Mexican WhiteBoy

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. San Diego (Chapter 1)

2. To hit the tennis ball over the Rodriguez’s house (Chapter 2)

Short Answer

1. Uno underwent a major growth spurt this summer, transforming him from a boy to a man (at least physically speaking). Danny sees Uno as being “stronger, quicker, taller” and “a better fighter” than most other boys in the neighborhood. (Chapter 2)

2. Uno feels threated by Danny’s abilities in stickball because he is protective about his record as the best stickball player in the neighborhood. Danny and Uno get into a scuffle after Danny accidentally hits Uno’s little brother Manny, which leads to Uno shoving Danny and Danny being thrown to the ground, where he hits his head. (Chapter 3)

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. The pupils (Chapter 4)

2. Uncle Tommy’s (Chapter 5)

Short Answer

1. Sofia lets Uno know that the reason he dislikes Danny is because he’s a skilled baseball player. In confronting Uno, she commands a level of respect from him as one of the few peers who can speak the truth to him directly. (Chapter 6)

Chapters 7-9

1. A Colt 45 (Chapter 7)

2. Liberty (Chapter 9)

Short Answer

1. Lolo thinks the booth is rigged because his pitches are clocking slower than he thinks they should be. He demands his money back from the man running the booth. (Chapter 8)

Chapters 10-13

Reading Check

1. A yoga class (Chapter 10)

2. A wisher (Chapter 11)

Short Answer

1. Uno chances upon Danny’s daily regimen of sit-ups and push-ups at the park. Uno shares a story from his childhood in which his father shows up to the Little League field high on drugs, and the boys bond over having difficult relationships with their fathers. (Chapter 12)

2. Danny’s painful memories involve his father. He recalls how his dad barely spoke to him growing up, and that they would sit on the couch together while Danny’s dad got high on drugs. (Chapter 13)

Chapters 14-17

Reading Check

1. His mom, Wendy (Chapter 14)

2. Carmelo (Chapter 15)

Short Answer

1. He goes to a nearby liquor store to get a drink and read baseball magazines. He also composes a letter to his dad in his mind that is filled with wishful thinking about him making San Diego’s most prestigious travel team. (Chapter 16)

2. He says he doesn’t understand why someone with so many advantages would do that to themselves. Danny says he doesn’t know. (Chapter 17)

Chapters 18-20

Reading Check

1. In a field in Logan Heights (Chapter 18)

2. Hope (Chapter 20)

Short Answer

1. A kid breaks into Senior’s home. Senior tackles him, and the boy ends up confessing that he wants to be arrested to get out of taking responsibility for unexpectedly fathering a child. Senior ends up giving the boy the money, and releasing him. The moral of this story is that people are capable of change; in earlier times, Senior would have beaten the boy severely rather than listen to his story. (Chapter 19)

Chapters 21-23

1. To Ensenada (Chapter 21)

2. That his father hit Danny’s mother (Chapter 22)

Short Answer

1. Uno’s mother announces that she is having a baby with Ernesto. This disrupts Uno’s plan to move away to Oxnard. (Chapter 23)

Chapters 24-27

Reading Check

1. Danny’s own father (Chapter 24)

2. To college (Chapter 26)

Short Answer

1. Danny is disturbed by the incident with Uncle Ray, but because he does not say that to Uno directly, it makes Uno feel as though Danny’s oddness may have to do with something he’s done or said. Uno worries that they are growing apart. (Chapter 25)

Chapters 28-30

Reading Check

1. The Coaster (Chapter 28)

2. Chicken enchiladas (Chapter 29)

Short Answer

1. He feels content sitting and watching the sunrise, and he no longer feels the need to engage in self-harm. He is optimistic about the future, as his life finally seems to be coming together. (Chapter 30)