Reviews: (by author)

Soto, Gary. Taking Sides. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc., 1991. $5.95. ISBN 0-15-204694-1. 154 pp.              

Like the title implies, Taking Sides is about a boy's search for identity in two dramatically different settings. Eighth grade main character Lincoln Mendoza has recently moved from the Bay Area's poverty stricken Mission District to the wealthier suburbs of Sycamore. Now he is one of only a few Hispanic students at a predominantly white high school. While Lincoln is able to share a common interest of basketball with some of the white students on his new basketball team, outside of school he finds it hard to relate to his new surroundings. When Lincoln goes back to the Mission to visit his friends he finds that he is no longer accepted by them because he has moved to a white area. Lincoln's dilemma becomes how to integrate with his new environment while still trying to be loyal to the area and lifestyle that he was raised in.               

Throughout the story Spanish sentences are included in the text with an English translation immediately following which gives an authentic feel to the story.  An example of this occurs when Lincoln is visiting a Hispanic family friend who says, "Ay, mi'jo. Que grande te has puesto. How tall you've gotten." The use of Spanish also helps to show conflict in the story. Lincoln and his mother also break into Spanish mid sentence or include Spanish words in their English. This technique helps to illustrate part of the cultural dilemma that Lincoln is experiencing in Sycamore.  Another example of Lincoln's conflict is shown when Lincoln returns to the Mission and learns the whereabouts of his family's television which had been stolen when he still lived there. His friend Tony suggests they use violence to pressure the pawn shop owner selling his television to disclose where the television came from.  When Lincoln declines the suggestion Tony accuses him of going soft after living with white people. This frustrates Lincoln because he feels alienated from his friend. This and other examples show the contrast in environment between the experiences of someone growing up in an inner city environment and someone growing up in a suburban rural environment.               

Taking Sides is the first part of Lincoln's story which concludes in a separate book, Pacific Crossing. Included in the back of the book is a guide for the Spanish words and phrases used in the story and also the first several chapters from Pacific Crossing.

Recommended
Neal Schneider, May 2004

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