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The Gringo Champion
WINNER OF THE MAURICIO ACHAR PRIZE FOR FICTION
Liborio has to leave Mexico, a land that has taught him little more than a keen instinct for survival. He crosses the Rio Bravo, like so many others, to reach "the promised land." And in a barrio like any other, in some gringo city, this illegal immigrant tells his story.
As Liborio narrates his memories we discover a childhood scarred by malnutrition and abandonment, an adolescence lived with a sense of having nothing to lose. In his new home, he finds a job at a bookstore. He falls in love with a woman so intensely that his fantasies of her verge on obsession. And, finally, he finds himself on a path that just might save him: he becomes a boxer.
Liborio's story is constructed in a dazzling language that reflects the particular culture of border towns and expresses both resistance and fascination.
This is a migrants' story of deracination, loneliness, fear, and finally, love told in a sparkling, innovative prose. It's Million Dollar Baby meets The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and a story of migration and hope that is as topical as it is timeless.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Liborio has to leave Mexico, a land that has taught him little more than a keen instinct for survival. He crosses the Rio Bravo, like so many others, to reach "the promised land." And in a barrio like any other, in some gringo city, this illegal immigrant tells his story.
As Liborio narrates his memories we discover a childhood scarred by malnutrition and abandonment, an adolescence lived with a sense of having nothing to lose. In his new home, he finds a job at a bookstore. He falls in love with a woman so intensely that his fantasies of her verge on obsession. And, finally, he finds himself on a path that just might save him: he becomes a boxer.
Liborio's story is constructed in a dazzling language that reflects the particular culture of border towns and expresses both resistance and fascination.
This is a migrants' story of deracination, loneliness, fear, and finally, love told in a sparkling, innovative prose. It's Million Dollar Baby meets The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and a story of migration and hope that is as topical as it is timeless.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2015
44 people are currently reading
1432 people want to read
About the author
Aura Xilonen
3 books24 followersAura Xilonen is a novelist and filmmaker. She won the 2015 Premio Mauricio Achar for her first novel, Gringo Champion, published in Mexico under a pseudonym when she was just 19.
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from http://www.europaeditions.co.uk/book/...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
February 2, 2017
Although The Gringo Champion is written in the first person, we don’t learn the narrator’s name – Liborio – until about half way through the book. There’s a reason for this: as an illegal immigrant striving to survive, Liborio straddles the border between Mexico and the U.S., one of many whose names and identities have become amorphous.
Abandoned and unloved as a child, forced to endure incredible hardships to live each day, Liborio is redeemed by the strength of his own will to survive, his intense love for a “fantasy” woman named Aureen who seems beyond his grasp, and his job in a bookstore.
What makes this book ascend beyond others that focus on the power of hope and resilience (heroes can be born anywhere on Earth and under any circumstances) is its mesmerizing and totally unique language. It’s raw, intense, palpitating and real. (I thought more than once of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao). The author has a message for those squeamish souls who dislike the use of “bad words” in novels: “…all those muddled respectable words, those goddamn little ladies with sickly-sweet frills…I prefer whores, words that say everything in one fell shitkicker.” It is astounding to Liborio – as well it should be – that people cringe because of words but turn their backs on truly obscene deeds.
The Gringo Champion is not prettied up but it is intensely powerful and superbly on target. The flashbacks – written in italics – of Liborio’s story of migration will touch all but the hardest hearts. Non-manipulative and often unpredictable, The Gringo Champion was written by a nineteen-year-old, with sensibilities and insights are mature and fully-developed. Ms. Xilonen’s creative use of language had to be an incredible challenge to translate, and my hat’s off to translator Andrea Rosenberg, who rose to the occasion superbly. The book jacket promises “the brutal language of the streets with the poetics of literary diction” and indeed, it delivers in spades.
Abandoned and unloved as a child, forced to endure incredible hardships to live each day, Liborio is redeemed by the strength of his own will to survive, his intense love for a “fantasy” woman named Aureen who seems beyond his grasp, and his job in a bookstore.
What makes this book ascend beyond others that focus on the power of hope and resilience (heroes can be born anywhere on Earth and under any circumstances) is its mesmerizing and totally unique language. It’s raw, intense, palpitating and real. (I thought more than once of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao). The author has a message for those squeamish souls who dislike the use of “bad words” in novels: “…all those muddled respectable words, those goddamn little ladies with sickly-sweet frills…I prefer whores, words that say everything in one fell shitkicker.” It is astounding to Liborio – as well it should be – that people cringe because of words but turn their backs on truly obscene deeds.
The Gringo Champion is not prettied up but it is intensely powerful and superbly on target. The flashbacks – written in italics – of Liborio’s story of migration will touch all but the hardest hearts. Non-manipulative and often unpredictable, The Gringo Champion was written by a nineteen-year-old, with sensibilities and insights are mature and fully-developed. Ms. Xilonen’s creative use of language had to be an incredible challenge to translate, and my hat’s off to translator Andrea Rosenberg, who rose to the occasion superbly. The book jacket promises “the brutal language of the streets with the poetics of literary diction” and indeed, it delivers in spades.
April 17, 2017
4.5 stars, rounded up for its sheer audacity
If you are at all offended by profanity, then this is not the book for you! There are plenty of swear words interspersed with some of the most creative language I've read - a plethora of fabricated words, and words used in non-standard ways and yet somehow the meaning is always crystal clear. As such, I am in complete awe of the translator. Although this could be a quick read, I chose to spread it out by reading a little at a time so that the somewhat frenetic language did not become exhausting.
The Gringo Champion tells the story of Liberio, a 17 year old Mexican with a habit of getting himself into trouble, who has found his way (illegally) to the US. His salvation comes in the unlikely guise of boxing, as well as his friendships with mentors and other kids in a shelter for homeless children. I enjoyed the flashback interchanges between Liberio and his former boss (these being where much of the creative profanity starred) and was quite moved by his friendship with a young disabled girl in the shelter.
Ultimately, I found this to be a tale of hope and redemption. At times, it felt slightly naive, but in some ways that added to its charm.
All in all, this book was a breath of fresh air and I really enjoyed it.
If you are at all offended by profanity, then this is not the book for you! There are plenty of swear words interspersed with some of the most creative language I've read - a plethora of fabricated words, and words used in non-standard ways and yet somehow the meaning is always crystal clear. As such, I am in complete awe of the translator. Although this could be a quick read, I chose to spread it out by reading a little at a time so that the somewhat frenetic language did not become exhausting.
The Gringo Champion tells the story of Liberio, a 17 year old Mexican with a habit of getting himself into trouble, who has found his way (illegally) to the US. His salvation comes in the unlikely guise of boxing, as well as his friendships with mentors and other kids in a shelter for homeless children. I enjoyed the flashback interchanges between Liberio and his former boss (these being where much of the creative profanity starred) and was quite moved by his friendship with a young disabled girl in the shelter.
Ultimately, I found this to be a tale of hope and redemption. At times, it felt slightly naive, but in some ways that added to its charm.
All in all, this book was a breath of fresh air and I really enjoyed it.
April 21, 2017
Well that was a surprise, in the BEST possible way. More thoughts to come.
February 19, 2020
The Gringo Champion is a typical Cinderella story where the seemingly magical talents of a common immigrant boy find their way to their successful use. It’s an entertaining story that maintains itself through repeated cycles of banter, affection, and action, which are all conveyed with a feeling of sensitivity behind the words. The highlights of this book rest with Xilonen’s depictions of love, which she shows to be a universally human emotion.
Missing from The Gringo Champion is any meaningful insight into Mexican culture or commentary on the topic of immigration. At times, Xilonen calls attention to these topics in acknowledgement of their presence, but she purposely keeps them at a distance. In doing so, however, she sacrifices a deeper understanding of her main character, Liborio. The result is a superficial feel-good book, but not much more than that.
This is the first novel by a young writer. As such, it shows that good writing in the absence of relevant life experiences can result in a mostly prosaic book. I can only imagine what this book could have been had Xilonen embedded herself with a migrant caravan that was seeking its way to the United States and continued to follow up on the immigrants’ successes and failures. The Gringo Champion with this sort of foundation would have been much more than it is.
Missing from The Gringo Champion is any meaningful insight into Mexican culture or commentary on the topic of immigration. At times, Xilonen calls attention to these topics in acknowledgement of their presence, but she purposely keeps them at a distance. In doing so, however, she sacrifices a deeper understanding of her main character, Liborio. The result is a superficial feel-good book, but not much more than that.
This is the first novel by a young writer. As such, it shows that good writing in the absence of relevant life experiences can result in a mostly prosaic book. I can only imagine what this book could have been had Xilonen embedded herself with a migrant caravan that was seeking its way to the United States and continued to follow up on the immigrants’ successes and failures. The Gringo Champion with this sort of foundation would have been much more than it is.
August 13, 2017
W Stanach Zjednoczonych, publikacja „Jankeskiego Fajtera” zeszła się z objęciem władzy przez nowego prezydenta i tym samym od razu stała się powieścią politycznie zaangażowaną, względem której ludzie ustosunkowują się nie tylko poprzez jej własną wartość i treść, ale ze względu na to, w którym obozie chcą się znaleźć, co sądzą o meksykańskiej imigracji i jak postrzegają jej potencjalne efekty. Na szczęście, w Polsce, czytelnicy mogą spojrzeć na powieść obiektywnie, odrzucając polityczne szkiełko i skupiają się na samej historii. A ta wciąga i inspiruje, wzrusza i bawi jednocześnie, poraża naturalnością i szczerością. To historia, która jest częścią dziedzictwa pogranicza. Nie pierwszą i pewnie nie ostatnią, ale dającą nadzieję, że gdzieś, ktoś naprawdę spełni swój amerykański sen.
March 20, 2016
Uffff, un bien merecido premio para esta escritora de sólo 20 años que nos regala una lectura divertida, compleja, dura, pelada, mexicanísima, con una prosa que cambia, que no aburre, un personaje que amas y una historia que te conquista. Lo gocé inmensamente!!!
May 10, 2019
Liborio, ein geläuterter Einwanderer, fängt nach den vielen Strapazen seiner illegalen Überfahrt als „Drecksmex für Alles“ bei einem alten, geizigen Buchhändler an, der ihn für viel zu dumm hält, um Buchdiebstahl zu begehen. Denn Liborio hasst Bücher. Die Buchstaben, Worte und dieses elende Sprachgeschnodder ergeben für ihn keinen Sinn; nicht mal nachdem er die Wörter versteht. Warum sollte ein ausgereifter Mensch seine wertvolle Zeit mit dem beschauen sinnentleerten Kauderwelschs verbringen? „Verfluchte fokkin Poeten!“
Geprägt durch eine brutale, gewalttätige und angsterfüllte Kindheit, gehasst von allen, ist sein Körper Stahl, der Wille zu überleben unbezwingbar. So hat Liborio keine Skrupel ein paar Widerlingen, die sich an einem jungen Mädchen sexuell aufladen die Fressen zu „trashen“.
———————
Kafka sagte einst: „Ein Buch muss die Axt sein für das gefrorene Meer in uns.“ „Gringo Champ“ ist nicht Axt, es ist Amboss. Neologismen, Hyperbeln, feine Charakterzeichnung, geniale Diktion. So präsentiert sich der Roman von Aura Xilonen, als ein modernes Märchen, in dem Liborio stets nur als Spielball seiner eigenen Umstände agiert, sich treiben lässt, kaum selbstständig handelt. Die brutale und recht obszöne Umsetzung der Sprache befindet sich dabei wunderbar mit der Geschichte im Einklang und unterstreicht die gesetzte Thematik perfekt. Zu dem entfaltet sich ein merklicher Wandel, der über die Zeit immer mehr an Bedeutung gewinnt und so eine interessante Charakterentwicklung beleuchtet. Die durchaus harte und drängende Kritik an der aktuellen Einwanderungspolitik entsteht dadurch eher sekundär, als durch stumpfe Exposition. Ein absolut gelungenes Meisterwerk mit einer einzigartigen, packenden Sprache, spleenigen Charakteren und einem herausragend sympathischen Helden.
Geprägt durch eine brutale, gewalttätige und angsterfüllte Kindheit, gehasst von allen, ist sein Körper Stahl, der Wille zu überleben unbezwingbar. So hat Liborio keine Skrupel ein paar Widerlingen, die sich an einem jungen Mädchen sexuell aufladen die Fressen zu „trashen“.
———————
Kafka sagte einst: „Ein Buch muss die Axt sein für das gefrorene Meer in uns.“ „Gringo Champ“ ist nicht Axt, es ist Amboss. Neologismen, Hyperbeln, feine Charakterzeichnung, geniale Diktion. So präsentiert sich der Roman von Aura Xilonen, als ein modernes Märchen, in dem Liborio stets nur als Spielball seiner eigenen Umstände agiert, sich treiben lässt, kaum selbstständig handelt. Die brutale und recht obszöne Umsetzung der Sprache befindet sich dabei wunderbar mit der Geschichte im Einklang und unterstreicht die gesetzte Thematik perfekt. Zu dem entfaltet sich ein merklicher Wandel, der über die Zeit immer mehr an Bedeutung gewinnt und so eine interessante Charakterentwicklung beleuchtet. Die durchaus harte und drängende Kritik an der aktuellen Einwanderungspolitik entsteht dadurch eher sekundär, als durch stumpfe Exposition. Ein absolut gelungenes Meisterwerk mit einer einzigartigen, packenden Sprache, spleenigen Charakteren und einem herausragend sympathischen Helden.
March 22, 2021
Language! Far from trepidatious, leaning toward ostentatious, and maybe monumendous! The outsdandingly original and descriptive and abrasive and fluid verbiage pulled me in. Liborio's story and his journey is one that grips. His passionate tug-o-war with Aireen and the subtle connection with Naomi are aggressive and sublime. The path to boxing is a bending arc in the road. I love the way this story is written, it pulled me in, but the amazing language subsided after awhile, and the story to me grew weary in the middle. Amazing inner dialogue was replaced by far-too-long lists and descriptions of things. But the story was saved in the end, it made a comeback! Maybe it wrapped up a little hastily, but overall I was left content, at-ease.
The chickadde enters the store, rumpling the air, ignoring the books piled up on the shelves and tables; she moves past and drills down in front of the counter. Jefe shriggles his eyebrows and rollicks his eyes as if he's trying not to stare at her chest.
I've never known whether fucking love at first sight or whatever, I don't know, actually exists, but the chickadee drove my peepers wild from the first moment I Looked up from the book I was reading. She seared my retinas. I forgot everything I was reading and couldn't look back down at the fucking book. Standing there like that - bestially, savagely beautiful - she filled the entire park with her astonishing self.
I move forward sybaritically, blotting my plump tears as I go like a striding amanuensis. I bound over the bushes. I roll under the cars. I leap up to the clouds to hasten the rain.
We laugh hard, loud, like a flawless burglary - punching holes in the walls to steal unimaginable treasures.
The chickadde enters the store, rumpling the air, ignoring the books piled up on the shelves and tables; she moves past and drills down in front of the counter. Jefe shriggles his eyebrows and rollicks his eyes as if he's trying not to stare at her chest.
I've never known whether fucking love at first sight or whatever, I don't know, actually exists, but the chickadee drove my peepers wild from the first moment I Looked up from the book I was reading. She seared my retinas. I forgot everything I was reading and couldn't look back down at the fucking book. Standing there like that - bestially, savagely beautiful - she filled the entire park with her astonishing self.
I move forward sybaritically, blotting my plump tears as I go like a striding amanuensis. I bound over the bushes. I roll under the cars. I leap up to the clouds to hasten the rain.
We laugh hard, loud, like a flawless burglary - punching holes in the walls to steal unimaginable treasures.
May 16, 2020
This should have been a short story perhaps. The language play is inventive and intriguing but it's masking a very young story, replete with superficial writing, once you scrape off the surprising syllables. As in:
What happened to your shoes?" she asks, standing up. I shrug. "Oh, dude, you just go from bad to worse, don't you?" She smiles at me for the first time, with a smile I suspect will remain tattooed on my retinas forever, because a person knows when something huge is happening right at the moment that it occurs. He smile is the most beautiful cataclysm I've ever seen. "I have to go, but I'll be back later," she says as she starts down the steps garbed in black workout leggings, a gray sweatershirt,
and sneakers.
"I love you." Did I say it or think it?
and so on. Not for me. A little too YA for my tastes I suppose.
What happened to your shoes?" she asks, standing up. I shrug. "Oh, dude, you just go from bad to worse, don't you?" She smiles at me for the first time, with a smile I suspect will remain tattooed on my retinas forever, because a person knows when something huge is happening right at the moment that it occurs. He smile is the most beautiful cataclysm I've ever seen. "I have to go, but I'll be back later," she says as she starts down the steps garbed in black workout leggings, a gray sweatershirt,
and sneakers.
"I love you." Did I say it or think it?
and so on. Not for me. A little too YA for my tastes I suppose.
January 9, 2022
This book totally astonished me. The writing is so confident as to be downright sexy--it basically had me in a permanent trance the whole week I was reading the book. My dad likes to say that The Cremation of Sam McGee proves that English is good for something beyond furniture assembly instructions, and this book does the same thing, which is perhaps even more amazing since it's a translation. Xilonen's (and the translator, Andrea Rosenberg's) use of language--the obscure academic words combined with the swear words combined with the totally made-up words--knocked my socks off from page one. I mean, who writes like this?:
- "All of them with their alphabeticated song and dance, all hat and no catacombs."
- "The sun is ergastulated under the rocks, kicking up burning dust, shards of insolar high tide."
- "I hear myself for the first time, as if I were somebody else, maybe a hog, unfurled, laughing uproariously as if the mechanism of laughter were autonomous and I its unbrakeable conduit."
- "Immediately, the guy's legs twist and he delapiflates, unable to even catch a breath."
It's like this on every single page. Spellbinding.
Between the language and the plot, reading The Gringo Champion felt a little bit like having a dream--I'd be reading along and then realize I had no idea what the hell was going on, but the confusion was pleasant and just sort of part of the experience. It occurred to me about three quarters of the way through that this book has a lot in common with The Outsiders, which is probably part of why I liked it so much. Like S.E. Hinton, Xilonen rooted her story in a group of teenagers who do not entirely trust the few adults in their lives; like Ponyboy's, Liborio's world is steeped in both violence and literature, which come together in interesting ways; like in The Outsiders, it is revealed (clunkily) near the end of The Gringo Champion that the whole book was written by the protagonist in order to tell his story for some specific purpose.
And in both books, it is very clear that the author is a teenager (both women began writing the novels at 16), mostly for better and occasionally for worse. For better: who captures a teenager's bizarre logic and intense emotions better than an actual teenager? For worse, somewhat: the book's logistics make no sense. For example, at one point, Liborio gets offered a job getting beat up at a boxing gym; goes to the boxing gym; punches a guy in the hand so hard that the guy's hand breaks; leaves the gym; sits on the stoop of the girl he has a crush on; gets picked up by some lady he quasi-met the week before, who drives him to her house in the suburbs; takes a bath and is given new clothes; and then gets mad at the lady and jogs back to the city while running away from some cops. (???) And while there's some dramatic tension around Liborio's love life and around his immigration status, the last 140 pages or so have essentially no tension at all--it's like half the book is denouement. I mostly found the teenagery elements charming, but I can also see them being annoying.
Overall, this was a super weird and fun book, and an absolutely masterful translation (with again the caveat that I haven't read the original). A good novel with which to kick off 2022.
- "All of them with their alphabeticated song and dance, all hat and no catacombs."
- "The sun is ergastulated under the rocks, kicking up burning dust, shards of insolar high tide."
- "I hear myself for the first time, as if I were somebody else, maybe a hog, unfurled, laughing uproariously as if the mechanism of laughter were autonomous and I its unbrakeable conduit."
- "Immediately, the guy's legs twist and he delapiflates, unable to even catch a breath."
It's like this on every single page. Spellbinding.
Between the language and the plot, reading The Gringo Champion felt a little bit like having a dream--I'd be reading along and then realize I had no idea what the hell was going on, but the confusion was pleasant and just sort of part of the experience. It occurred to me about three quarters of the way through that this book has a lot in common with The Outsiders, which is probably part of why I liked it so much. Like S.E. Hinton, Xilonen rooted her story in a group of teenagers who do not entirely trust the few adults in their lives; like Ponyboy's, Liborio's world is steeped in both violence and literature, which come together in interesting ways; like in The Outsiders, it is revealed (clunkily) near the end of The Gringo Champion that the whole book was written by the protagonist in order to tell his story for some specific purpose.
And in both books, it is very clear that the author is a teenager (both women began writing the novels at 16), mostly for better and occasionally for worse. For better: who captures a teenager's bizarre logic and intense emotions better than an actual teenager? For worse, somewhat: the book's logistics make no sense. For example, at one point, Liborio gets offered a job getting beat up at a boxing gym; goes to the boxing gym; punches a guy in the hand so hard that the guy's hand breaks; leaves the gym; sits on the stoop of the girl he has a crush on; gets picked up by some lady he quasi-met the week before, who drives him to her house in the suburbs; takes a bath and is given new clothes; and then gets mad at the lady and jogs back to the city while running away from some cops. (???) And while there's some dramatic tension around Liborio's love life and around his immigration status, the last 140 pages or so have essentially no tension at all--it's like half the book is denouement. I mostly found the teenagery elements charming, but I can also see them being annoying.
Overall, this was a super weird and fun book, and an absolutely masterful translation (with again the caveat that I haven't read the original). A good novel with which to kick off 2022.
July 17, 2020
5 días y 288 páginas después (en el kindle se sintieron muchísimas más). El primer libro que leo de la autora (hasta ahora el único), y que tenía ganas de leer desde hace algunos ayeres, pero creo que simplemente lo olvidé. El libro que le precedió a éste, fue de un tema fronterizo, así que se enlazaban correctamente.
Siendo una primera novela, creo es maravillosa, extensa y bien trabajada. por muchas partes intenté adivinar el rumbo de la trama, pero no le atiné a ninguna, y eso me llenó de emoción, desde ahí podemos darnos cuenta por qué ganó. También concuerdo con algunos comentarios en los que dicen que la historia la engulló, porque caemos en algunas descripciones que salen sobrando, lo cual nos da muchas más páginas de las necesarias, pero hey, la historia está tan bien estructurada que hay oportunidad de cortar de varios lados.
La narrativa de corrido no me encanta, soy una persona estructurada que necesita capitulos, y aunque los saltos que tiene el tiempo son muy claros y comprensibles, son demasiadoooooooooo repetitivos y cansados, es un recurso que gastó hasta el hartazgo.
Los personajes están bastante bien, y aunque creo que no a todos les van a gustar, se les llega a tomar un cariño, sobre todo si consideras el contexto de sus situaciones. Tenemos un poco de todo, pero en gabacho. Y bueno, las sensaciones que provoca pueden ser bastante diferentes para cada persona.
Finalmente, aunque es un tema desgastado, no es un tema que pase de moda, porque es un problema que México aún enfrenta, y pese a los cambios de gobierno y estructura, todo sigue mal, y por lo que parece seguirá así.
Probablemente habrá reseña.
Siendo una primera novela, creo es maravillosa, extensa y bien trabajada. por muchas partes intenté adivinar el rumbo de la trama, pero no le atiné a ninguna, y eso me llenó de emoción, desde ahí podemos darnos cuenta por qué ganó. También concuerdo con algunos comentarios en los que dicen que la historia la engulló, porque caemos en algunas descripciones que salen sobrando, lo cual nos da muchas más páginas de las necesarias, pero hey, la historia está tan bien estructurada que hay oportunidad de cortar de varios lados.
La narrativa de corrido no me encanta, soy una persona estructurada que necesita capitulos, y aunque los saltos que tiene el tiempo son muy claros y comprensibles, son demasiadoooooooooo repetitivos y cansados, es un recurso que gastó hasta el hartazgo.
Los personajes están bastante bien, y aunque creo que no a todos les van a gustar, se les llega a tomar un cariño, sobre todo si consideras el contexto de sus situaciones. Tenemos un poco de todo, pero en gabacho. Y bueno, las sensaciones que provoca pueden ser bastante diferentes para cada persona.
Finalmente, aunque es un tema desgastado, no es un tema que pase de moda, porque es un problema que México aún enfrenta, y pese a los cambios de gobierno y estructura, todo sigue mal, y por lo que parece seguirá así.
Probablemente habrá reseña.
January 30, 2017
Hace unas cuantas semanas mi papá terminó de leer este libro y me dijo que era una novela formidable. Además, la autora tenía solamente 19 años cuando lo escribió y ganó no se que premio importante de literatura en México. Creo en el gusto de mi padre, así que decidí leer "Campeón Gabacho", porque él no dejaba de insistir en que lo hiciera.
Desde la primera página noté que un estilo muy peculiar para escribir lo distinguía. Una especia de lenguaje inventado por la autora. Inmediatamente pensé en "La naranja mecánica", uno de los mejores libros que he leído y que tiene un idioma original del escritor. Pensé que le estaba copiando a Anthony Burgess, y me molesté, pero rápidamente me quedó claro que así es como hablan los chicanos; con una mezcla muy extraña de inglés y español.
Para mí, lo mejor de esta historia es que muestra la cruda realidad de la vida de los emigrantes en estados unidos; y los horrores por los que pasan cuando están cruzando la frontera. Al mismo tiempo que todo es verdaderamente cruel, de alguna manera enseña también los lazos de unión que nacen entre estás personas. El desarrollo de los eventos tuvo la velocidad adecuada, aunque creo que tal vez una o dos cosas estuvieron de más. No me gustó el final de la historia; fue muy raro, fuera de lugar. Extraño.
Creo que a mi papá le gustó más que a mi porque el fue emigrante y tiene una conexión con ellos y sus experiencias.
Desde la primera página noté que un estilo muy peculiar para escribir lo distinguía. Una especia de lenguaje inventado por la autora. Inmediatamente pensé en "La naranja mecánica", uno de los mejores libros que he leído y que tiene un idioma original del escritor. Pensé que le estaba copiando a Anthony Burgess, y me molesté, pero rápidamente me quedó claro que así es como hablan los chicanos; con una mezcla muy extraña de inglés y español.
Para mí, lo mejor de esta historia es que muestra la cruda realidad de la vida de los emigrantes en estados unidos; y los horrores por los que pasan cuando están cruzando la frontera. Al mismo tiempo que todo es verdaderamente cruel, de alguna manera enseña también los lazos de unión que nacen entre estás personas. El desarrollo de los eventos tuvo la velocidad adecuada, aunque creo que tal vez una o dos cosas estuvieron de más. No me gustó el final de la historia; fue muy raro, fuera de lugar. Extraño.
Creo que a mi papá le gustó más que a mi porque el fue emigrante y tiene una conexión con ellos y sus experiencias.
November 11, 2022
Una historia inolvidable de supervivencia con una narración fabulosa que evoluciona con el lenguaje de los personajes de dos seres (el jefe y Liborio) que se acompañan en un mundo de libros llena de realismo! Terrible lo que sufre Liborio desde que nació y con un deseo de vivir que se antoja para recordar tener sentido de vida. Me agrado que no se desviara en una historia de amor con la presencia del amor. Conocer comunidades que ayudan a los mexicanos que se van a Estados Unidos son ventanas de esperanza en una sociedad que busca ayudar a personas desvalidas. Merecido el premio de Mauricio Achar.
January 29, 2017
Tiene grandes momentos pero le sobran 200 páginas.
June 20, 2017
Dit is FANTASTISCH. Fantastische stijl, heerlijk brutaal en geschreven door iemand van MADDEFAKKING NEGENTIEN HOU OP
June 17, 2021
I really enjoyed this read. It took a bit of getting used to the language but once I did, I did not want to put it down. Don’t be put off by the plentiful f-words. Oh, the language! Words I had to read with an open mind to get the meaning, imaginative words. Kudos to the translator Andrea Rosenberg for getting it right.
The story stirred so many emotions, sympathy, dismay, tenderness, and Laughter.
Liberio is a 17-year-old boy who found his way to this border town from Mexico after living a hardscrabble life of abuse and neglect. Throughout the book, his memories are written in italics in snippets of recollections.
He was hired by Jeffe, a bookstore owner who allowed him to live in the loft of the store and in Liberio’s memories verbally abused him in every conversation. Being practically a prisoner in the store, the boy spent a great deal of his time reading all the great authors because that was Jeffe’s preferred stock. He learned a lot but reading did not prepare him for real life.
Liberio falls in love with the “chickadee” who lives with her grandfather across the street from the bookstore. As is typical for him, bad luck follows. He is beaten up by a bunch of “scruffs” and finds himself rescued by a kindly man who runs a children’s shelter. From this point on we are introduced to some interesting characters who help and guide Liberio and reveal him to be a smart, compassionate young man with a talent for boxing. He continues carrying his torch for his Aireen and finds himself a part of a family.
The story stirred so many emotions, sympathy, dismay, tenderness, and Laughter.
Liberio is a 17-year-old boy who found his way to this border town from Mexico after living a hardscrabble life of abuse and neglect. Throughout the book, his memories are written in italics in snippets of recollections.
He was hired by Jeffe, a bookstore owner who allowed him to live in the loft of the store and in Liberio’s memories verbally abused him in every conversation. Being practically a prisoner in the store, the boy spent a great deal of his time reading all the great authors because that was Jeffe’s preferred stock. He learned a lot but reading did not prepare him for real life.
Liberio falls in love with the “chickadee” who lives with her grandfather across the street from the bookstore. As is typical for him, bad luck follows. He is beaten up by a bunch of “scruffs” and finds himself rescued by a kindly man who runs a children’s shelter. From this point on we are introduced to some interesting characters who help and guide Liberio and reveal him to be a smart, compassionate young man with a talent for boxing. He continues carrying his torch for his Aireen and finds himself a part of a family.
June 14, 2017
Liborio will astound as he "bazookas" the bad guys who mess with him as he tries to scrape out an existence after crossing the Rio Grande. Life was hell for him in Mexico as an orphan living with an abusive aunt. He was labeled a bad kid and he fought to keep the label. On the north side of the border, he fights to protect his sweetheart's honor and to defend himself. His words become almost as good as his fists from working in a Spanish-English bookstore where the boss uses five dollar words to insult him. He lives in the loft of the bookstore and begins reading the books after the store closes, including Homer, Mark Twain and other classics. Opportunities find Liborio, because he always gets up after a fight, literally and figuratively. But they are not always the opportunities he wants.
Xilonen handles the challenges of illegal immigration with moxy. The word choices and metaphors are brilliant. The words are as tough as the subject matter, such as when Liborio's eyes look like he's "been weeping ground glass," and the "barrio is like an appliances aisle."
Even without a proper home or education, in the US illegally, Liborio has the audacity to fall in love with a beautiful girl. His meanderings through love's lessons are tender, spiritual, and heartbreaking.
The reader gets the sense that Liborio fights not just to win or protect himself, but to improve his self-esteem, to elevate himself from the lowest socio-economic strata in this country to a higher rung where he is no longer invisible or abused. The way he does it may restore your faith in humanity.
Xilonen handles the challenges of illegal immigration with moxy. The word choices and metaphors are brilliant. The words are as tough as the subject matter, such as when Liborio's eyes look like he's "been weeping ground glass," and the "barrio is like an appliances aisle."
Even without a proper home or education, in the US illegally, Liborio has the audacity to fall in love with a beautiful girl. His meanderings through love's lessons are tender, spiritual, and heartbreaking.
The reader gets the sense that Liborio fights not just to win or protect himself, but to improve his self-esteem, to elevate himself from the lowest socio-economic strata in this country to a higher rung where he is no longer invisible or abused. The way he does it may restore your faith in humanity.
November 9, 2025
I enjoyed the picaresque + fairy tale vibes of the book. The combo of the cynical, gritty stories of border crossing, migrant experiences and physical fighting with the more innocent, naïve, almost childlike romance and found family plotlines could have been awkward and jarring - but somehow it works organically in here, even making the novel feel distinctly stylish.
October 27, 2018
It's a good attempt to understand the life of the immigrant, but it is clear she hasn't really lived enough to know. The immigration story is weak, and falls short on some of the hardships some immigrants have to endure and the effect it has on families; there seems to be some hesitation to go deeper, and so the story falls short. Furthermore, it is a too particular a story with several unbelievable characters and situations; many of which go unexplained and are resolved too easily. The language which most rave about, does not quite fit the characters and it is way too much. In some instances it is effective, but by overusing words that nobody normally uses (not the same set of words, either) the reading becomes clumsy.
I wish Aura success in her next endeavors and hope that the fame she has enjoyed with this book does not intrude in new projects that I think could be much more significant.
I wish Aura success in her next endeavors and hope that the fame she has enjoyed with this book does not intrude in new projects that I think could be much more significant.
August 4, 2017
I really wanted to like this book, because I think it tells a story that should be told and heard. But ultimately I got way too bogged down in the over-done language. This book was just so wordy! I would have put it down, but I really wanted to finish it because of the important subject matter. Fortunately the best part of the book was the last 80 pages so my persistence was rewarded with the best part of the book, but over all this was not an enjoyable read for me.
March 30, 2021
A través de un muy particular lenguaje conocemos la historia de Liborio y sus desfortunios, pero también de su resiliencia, de "aguantar vara" y salir adelante. La historia de Liborio y la de muchos migrantes se hace visible en este libro de Aura Xilonen. Muy recomendable!
June 17, 2025
I’d wanna give it 3.5. Okay I hated it at the beginning and thought Samira was just giving me a recommendation that English lit people like and not something actually good but I kept reading because she recommended jt to me and her comments were interesting in the margins and then I started to like enjoy it but I feel like there was another half of the book missing?
September 18, 2017
Rewelacyjna książka młodej meksykańskiej autorki, której ta nagła sława przeszkadza w ukończeniu studiów. Książkę przeczytałem w przekładzie Tomasza Pindela i muszę przyznać, że wykonał wspaniałą robotę. Czuć swieżość i radość języka. I młodość! Aż mnie korci, by zmierzyć się z oryginałem.
October 27, 2017
Uitgeverij Wereldbibliotheek zorgde ervoor dat ik ‘De Cowboykampioen’ van Aura Xilonen gesigneerd in handen kreeg. De opvallende rode cover met de geïllustreerde schedel deed een intrigerend verhaal vermoeden. Ook de achterflaptekst zorgde ervoor dat ik het boek heel graag wilde lezen.
“De zondagen daarna smokkelde ik steeds een boek de winkel uit en ging zitten lezen onder mijn boom, die op een heuveltje stond dat als fietsenstalling fungeerde en vanaf waar je het hele Wells Park kon zien, het oosten en het westen, het noorden en het zuiden.”
Het boek vertelt het verhaal van de 17-jarige Liborio. Hij is een jonge Mexicaanse vluchteling die in Amerika een nieuw bestaan probeert op te bouwen. In het boekhandeltje waar hij werkt wordt hij min of meer door zijn baas als minkukel gezien. Hij leest dan ook zo’n beetje alle boeken die de winkel rijk is om indruk te maken op zijn baas en… op Aireen. De 19-jarige Aireen is een eigenzinnige meid voor wie Liborio zo’n beetje alles zou willen doen. Maar of hij zijn eigen koppigheid, verleden en straat mentaliteit achter zich kan laten is de grote vraag.
“Opeens trekt er een rilling door al mijn windstreken, tot aan de sterrenbeelden op mijn huid, die me wakker schudt uit mijn herinneringen.”
Vervlochten van scheldwoorden met literair taalgebruik wordt het hoofdpersonage Liborio langzaamaan stabieler en komt hij stukje bij beetje zijn trauma’s te boven. De schrijfstijl van Aura is zo enorm mooi passend bij de jonge jongen die zich letterlijk zijn weg vrij moet vechten. De strijdbaarheid, overlevingsdrang en vechtlust komen zo sterk en leerzaam naar voren. Uiteraard schrok ik als lezer zijnde in de eerste instantie van het grove taalgebruik en scheldwoorden. Maar gaandeweg valt dat geheel samen en zou het zonder dat niet kloppen. Het is wat mij betreft werkelijk waar een zeer knap geschreven debuut!
“Ze zegt niets, kijkt alleen in mijn ogen, en ik voel me net een schipbreukeling, ondergedompeld in die emmer water.”
Ik geef het boek dan ook de volledige 5 sterren waardering.
Spanning: 7
Plot: 8,5
Leesplezier: 8
Schrijfstijl: 10
Originaliteit: 10
Psychologie: 9
“De zondagen daarna smokkelde ik steeds een boek de winkel uit en ging zitten lezen onder mijn boom, die op een heuveltje stond dat als fietsenstalling fungeerde en vanaf waar je het hele Wells Park kon zien, het oosten en het westen, het noorden en het zuiden.”
Het boek vertelt het verhaal van de 17-jarige Liborio. Hij is een jonge Mexicaanse vluchteling die in Amerika een nieuw bestaan probeert op te bouwen. In het boekhandeltje waar hij werkt wordt hij min of meer door zijn baas als minkukel gezien. Hij leest dan ook zo’n beetje alle boeken die de winkel rijk is om indruk te maken op zijn baas en… op Aireen. De 19-jarige Aireen is een eigenzinnige meid voor wie Liborio zo’n beetje alles zou willen doen. Maar of hij zijn eigen koppigheid, verleden en straat mentaliteit achter zich kan laten is de grote vraag.
“Opeens trekt er een rilling door al mijn windstreken, tot aan de sterrenbeelden op mijn huid, die me wakker schudt uit mijn herinneringen.”
Vervlochten van scheldwoorden met literair taalgebruik wordt het hoofdpersonage Liborio langzaamaan stabieler en komt hij stukje bij beetje zijn trauma’s te boven. De schrijfstijl van Aura is zo enorm mooi passend bij de jonge jongen die zich letterlijk zijn weg vrij moet vechten. De strijdbaarheid, overlevingsdrang en vechtlust komen zo sterk en leerzaam naar voren. Uiteraard schrok ik als lezer zijnde in de eerste instantie van het grove taalgebruik en scheldwoorden. Maar gaandeweg valt dat geheel samen en zou het zonder dat niet kloppen. Het is wat mij betreft werkelijk waar een zeer knap geschreven debuut!
“Ze zegt niets, kijkt alleen in mijn ogen, en ik voel me net een schipbreukeling, ondergedompeld in die emmer water.”
Ik geef het boek dan ook de volledige 5 sterren waardering.
Spanning: 7
Plot: 8,5
Leesplezier: 8
Schrijfstijl: 10
Originaliteit: 10
Psychologie: 9
December 10, 2019
One of the most creatively wonderful books I‘ve ever read! The way the author — through her lovable, broken, lost and highly intelligent first person narrator Liborio — plays with language, is just miraculous. I read the novel in a German translation and am in awe of the translator, as such inventive language seems almost untranslatable.
A beautiful story of an illegal immigrant who lives through abuse, violence and neglect and finds a vocation, love, hope, an unconventional family and, most of all, a voice.
A beautiful story of an illegal immigrant who lives through abuse, violence and neglect and finds a vocation, love, hope, an unconventional family and, most of all, a voice.
April 13, 2016
Gacosta
Buen libro, éste me llamó la atención porque lo escuche en el Podcast de Letras Libres. La lectura es fluida y te entretiene, deja las historia que maneja, al final, que uno mismo las recree.
Felicito a la autora.
Buen libro, éste me llamó la atención porque lo escuche en el Podcast de Letras Libres. La lectura es fluida y te entretiene, deja las historia que maneja, al final, que uno mismo las recree.
Felicito a la autora.
July 11, 2022
El lenguaje. Cringe puro. La historia está dos tres. 80 varos en amazon, mejor comprense una pizza
December 30, 2022
Citaat : Op dat moment kijk ik op, naar buiten, en voel ik een schok door mijn strot gaan, de bovenkant van mijn maag knijpt zich samen: het meisje steekt de straat over naar de boekwinkel.Ik wou dat de aarde me opslokte.Mijn ballen krimpen van de zenuwen. Ik krijg mijn eigen spuug niet eens meer weg.Binnen een seconde zie ik mezelf onder haar blik verdampen; van het ene moment op het andere ben ik vluchtelig.
Review : 'Het debuut 'De cowboykampioen' van de Mexicaanse Aura Xilonen is in haar thuisland een regelrechte hit en het leverde de jonge schrijfster de Premio Mauricio Achar op. Xilonen werd geboren in Mexico stad in 1995 en volgde een opleiding tot cineast. Aura Xilonen was pas 19 toen ze debuteerde met haar roman Campeón gabacho. Het debuut werd bekroond met de prestigieuze Premio Mauricio Achar, met name vanwege 'de volwassen vorm van de roman, die op verschillende niveaus speelt met de taal.' De Spaanstalige titel van de roman is Campeón Gabacho. In Mexico noemen ze mensen die uit VS komen gabachos, wat vreemdeling betekent. Migratie is een terugkerend element in het boek, een actueel thema in de wereld en in Mexico in het bijzonder. De hoofdthema’s van de roman zijn hoop en liefde. Campeón gabacho gaat over de 17-jarige Liborio. Hij is een tengere en schuchtere jongen die de armoede van zijn Mexicaanse familie ontvlucht. Zonder papieren komt hij terecht in een niet genoemde Amerikaanse stad, net aan de andere kant van de grens.
Hij krijgt een baantje in een boekhandel en leest bijna alle boeken in de winkel om zich te bewijzen tegenover zijn baas, maar ook om indruk te maken op de 19-jarige Aireen, die hij heeft gered toen ze op straat werd lastiggevallen en op wie hij hevig verliefd is. Liborio wil een professioneel bokser worden om eindelijk iets van zijn leven te kunnen maken, hoe moeilijk dat ook is. Om het hart van de eigenwijze Aireen te veroveren, moet hij zijn gevechten blijven winnen. Daarbij is half slagen geen optie. De cowboykampioen, is een vlotte roman met een stevige verhaal die af en toe aan Alleen met de goden van Alex Boogers doet denken, alleen weet je van de laatste dat dit meer autobiografisch is en het eerste pure fictie. Toch vind ik persoonlijk dat deze jonge auteur personages en toestanden neerzet die heel geloofwaardig en ook herkenbaar over komen. Zij maakt van haar hoofdpersonage een doorzetter die echter steeds weer tegen de stroom moet in vechten.
In het begin had ik het moeilijk met de straattaal die Liborio aanvankelijk uitslaat. Maar door meer en meer te gaan lezen groeit en verfijnt zijn taalgebruik. En dat is een prachtige evolutie. Alleen al daarom vind ik het boek een echte aanrader. Het spelen met taal dat tegelijkertijd ook een ode aan de taal wordt is grandioos. Het is ook meesterlijk hoe ze hem soms ook literatuur en poëzie laat bespreken. De auteur laat Liborio op verschillende manieren groeien: emotioneel, intellectueel en fysiek. En dat groeiproces levert zowel ontroerende als hilarische scènes op. De cowboykampioen is een boeiende roman over opgroeien en leren waardig leven en overleven in de illegaliteit. André Oyen
Review : 'Het debuut 'De cowboykampioen' van de Mexicaanse Aura Xilonen is in haar thuisland een regelrechte hit en het leverde de jonge schrijfster de Premio Mauricio Achar op. Xilonen werd geboren in Mexico stad in 1995 en volgde een opleiding tot cineast. Aura Xilonen was pas 19 toen ze debuteerde met haar roman Campeón gabacho. Het debuut werd bekroond met de prestigieuze Premio Mauricio Achar, met name vanwege 'de volwassen vorm van de roman, die op verschillende niveaus speelt met de taal.' De Spaanstalige titel van de roman is Campeón Gabacho. In Mexico noemen ze mensen die uit VS komen gabachos, wat vreemdeling betekent. Migratie is een terugkerend element in het boek, een actueel thema in de wereld en in Mexico in het bijzonder. De hoofdthema’s van de roman zijn hoop en liefde. Campeón gabacho gaat over de 17-jarige Liborio. Hij is een tengere en schuchtere jongen die de armoede van zijn Mexicaanse familie ontvlucht. Zonder papieren komt hij terecht in een niet genoemde Amerikaanse stad, net aan de andere kant van de grens.
Hij krijgt een baantje in een boekhandel en leest bijna alle boeken in de winkel om zich te bewijzen tegenover zijn baas, maar ook om indruk te maken op de 19-jarige Aireen, die hij heeft gered toen ze op straat werd lastiggevallen en op wie hij hevig verliefd is. Liborio wil een professioneel bokser worden om eindelijk iets van zijn leven te kunnen maken, hoe moeilijk dat ook is. Om het hart van de eigenwijze Aireen te veroveren, moet hij zijn gevechten blijven winnen. Daarbij is half slagen geen optie. De cowboykampioen, is een vlotte roman met een stevige verhaal die af en toe aan Alleen met de goden van Alex Boogers doet denken, alleen weet je van de laatste dat dit meer autobiografisch is en het eerste pure fictie. Toch vind ik persoonlijk dat deze jonge auteur personages en toestanden neerzet die heel geloofwaardig en ook herkenbaar over komen. Zij maakt van haar hoofdpersonage een doorzetter die echter steeds weer tegen de stroom moet in vechten.
In het begin had ik het moeilijk met de straattaal die Liborio aanvankelijk uitslaat. Maar door meer en meer te gaan lezen groeit en verfijnt zijn taalgebruik. En dat is een prachtige evolutie. Alleen al daarom vind ik het boek een echte aanrader. Het spelen met taal dat tegelijkertijd ook een ode aan de taal wordt is grandioos. Het is ook meesterlijk hoe ze hem soms ook literatuur en poëzie laat bespreken. De auteur laat Liborio op verschillende manieren groeien: emotioneel, intellectueel en fysiek. En dat groeiproces levert zowel ontroerende als hilarische scènes op. De cowboykampioen is een boeiende roman over opgroeien en leren waardig leven en overleven in de illegaliteit. André Oyen
March 7, 2022
Campeón gabacho nos presenta una primer y hasta ahora única novela de Aura Xilonen, y trata en resumidas cuentas de las andanzas de Liborio, un chico inmigrante ilegal en el gabacho, proveniente de un pueblo y ambiente violento, sin cariño, nos narra en dos tiempos lo que le sucede, desde que lo conocemos trabajando en una librería y mientras nos narra cómo llegó a ella y las interacciones con su jefe.
Un lenguaje entre spanglish chicano, con una mente que piensa en poesía como es la del protagonista, nos explican el por que y el cómo llega a ser así, mientras busca dar lo mejor para si, para quienes lo rodean y para esa figura idílica de la chivata que tanto ama, esa que lo conquistó a primera vista.
Una historia, un drama entrañable, divertido, la inocencia/ignorancia/valemadrismo del personaje principal que se enfrenta a muchas cosas por primera vez en su vida, historia sencilla aunque no por eso ausente de fallas, a veces un sobre romanticismo, leí que algunos gringos la critican por no ahondar en ser un drama más del montón del dolor de los migrantes, pues shut up gringo, lo refleja, pero desde un sentido mexicano, no todo tiene que ser desde tu perspectiva, esto es desde la perspectiva de quien realmente lucha y trabaja.
Historia interesante que quizá les atraiga, invito ampliamente a leerla, es una lectura rápida, se pasan rápido esos pochismos y al final queda una historia que si alguna vez llegara al cine, los mexicanos la harían ensalsando las partes victimizadoras, y los gringos caricaturizando al chicano.
Un lenguaje entre spanglish chicano, con una mente que piensa en poesía como es la del protagonista, nos explican el por que y el cómo llega a ser así, mientras busca dar lo mejor para si, para quienes lo rodean y para esa figura idílica de la chivata que tanto ama, esa que lo conquistó a primera vista.
Una historia, un drama entrañable, divertido, la inocencia/ignorancia/valemadrismo del personaje principal que se enfrenta a muchas cosas por primera vez en su vida, historia sencilla aunque no por eso ausente de fallas, a veces un sobre romanticismo, leí que algunos gringos la critican por no ahondar en ser un drama más del montón del dolor de los migrantes, pues shut up gringo, lo refleja, pero desde un sentido mexicano, no todo tiene que ser desde tu perspectiva, esto es desde la perspectiva de quien realmente lucha y trabaja.
Historia interesante que quizá les atraiga, invito ampliamente a leerla, es una lectura rápida, se pasan rápido esos pochismos y al final queda una historia que si alguna vez llegara al cine, los mexicanos la harían ensalsando las partes victimizadoras, y los gringos caricaturizando al chicano.
June 6, 2017
I did a kind of stop-start with this book. I picked it up way back in March, couldn't get into it, and concentrated on other books. But an X author is hard to come by and I finally read the entirety of this book in June. What fun! Liborio has the best, most amazing, splendiferous language. Mine pales rather terribly in comparison. An undocumented Mexican teen in bordertown, Texas (I think), Liborio has a lot to lose. Well, actually he has nothing to lose, but he keeps stepping in it anyway. Along the way, he does some cotton picking, gets caught and then runs away from immigrant officials, works for an owner of a bookstore - also the owner of some seriously colorful language, is forced to read incomprehensible poetry that he tries to make sense of using dictionaries, falls in love with a beautiful girl, and gets socked to an inch of his life many many times.
Oh, he's also a boxer. He gets discovered by a number of characters as colorful as he himself is, and is for the first time in his life, loved. It couldn't have happened to a better person. I'm contemplating buying this book just for the spectacular word building.
Oh, he's also a boxer. He gets discovered by a number of characters as colorful as he himself is, and is for the first time in his life, loved. It couldn't have happened to a better person. I'm contemplating buying this book just for the spectacular word building.
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