Pedro & Daniel
Pedro & Daniel
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Publisher's Hardcover ©2023--
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Chronicle Books
Annotation: KIRKUS BEST OF THE YEAR Pedro and Daniel are Mexican American brothers growing up in 1970s Ohio. Their mom doesn’t like ... more
 
Reviews: 4
Catalog Number: #353124
Format: Publisher's Hardcover
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Copyright Date: 2023
Edition Date: 2023 Release Date: 06/06/23
Illustrator: Kwon, Julie,
Pages: xii, 425 pages
ISBN: 1-646-14304-3
ISBN 13: 978-1-646-14304-7
Dewey: Fic
Dimensions: 24 cm
Language: English
Reviews:
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Mon Apr 03 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A poignant look at brotherhood.This fictionalized version of real events explores the author's relationship with his brother, Daniel, who died at age 30 in 1993. Written in a lyrical style that mixes prose with occasional poetry and poignant illustrations, the stories are presented mostly from the two brothers' points of view, with the added perspectives of adults in the community. This creative format also includes many dichos, or proverbs, some of which are Mexican in origin; an appendix lists them in both Spanish and English. In this truly immersive, often melancholic narrative, readers are introduced to the boys' physically and emotionally abusive mother, who directs homophobic slurs at them. Despite their struggles, their sibling bond shines through: In one story, the kindergarten teacher asks the children to share "their one true treasure," and Pedro brings Daniel to class. Years later, they look at the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt on display in Washington, D.C., and contemplate their differing beliefs about God and religion. Throughout, they're constantly forging and completing each other's developing selves. Both boys are gay and struggle with issues of mental health and neurodivergence. Something else that pulls them together is their deep love for Mexico, where they went every summer as children to visit family. Through the AIDS pandemic, they learn to rely on each other when Daniel tests positive for HIV. Pedro and Daniel's journey, whether together or apart, is an unforgettable one of resilience and, most of all, love.Stunning. (resources, author's note) (Fiction. 12-18)

ALA Booklist (Wed Jul 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Pedro and Daniel are brothers growing up in 1970s Ohio who share an everlasting bond. From a young age, they endure the hardships tied to abuse, colorism, homophobia, and generational trauma from not only their mother but also the rest of the world. These experiences shape them throughout their adolescence and into adulthood as they navigate school, relationships, coming out, and the AIDS epidemic. Though as adults their lives take them down different paths, they find that the love that they have for each other is as special as it was years ago. This is a beautiful and raw story of two Mexican American boys trying to survive in a world where they only have each other to rely on. Erebia uses lyrical prose coupled with dichos, or proverbs, to capture the reader from the first page. With alternating viewpoints that tell the heartbreaking and sometimes happy moments throughout Pedro's and Daniel's lives, readers will find themselves unable to put this book down. A powerful coming-of-age story, Erebia's debut is a title that is unforgettable.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A poignant look at brotherhood.This fictionalized version of real events explores the author's relationship with his brother, Daniel, who died at age 30 in 1993. Written in a lyrical style that mixes prose with occasional poetry and poignant illustrations, the stories are presented mostly from the two brothers' points of view, with the added perspectives of adults in the community. This creative format also includes many dichos, or proverbs, some of which are Mexican in origin; an appendix lists them in both Spanish and English. In this truly immersive, often melancholic narrative, readers are introduced to the boys' physically and emotionally abusive mother, who directs homophobic slurs at them. Despite their struggles, their sibling bond shines through: In one story, the kindergarten teacher asks the children to share "their one true treasure," and Pedro brings Daniel to class. Years later, they look at the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt on display in Washington, D.C., and contemplate their differing beliefs about God and religion. Throughout, they're constantly forging and completing each other's developing selves. Both boys are gay and struggle with issues of mental health and neurodivergence. Something else that pulls them together is their deep love for Mexico, where they went every summer as children to visit family. Through the AIDS pandemic, they learn to rely on each other when Daniel tests positive for HIV. Pedro and Daniel's journey, whether together or apart, is an unforgettable one of resilience and, most of all, love.Stunning. (resources, author's note) (Fiction. 12-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this luminous semi-autobiographical debut, told across five parts starting in the late 1960s, Erebia shares interconnected stories that render fictionalized versions of himself and his younger brother. While Mexican American Pedro is technically older than Daniel, the brothers are “very much alike, as if they are twins born fifteen months apart.” Though they live with three sisters and an older brother, Pedro and Daniel endure the brunt of their mother’s physical and verbal abuse, as she singles both out for their refusal to play sports (“Mom says all her boys must like sports.... There will be no exceptions!”). She disparages Pedro in particular for inheriting his father’s darker skin tone. Erebia mixes the brothers’ illuminating alternating third-person POVs with perspectives of adults throughout their community to present a layered, thoroughly riveting telling that follows Pedro and Daniel from 1968 toddlerhood to young adulthood in 1992. As the pair chase their respective dreams of being a priest and a doctor, navigate suicidal ideation, and combat discrimination based on colorism, neurodivergence, race, sexuality, and terminal illness, Erebia deftly weaves together the boys’ everyday joys with the seriousness of their situations, presenting a clear portrait of two brothers’ fierce love that is by turns uplifting and heart-wrenching. Emotive illustrations by Kwon (Peter Lee’s Notes from the Field) appear throughout. Ages 12–up. (June)

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Mon Apr 03 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
ALA Booklist (Wed Jul 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
Reading Level: 5.5
Interest Level: 9-12

KIRKUS BEST OF THE YEAR

Pedro and Daniel are Mexican American brothers growing up in 1970s Ohio. Their mom doesn’t like that Pedro is a spitting image of their darker-skinned father, that Daniel plays with dolls, that neither of the boys love sports like the other kids in their neighborhood. Life at home can be rough – but the boys have an unshakable bond that will last their entire lives.

Pedro & Daniel is a sweeping and deeply personal novel – illustrated with beautiful linework throughout by Julie Kwon – that spans from childhood to teenage years to adulthood, all the while tracing the lives of two brothers who are there for each other when no one else is. Together the brothers manage an abusive home life, school, coming out, first loves, first jobs, and the AIDS epidemic, in a coming-of-age story unlike any other.

P R A I S E

★ “Pedro and Daniel’s journey, whether together or apart, is an unforgettable one of resilience and, most of all, love. Stunning.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred)

★ “Luminous. Riveting. Uplifting and heart-wrenching.”
Publishers Weekly (starred)

★ “Devastatingly beautiful.”
Shelf-Awareness (starred)

“A powerful coming-of-age story that is unforgettable.”
Booklist

“Artistically ambitious and unflinchingly personal…shines with the depiction of connection, love, and overcoming adversity.”
BCCB

“A multi-layered and nuanced story.”
School Library Connection


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