Synopses & Reviews
Daniel Chacin follows his critically praised debut collection of short stories, Chicano Chicanery, with this brilliant debut novel, destined to become a classic in Chicano-American literature.
Joey Molina had never been in a fight. The very thought of violence upset him. He only wanted to be an actor, and so he read plays and learned new words with his mother.
When he's cast in the lead role in the school play, he's eager to go home and tell his family about it, but his parents have an announcement of their own.
In a climb up the socioeconomic ladder, the Molinas move from their Central California barrio to a small town in Oregon where they are one of only three Latino families. The kids in Joey's school assume that since he's a Chicano from California, he must know about gangs and street life. This is when Joey assumes the acting role of his young life.
In order to win instant popularity, fear, and respect, he tells everyone that he was in a gang, that he was a member of vato loco, a tough street gang who fought with knifes and chains, and yes, sometimes guns (Sometimes death was involved, he tells them). The kids listen to his stories with rapt attention. When they urge Joey to start a gang in their small Oregon town, he does, and his new friends become unwitting actors in the comedy of which he is the writer, the director, and the star. However, after years of posturing as a tough guy, he wonders, is he a gang leader, or is he still acting?
In the gang fight battle royal, Joey Molina must face his most powerful rivals, his family, and himself. Daniel Chacin renders the heart and soul of his memorable characters with extraordinary insight, crafting aprofound story that resonates with emotional intensity.
Review
"and the shadows took him [is] full of electricity. There's wit here, and suspense, and something even more valuable: plain old wisdom....[O]ne of the most exciting novelistic debuts in a long, long time."
--Steve Yarbrough, author of Oxygen Man and Visible Spirits
Review
"The plot extends like a dead man's arm into a dysfunctional family's life."
--San Antonio Express-News
Review
Rudolfo Anaya In many ways and the shadows took him is a study which lays bare the desires and motives of a family in conflict. The family disintegrates as it struggles to escape the rule of the tyrannical father. The captivating portrayal of young Joey makes this a Greek rites of passage drama told from a Chicano point of view.
Review
"[A] memorable family portrait which demonstrates incredible insight into the dark side of fitting in."
--El Paso Times (#1 bestseller)
Synopsis
In the barrio of Fresno, California, the Molina family is living out the Chicano version of the American Dream. Father William works on an assembly line while his wife, the well-bred beauty Rachel, stays at home to care for their three children--and to keep them off the streets. But when William is offered an opportunity to enter the ranks of the middle class, he quits his job, packs up the Ford Maverick, and transports the Molinas to a brand-new world: the small town of Medford, Oregon.
So begins the dramatic transformation of youngest son and aspiring actor Joey, who assumes the role of a vato loco gang member in order to win the respect and fear of his gringo classmates. While Joey tries to make himself popular with tall tales of guns and glory, his father embarks on a bitter struggle to develop his career and combat age-old cultural stereotypes. How William's extraordinary efforts and deepening despair affect the lives of his loved ones is at the heart of this haunting and incandescent novel--one destined to become a classic in Chicano-American literature.
About the Author
Daniel Chacón, author of Chicano Chicanery, has been published in many journals and anthologies. He currently teaches graduate fiction writing at the University of Texas, El Paso.