Useful Fools

by C.A. Schmidt

Alonso, a dirt-poor teenager living in Peru, helps out at the public health clinic his mother, Magdalena, opened, so that he can see Rosa, the beautiful and wealthy daughter of the clinic’s doctor. Alonso and Rosa are both shattered when Magdalena is assassinated by a revolutionary terrorist organization. Left with no hope, Alonso might be seduced into becoming a guerrilla in the same organization that killed his mother. Rosa becomes disgusted with her father’s complacency and leaves wealth and safety behind to somehow help what is left of Alonso’s family. In this comingof- age novel, C. A. Schmidt tells the story of how love can find its way through poverty and war.

Genres: Young Adult, Cultural, Historical Fiction

262 pages, Hardcover

First published August 16, 2007

About the author

As a kid, I found my adventures in books. Historical fiction, fantasy, sci-fi. And lots of dog stories. I was the poster child for the Chester Public Library.
But no one can read all the time. So I also became a runner, trained dogs, and worked in an animal shelter.
When I grew up I went to South America. I worked as a journalist and traveled through jungles and deserts, met presidents and terrorists. I lived through a war. It was exciting. It was also terrifying, awful, and heartbreaking. Sometimes the worst things make you feel the most alive.
My books are about that. The things that make you feel alive. I put strong kids in unusual situations, dangerous situations. Then I see what happens.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Depressing, disturbing - well-written, but very dark. Set in Peru, it deals with the disparity between poverty and wealth, and the extremes of the communist revolution. With all kinds of terrorism, it is more important to understand and treat the underlying causes because treating the symptom only makes it worse.

[Katerina · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book Useful Fools by Schmidt C.A. this story is about Alonso who is 15 and completely in love with Rosa, the daughter of the doctor who works at the public health clinic in his town. He looks forward to every Saturday when they both assist at the clinic. However, both their lives are forever changed when Alonso’s mother is assassinated by revolutionary forces. Alonso must flee with his remaining family to another town to escape further persecution from the revolution. Yet even in a new town Alonso is not safe. He gets into contact with his best friend Rodolfo who has suffered at the hand of the Peruvian police. Because of his losses due to police brutality, Rodolfo has become enamored with the revolution and encourages Alonso to join him fight against the government.
Alonso soon finds himself in a serious moral dilemma. Does he turn his back on his friend who has helped out his family? Does he join the people who assassinated his mother? Or should he do nothing and become a potential victim again? The Book has several strengths chief among them the characters of Alonso and Rosa. They were compelling characters that helped to keep the story moving along. Their romance was not only very sweet, but also helps to set up the political and cultural climate of class divisions and revolution. The story shifts back and forth from their perspectives.
This adds an element of suspense, especially as their lives become increasingly endangered due to rising violence. Readers will want to finish the book if only to see how their relationship is resolved. Regrettably, there were also some weaknesses. I found it hard to believe that Alonso would be swept up in the movement and join the revolutionary group that had just murdered his mother. Especially since the revolutionaries only conversed in tired clichés and unconvincing rhetoric. It was also somewhat difficult to understand the political and cultural landscape of Peru. Useful Fools is set during a time of incredible political unrest when average people were caught between a corrupt police force and revolutionary terrorists. According to the author’s note nearly 70,000 Peruvians died during this time period. Unfortunately, this author’s note comes at the end of the story. Readers who are unfamiliar with Peru’s political history might find it difficult to grasp the various political background necessary to fully understand the story. It would have been much more helpful to have this note at the beginning of the novel to familiarize readers before they began reading.
Although the book had some weakness, it was a really good book to read. It taught me a lot about how I have it nice where I am and stresses how during the revolution the times were at its worse. I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in Hispanic culture. I gave this book four out of five stars because the main character really pulls through the tough times. This book had some really sad moments but it also sad some compelling moments, I feel like the sadder the moment the more attached I get to the character.

[Tommy Cappilupo · Rating 2 out of 5]

i really dint like this book it to much of a love story kind of book thats why i gave it 2 stars and im not into that. i like action books and advanture book. but the book is about a girl who has a thing with alonso who is not a rich boy but the girl her family is very rich but her father is a very bad man. when alonso moms dies and he is stuck in this camp alone that the girls father put him in thegirl leves her father and all the money to go be with him. if you want to find out more you have to read it.(alonso says are you sure you wanna do this are you sure you wanna give everthing up to be with me) itss a big deal because it shows that she is giving up all her money to be with him because she loves him. it connects to class because in high school so many kids dont do sports or dont go out with there frienfds because they wouuld rather be wit there girl friend or boy friend. people who love love stories this is the book for you

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This portrayal of the life of boy in the slums of Peru whose difficult existence is made all but unbearable by the violence of the Communist Sederista movement. His love for an upper class girl whose father treated patients in the free clinic managed by his mother was a further complication as she is light-skinned and he dark--an additional divide to the already huge economic one that makes a relationship impossible.

The author was a journalist in the region at the time of the events of the setting, and the book reads as if nonfiction is really her forte. The characters and dialogue never really clicked into being for me.

[Rani B]

good book, useful fools was a book about how in parts of mexico there are wars being fought to get the people what the deserve. Magada was a main character that was killed for not listening to the peoples party, whitch was the party fighting for freedom. Magada was a useful fool, in whitch the benifeted off of her death. Her son, Alonso, wanted to find who killed her to get revenge, all the people who died where useful fools to them, for not listening, but killing them for a reason. in the end Rosa, the girl who witnessed the murder, got with Alonso. They loved each other, and were sad when they had to leave each other, so that they would be safe.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story on the Communist resurrection in Peru as shown through a young man's struggles. Shows the difference of the haves and have nots and how the have nots were treated, why the have nots joined the Communist "revolution" and how they came to realize that it too was just another form of tyranny and dictatorship and how it could be even more brutally violent than the government trying to suppress the terrorists.

[Lori Clark-Erickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lexile: 630
Historical Event / Time Period: 1960s-1990s, Perusian Revolution
Liked: The most exciting part of the book was when Alonso's mom gets blown up.
Disliked: It was slow and boring and difficult to read.
Summary: This book is about a 15 year old boy living in Peru, named Alonso. He trieds to help his mother, a nurse, to help sick and injured people from the Revolutionary fighting. Most takes place in Mira Flores, Peru.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took a little while to read, but it was definately worth it. I never thought I could get into an historical fiction book, but this book proved me wrong! This book isn't strictly fact and made me want to yell at the characters, "DON'T DO IT!!!". Few books can get that kind of reaction out of me. Very good!

[Cece Salgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

i actually loved this book! it made me laugh, cry & be in pure suspence. Its about a poor peruvian boy who's life falls apart when his mother is killed by revoluntionists. he goes through a series of life changing events & trys to correct his mistakes. bt sadly there is no happy ending. lol but you should read it :)

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but I thought that it could use more editing. The story was nice but the author did not write it as well as he could have. I think it should have been reviewed more before it was published. I would recommend it to anyone who likes learning about living in poverty and how difficult life can be for certain people.

[Brandon Tietz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. It was about a boy named Alonso and his girl friend Rosa. They r Living a normal teenage life in Peru. Until his mom is kidnaped by a gang. The rest of the book is him trying to save his mom from the gang. It was not the best book I have read but it's not the worst.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-done book on a tough subject.

[Melisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great! I loved the entire story. I cried and laughed reading the book and that's what a great author does.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

REAL good!! It was a real eyeopener! Deep story, sad end but happy =) Really enjoyed this