Buried Onions

Buried Onions

By Gary Soto

Bibliography:

Soto, Gary. (1997). BURIED ONIONS. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 0-15-206265-3.

Plot Summary:

Nineteen-year-old, Mexican-American Eddie is ready to break free of the violence and gang life in Fresno, California. He has suffered through the deaths of his father, his uncles, his best friend Juan, and his cousin Jesus. Drowning in sorrow, Eddie imagines that there are giant onions buried beneath the city that causes the never ending tears. His aunt wants Jesus’s death avenged, but he is determined to avoid trouble and to do something with his life. He works hard, but the trouble in Fresno seems to follow him. Will Eddie ever rise above the gang violence and despair and escape the buried onions by joining the military? Will he be trapped and eventually taken in by the pull of his environment, by situations beyond his control? Read Buried Onions to find out if there is hope for Eddie, a future beyond the gang-filled violence of Fresno.

Critical Analysis:

Soto sets the scene of the novel by describing the poor, run-down neighborhood that Eddie lives in. In this part of Fresno, the fences sag and the houses are covered with peeling paint. The laundry hangs from the lines “the faded flags of poor, ignorant, unemployable people. Some guys, all of them Mexican like me, worked on their cars . . .” (p.2). In contrast, the white neighborhoods have deep green lawns, bright flowerbeds and the people keep to themselves (p.4). On page 101, Eddie describes his bus ride to the north side of Fresno: “We went north toward the newer houses, where it was Fresno yet not Fresno. It was another place altogether, foreign and scrubbed. I felt like I was walking inside the pages of Sunset magazine. It was pretty cool, yet scary. Everyone was blond.”

Spanish words are interspersed throughout the text of the novel and are not necessarily translated. The meaning of the word is implied through context or provided in a glossary that is included at the end of the novel. The use of the Spanish words is natural and completely appropriate in the conversations of the characters. Coming from a Mexican-American background, I can attest to the frequent code-switching between English and Spanish amongst friends and family.

Soto points out the cultural difference of the Mexican-American characters, especially in the gang culture by describing the many spider-like tattoos covering the arms of the young men and the teardrop tattoos adorning the faces of the cholas. The young boys and young men wear the “uniform” of the gang member which includes a hair net, bandana, and Dickies cut off at the knees. Angel who is a gang member and even young Samuel are described as wearing this type of clothing. The depiction of this type of clothing is not a stereotype, but a true depiction of some Mexican American gang members. This comes from my own experiences growing up and from the author’s background as well.

Soto peppers the text with references to Eddie’s skin color. On page 130, Eddie is sneaking into Angel’s yard and the dog stops barking because he looks like Angel, “brown as dirt”. On page 5 Eddie says, “My face was no different from the face of a brown person lucky enough to hold down a city job.” And on page 10, the kids are described as “all shiny brown”.

 The book is sad and the reader can feel Eddie’s hopelessness, “For me, there wasn’t much to do except eat and sleep, watch out for drive-bys . . .” (p. 3), for his world is one of guns hidden in sock drawers, gang violence by those who still wear a crucifix around their necks, and hiding out—afraid of the phone and afraid of who might be at the door. But Eddie is different. He wants another life, he wants to start a new life and leave the drugs and violence behind. While some may criticize this depiction of a Mexican American character for being stereotypical and indicating that all young Mexican American men are gang members, drug users, and violent, I found it to be a realistic and gritty picture of what life is like for some Mexican Americans who live in barrios in the city. It’s not a pretty picture, but it is reality for some. This book is so important in that it can give an urban Latino teen a connection to literature if they see some part of their life or some part of their experiences in it. Quoting Frida Kahlo, Gary Soto has “painted his own reality” and it is the reality of many Hispanic teens.

 

Awards:

A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

An ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Americas Award Commended Book

Recommended by the Consortium of Latin American Studies Program

Review Excerpts:

Kirkus Reviews: “Unrelenting . . . a valuable tale . . . one that makes no concessions.”

School Library Journal: “A powerful and thought-provoking read.”

Booklist: “Soto’s clear, finely honed poet’s voice shines in this tale of barrio life.”

Connections:

The author’s website: www.garysoto.com

A blog promoting Latino authors and literacy: http://www.latinabookclub.com/

A website dedicated to Hispanic Heritage: http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/

Young Adult Latino Literature:  http://ccb.lis.illinois.edu/Projects/Additions%20on%209-20-07/CCB/CCB/mhommel2/youngadult.htm

Austin Public Library Hispanic Teen Literature: http://www.connectedyouth.org/books/index.cfm?booklist=hispanicteen