Iron River

by Daniel Acosta

Overview

An acclaimed YA debut novel that serves as a great alternative or companion to To Kill a Mockingbird—exploring the dynamics of systemic racism in the 1950s through the eyes of a Latino boy coming of age.

It's 1958, and a river runs through 12-year-old Manny's life—the railroad that passes along his barrio in San Gabriel, just ten miles east of L.A. It used to be a playground where he could while away time with his friends, throwing rocks at passing trains. Until they find the body of a man they might've accidentally killed with their games. The crooked cop they confess to is just glad to have something to hold against them. He's always been happy to terrorize the whole neighborhood for not being white.

So now Manny is tormented by a guilty conscience, and the certainty that police will bang on his front door any day. His family is already struggling with the return of Uncle Rudy, a war-worn man just out from jail. Manny's dad keeps warning him to stay away from Rudy, that he's trouble, but he might have already screwed up his life all on his own.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781941026946
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	11/13/2018
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Daniel Gilbert Acosta was born and grew up in California. After a half year as a novice in the Claretian order, Daniel left the seminary and enrolled at California State University, Los Angeles. Following college, Daniel was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He was discharged from the Army in 1972 and returned to CSULA to earn his teaching credential. Daniel earned a Master's Degree from CSULA and spent thirty-four years teaching English and creative writing at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, California. A former member of the L.A. Barrio Writer's Workshop, Daniel retired from teaching in 2007 and return to his writing. His fiction has appeared in national print and digital periodicals. Iron River is his first novel. Daniel is the father of four, and he and his wife, Linda, live in Rosemead, California. You can find more information about him and Iron River at ironrivernovel.com

Read an Excerpt

I felt like time was spinning backwards, taking me back to the day when we found the hobo. After my confession to Father Simon, I was good with God, but time and the Turk weren't going to let me slide with the law. I listened for a siren that would come to take me. Not to jail, but to the shut-down train station. The Turk was going to make me say I killed the hobo. And he was going to keep asking me if I knew who killed Lawrence Collison. He would even beat me up like he beat up Rudy until I told him. But when I told him, he would kill me too.

I heard the horn of the SP engine coming on an east current. It was probably passing the Mission. In a minute it would be rumbling past my house. I went back to the couch and pulled my blanket over me. I thought about what Rudy told me about drowning himself on the track so he could end the trouble. I wonder what it felt like to drown. I think I fell asleep just before the train came past and the house shook like a baby earthquake.

Editorial Reviews

* "A dense story with rich associative leaps, the novel will prompt discussions about race, class, sexuality, and gender." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "An essential title for any library." — School Library Journal, starred review

"The many layers of this beautifully built-up picture of an intelligent, goofy young kid who's well aware of his surroundings and faces them head-on is a brilliant debut of a promising young writer. Iron River will prompt discussions of race, class, culture, and teenage sexuality, and resonate with middle-grade through high school readers. It's highly recommended." — De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children

"A powerful debut." — Booklist

Best YA Historical Fiction - Kirkus Reviews
Paterson Prize for Books for Young People - Passaic County Community College
Skipping Stones Book Awards - Skipping Stones Magazine
Southwest Book Awards - Border Regional Library Association

From the Publisher

★ 10/01/2018
Gr 7 Up—Set in San Gabriel, CA in 1958, this novel captures life from the perspective of 12-year-old Manuel Maldonado, Jr. or Manny, who lives in an ethnically diverse section of the city. He is set apart from the majority of his Mexican American community due to his blue eyes, light skin, red hair, and large port-wine birthmark, which has earned him the nickname "Man-on-Fire." Manny is a gentle soul, but manages to get into constant trouble with his mischievous friends by doing things like throwing fruit at homeless people on passing trains or sneaking onto a stopped caboose and inadvertently being carried far away. However innocent Manny's infractions are, they land him in serious trouble—finding a dead person, witnessing the murder of a Black child—and result in heavy burdens of guilt, grief, and fear given the racist practices of the town police. Detailed descriptions of daily life and family members capture the essence of Manny's heritage in a time period and setting greatly impacted by institutionalized racism, drugs, gangs, and the lingering trauma of violence experienced by military war veterans. The trains are a constant backdrop to the story; iron currents of metal and noise, thundering through the boy's nighttime dreams and daytime reality, as he comes of age. VERDICT An essential title for any library.—Ruth Quiroa, National Louis University, Lisle, IL

School Library Journal