco.
Genre:
Family/Alcoholism/Latino Experience
Curriculum Ties:
Mexican American Culture
Booktalking Ideas:
1. Focus on the ways that Manuel helps to keep everything together in his family.
2. Discuss the ways that the family have a victim mentality when it comes to dealing with the father’s alcoholism.
3. Look at the problems many of the characters face and how they deal with these problems.
4. Discuss how Manuel tries to find acceptance at different places and discuss how that helps develop the plot.
Reading Level/Interest Age:
15+
Challenge Issues:
Substance abuse, smoking, language, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, gangs, racism
Challenge Defense Ideas:
1. Read the book.
2. Be Familiar with the policy of the ALA and your institution.
3. Make a note of the contents of the work and how they fall in with the collection development policy of your institution and the standpoint of the ALA.
4. Gain an awareness of the awards, reviews, and criticisms of the work, as well as other works by the same writer.
5. Know the process for materials challenges at your library.
Why did you include this book? :
I wanted to include a book representative of Latino writers and which included some very tough issues.
Author Info Website:
Author Info Website:
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