American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-Scott - OPTIONAL

American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-Scott, 323 pages. Henry Holt and Co., 2018. $18. 

Language: R (92 swears, 0 Fs); Mature Content: PG-13 (kissing, mild drug use and references, talk of suicide, descriptions of war, some peril); Violence: PG-13;

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Life has not been easy for high school junior Teodoro Avila since his big brother, and hero, Manny was deployed to Iraq. His parents barely speak anymore, his dad's unemployment forced a move to a rundown rental house, and T’s grades are anything but college-worthy. All that changes one day when T runs into an old family friend, Wendy Martinez, who just happens to be gorgeous. T decides then to make a life plan: turn his life around so he can get to college and get the girl. The plan starts out great and T’s grades improve as his connection to Wendy grows. Life seems even better when the news comes that Manny is just a few months away from coming home. T can’t wait for Manny to see what he’s making of himself and he secretly hopes the family will finally go back to the way they were before Manny left. Unfortunately, Manny’s return is not everything that the family dreamed of because Manny is suffering from PTSD and struggles to adjust to life at home. As the situation becomes more desperate, T and his sister, Xochitl, decide to take desperate measures to save Manny, even if it means a major change of plans for Teodoro. 

I wasn’t sure about this book at first, but it really grew on me and by the end, I was in tears. The characters were well developed and even though I couldn’t specifically relate to them or their situation, I was invested in their story and cared about what happened to them.  At its heart, this book is a love story, but not just the mushy, teenage-angst-ridden-first-kiss kind of love. Teodoro, does fall in love for the first time and it’s a powerful motivator, but more important is his love for his family, particularly Manny. It’s this familial love that drives the narrative and drives T’s decisions and in the end it’s what makes all the difference. The themes of love and family are universal and so even though I don’t have first-hand experience with what Teodoro is going through, I still felt like I could relate to his love for his family. I also liked that the main character is male, Hispanic, has a Polynesian best friend, and his parents are still together. This book is kind of niche-y, but it could really be helpful for kids who tend to be under-represented. I think it’s an important book to have on hand, particularly for certain areas and populations, so I’ve given it an advisable. Even though there are a lot of swear words, they were mild and mostly used as an exclamation rather than in anger. As the majority of the story revolves around Manny’s struggle to overcome the symptoms of PTSD, there are some stressful and anxious moments, including an episode where Teodoro prevents Manny’s suicide, leading to the PG-13s in mature content and violence. 

Reviewer: Andrea R