What do you think?
Rate this book
El fuego de Chango: Una novela
Julio Santana quema edificios. Por una modesta suma, Julio le prende fuego a los edificios de Harlem que algunos poderosos inversionistas quieren hacer desaparecer para cobrar el dinero del seguro, y construir nuevos edificios, más modernos, más caros, más cómodos. Julio ha ganado miles de dólares quemando las casas del mismo barrio que lo vio crecer, y con todo el dinero que ha ganado, logró comprar un apartamento en el que vive con sus padres. Pero cuando se enamora de Helen, una blanquita que acaba de mudarse a su edificio, Julio decide dejar a un lado los incendios, para llevar una vida honesta y sin complicaciones. Lo que no se esperaba, es que su cambio de parecer enfureciera tanto a sus jefes y que pronto, no sólo peligraría su propia vida, sino también la de sus seres queridos. A medida que lucha por alejarse de la vida que llevaba, Julio se ve rodeado de diversos personajes que iluminan pero también complican su existencia. De la pastora del barrio, que le consigue papeles de ciudadanía a los trabajadores indo-cumentados, a Papelito, el sabio y respetado santero, a los encantadores padres de Julio, Quiñonez le da vida a una novela cuyos personajes y temas son tan evocadores y universales que permanecerán en la mente del lector para siempre.
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2004
25 people are currently reading
308 people want to read
About the author
Ernesto Quiñonez
9 books120 followersErnesto Quiñonez (born 1966) is an American novelist. His work received the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers designation, the Borders Bookstore Original New Voice selection, and was declared a “Best Book” by the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
November 6, 2018
unlike chicano or mexican fiction, this book had the typical new york city edginess. not enough park space or fresh air, far too much preoccupation with obtaining money at any cost, mixed feelings galore about the white race, whom chango doesn't even seem to realize exist and form an oligarch on his parents' native island, puerto rico, hatred and yet ambivalent obsession of artists and yuppies who have infiltrated the area, this fellow is quite understandably, a mess, although he manages to attend college somehow. his parents are nice Pentocastal folk, and he's got a good heart, except that he's an arsonist. if he'd just simmer down a tad and get focused on something, i thought, he'd succeed, but his ADD just made it impossible to do so. Bored with any sort of routine and petrified by change, he thrived on creating excitement in devious ways. His main obsession was with an out of town artist who lived in his building and his parents' loved and worshipped, but the utter histrionic emotional roller-coaster of ghetto life just got the best of him. he tried to think of himself as self-important and exceptional, but objectivity and reality just crushed him into an unending wave of utter duality. thank God folk eventually do grow up before death or infirmity hits them, although in some atmosphere's it certainly far more of a challenge than in others.
March 8, 2023
this had so much potential but i rly didn’t like the writing and i was just like confused a lot?? and also it said “last night, i had been fingered by grace” so like oh my god
November 6, 2018
This was required reading for my English class, and although it was a short novel, it packed a lot into it. Quinonez has somehow beautifully captured one of the ugly things I deal with in daily life: the effects of gentrification. Helen, the gentrifier and a character who doesn't seem to be written in a way that necessarily makes me want to like her, ended up being one of the most complex characters in the novel (outside of Maritza and Julio, of course). All of the characters were beautifully complex, the story was written in a way that kept me interested, I found that I could relate to Julio in so many ways.
I will definitely be reading Bodega Dreams when I get the chance.
I will definitely be reading Bodega Dreams when I get the chance.
September 27, 2024
An honest account on gentrification and its effects on people, relationships, and how far one is willing to go to control their ever changing environment. The depth of spirituality surprised me but it gave this book another level that I was grateful for.
September 1, 2017
This was just good (not great). I appreciated the story, any story about the Orisha's is interesting to me. I liked Bodega Dreams just a little more.
September 9, 2023
Tries to cover too many topics and not in any significant way (gentrification, AIDS, immigration, incest), seems to have a weight bias
"... Ruby, who's a bit on the heavy side, like a big baby seal."
"I don't know why she thought she was so hot. Who would sweat her? Who would want her fat body?"
The daughters were not easy on the eyes. By the time the girls were in their teens, four of them were extremely overweight..."
"Helen passes out, and her small frame reminds me of fairies, like Tinkerbell sleeping."
"... Ruby, who's a bit on the heavy side, like a big baby seal."
"I don't know why she thought she was so hot. Who would sweat her? Who would want her fat body?"
The daughters were not easy on the eyes. By the time the girls were in their teens, four of them were extremely overweight..."
"Helen passes out, and her small frame reminds me of fairies, like Tinkerbell sleeping."
June 10, 2025
I loved this book for its rich characters and the stories each one carried, especially Papelito, Eddie, and Julio’s father. The author portrays his community as deeply imperfect and often struggling, yet he underscores their resilience and relentless drive to move forward against all odds. He powerfully illustrates the systemic forces designed to hold the community down, even as they fight to breathe, to rise.
What I especially appreciated was the author’s critique of how resilience is often romanticized. He reminds us that those labeled "resilient" are not saints—they are people. In East Harlem, resilience is not a choice but a necessity. The community is made up of poor folks doing what must be done when cornered; people who are flawed, beautiful, angry, joyful, and above all, human. This book allows everyone to be fully human.
I struggled, though, with characters like Helen and Greg who are white outsiders trying to make sense of a community that doesn’t welcome them. They remain largely oblivious to the dynamics of El Barrio and seem to justify the changes brought by gentrification as inevitable, never fully reckoning with how they benefit from others' displacement. Julio challenges them once or twice, but mostly lets their ignorance go unexamined, which feels like a missed opportunity for deeper critique.
I could tolerate Eddie more than them because at least he's honest about his darkness. Helen and Greg, on the other hand, operate from a place of fragile misunderstanding, and the narrative doesn't seem to hold them accountable. It's framed almost as if El Barrio is just unkind to white people, rather than illuminating how Helen and Greg symbolize the privileges Brown communities will never be afforded.
[SPOILER] One moment that especially frustrated me was when Eddie threatens to set Julio’s building on fire, and instead of immediately warning his parents, Julio runs to Helen. His instinct to protect her, even as his own family and neighbors are in danger, is infuriating. That delay leads to Papelito’s death, and what’s worse, Julio’s response to it feels muted, especially given the love and sacrifices Papelito made for him and their entire community. It left me wanting more; more grief, more reckoning, more justice.
What I especially appreciated was the author’s critique of how resilience is often romanticized. He reminds us that those labeled "resilient" are not saints—they are people. In East Harlem, resilience is not a choice but a necessity. The community is made up of poor folks doing what must be done when cornered; people who are flawed, beautiful, angry, joyful, and above all, human. This book allows everyone to be fully human.
I struggled, though, with characters like Helen and Greg who are white outsiders trying to make sense of a community that doesn’t welcome them. They remain largely oblivious to the dynamics of El Barrio and seem to justify the changes brought by gentrification as inevitable, never fully reckoning with how they benefit from others' displacement. Julio challenges them once or twice, but mostly lets their ignorance go unexamined, which feels like a missed opportunity for deeper critique.
I could tolerate Eddie more than them because at least he's honest about his darkness. Helen and Greg, on the other hand, operate from a place of fragile misunderstanding, and the narrative doesn't seem to hold them accountable. It's framed almost as if El Barrio is just unkind to white people, rather than illuminating how Helen and Greg symbolize the privileges Brown communities will never be afforded.
[SPOILER] One moment that especially frustrated me was when Eddie threatens to set Julio’s building on fire, and instead of immediately warning his parents, Julio runs to Helen. His instinct to protect her, even as his own family and neighbors are in danger, is infuriating. That delay leads to Papelito’s death, and what’s worse, Julio’s response to it feels muted, especially given the love and sacrifices Papelito made for him and their entire community. It left me wanting more; more grief, more reckoning, more justice.
November 14, 2020
You know those memes with little images of a few characters from a book or movie or show with generalized descriptions underneath, where you’re supposed to tag yourself? I would not want to do that with Chango’s Fire, because I would have to admit I’m a Helen!!! A Helen who wants to be a Maritza, obviously.
Before I started the book, I had seen on the book jacket or the online summary that Julio falls in love with his white neighbor, but after reading their first interaction, I thought that he must have a different white neighbor besides Helen, because that was bad bad. She was directly racist towards him! I’m glad they at least broke up at the end, but I didn’t like the will-they-won’t-they vibe from the last few chapters. Helen has some maturing to do, and Julio deserves someone who is less bratty with a little more cultural empathy. Okay, but enough about Helen and Julio, who I actually found to be two of the less compelling characters.
My true favorite characters, who I wish had gotten more screen time, were Papelito and Maritza. Maritza is elusive, creative, and brave. She played by her own rules and valued her community’s health and safety, and was even willing to lie to them to keep them safe-- from HIV, from child molesters, and about her own faith. Papelito called out her shortcomings during the confrontation about the N50 papers, saying “Mari, who are you to choose who gets help?...You are playing God.” I appreciated that Papelito was the book’s moral guide, in spite/because of his beyond-the-norm spiritual work and personality. I think a more hamfisted author would have made his character fall into the magical negro trope, but Quinonez was able to give him a more starring, dynamic role.
Before I started the book, I had seen on the book jacket or the online summary that Julio falls in love with his white neighbor, but after reading their first interaction, I thought that he must have a different white neighbor besides Helen, because that was bad bad. She was directly racist towards him! I’m glad they at least broke up at the end, but I didn’t like the will-they-won’t-they vibe from the last few chapters. Helen has some maturing to do, and Julio deserves someone who is less bratty with a little more cultural empathy. Okay, but enough about Helen and Julio, who I actually found to be two of the less compelling characters.
My true favorite characters, who I wish had gotten more screen time, were Papelito and Maritza. Maritza is elusive, creative, and brave. She played by her own rules and valued her community’s health and safety, and was even willing to lie to them to keep them safe-- from HIV, from child molesters, and about her own faith. Papelito called out her shortcomings during the confrontation about the N50 papers, saying “Mari, who are you to choose who gets help?...You are playing God.” I appreciated that Papelito was the book’s moral guide, in spite/because of his beyond-the-norm spiritual work and personality. I think a more hamfisted author would have made his character fall into the magical negro trope, but Quinonez was able to give him a more starring, dynamic role.
October 18, 2025
3.5 Star Book
Chango’s Fire is a powerful novel, tackling gentrification, displacement of minorities, and even a budding romance for the protagonist, Julio. There’s a raw honesty to the book that I appreciated, however, I didn’t rate the novel higher because, as a reader, I didn’t get time to fully sympathize with Julio early on. We’re thrust directly into his scorn for white people— completely valid feels, mind you, but I think it could have been more moving if we had been first immersed in Julio’s culture, his feelings, his day-to-day life, more before it started to burn away.
**Spoiler**
His initial job as an arsonist made it harder for me personally to sympathize with his feelings, at least in the beginning. I loved Papelito and his story. That piece was excellently portrayed along with the connection to Chango, the god of fire.
Chango’s Fire is a powerful novel, tackling gentrification, displacement of minorities, and even a budding romance for the protagonist, Julio. There’s a raw honesty to the book that I appreciated, however, I didn’t rate the novel higher because, as a reader, I didn’t get time to fully sympathize with Julio early on. We’re thrust directly into his scorn for white people— completely valid feels, mind you, but I think it could have been more moving if we had been first immersed in Julio’s culture, his feelings, his day-to-day life, more before it started to burn away.
**Spoiler**
His initial job as an arsonist made it harder for me personally to sympathize with his feelings, at least in the beginning. I loved Papelito and his story. That piece was excellently portrayed along with the connection to Chango, the god of fire.
April 20, 2020
A well-told, eye-opening novel about life in El Barrio in New York City. Quiñonez contrasts the desire to do good with the opportunity to reap a profit. Despite the stark contrast of affluence existing right nearby, the true livelihood of El Barrio is well described.
This novel, in addition to telling the story of Julio, a 30-year-old man living with his parents in Spanish Harlem, Quiñonez sheds light on gentrification, the disparity in the comprehension of racial divide by various backgrounds, and the role of underground work and the injustice in the treatment of undocumented individuals. Although the novel is at first a mix of new settings and stories, this helter-skelter approach only makes the future revelations all the more impactful and real to the reader.
This novel, in addition to telling the story of Julio, a 30-year-old man living with his parents in Spanish Harlem, Quiñonez sheds light on gentrification, the disparity in the comprehension of racial divide by various backgrounds, and the role of underground work and the injustice in the treatment of undocumented individuals. Although the novel is at first a mix of new settings and stories, this helter-skelter approach only makes the future revelations all the more impactful and real to the reader.
November 7, 2024
Everyone in this book was so damn dumb. There was not a singular character that I completely liked. Papelito was cool enough and the cat too I guess. The themes and overall messages about gentrification that this book landed on were just ?? The HIV subplot was good though. And then the ending that Julio receives despite not growing in any way or sense... Also, him adopting an African religion just because his bestie was a follower and a baddie? K. Then there is Helen who can keep them lame-ass letters. Actually, wtf is this book in general? Goodbye.
May 5, 2019
The book deals with Santeria it’s a metaphor for old ways but it’s one of those things that you have to read to get so don’t be quick to just I know priests that loved it. The characters are complicated people and there’s many story lines at once but it’s a very good read I read the whole thing in a a day Bc I couldn’t put it down and can still quote it 10yrs later
October 4, 2021
Three stars seems a bit too generous, but two would be unkind. The plot kept me engaged — it was a page-turner, and it was fun to read about Santeria. But Helen was fucking awful and Julio going all moony over her horrible letters was enraging. The way this novel deals with issues of gentrification, displacement and culture is seriously dated.
March 10, 2022
Read for my Spanish class. One of my favorite books I’ve had to read for a class, I really enjoyed the relationships between characters.
September 20, 2024
Intelligently composed. Intriguing layers. Good book.
November 8, 2024
i hated this
September 4, 2017
Ecuador
"New York City, like the country it's in, is a place that promises you everything and gives you nothing."
"In America, it's where you end up that matters, not how you got there. As long as you get there, no one asks questions. You don't ask. You never ask. And if someone does ask how you got there? It's usually a harmless person who never got anything, never got out, does paying rent as he waited for God to deliver him."
"There's no place like home, Dorothy had said about Wisconsin or was it Kansas? I never cared for the movie or the book. All I know is many want out. What Dorothy really wants is to come to Oz. And Oz is running out of room."
"All religions are streams, rivers, bodies of water that lead to the same ocean."
"Sex with Helen is like a process of continual adjustment. Like living in a foreign country. You learn the language, the currency, the method of transportation, the good stores and restaurants. You trey to feel like a native, like you belong, careful not to embarrass yourself. Still you never succeed in feeling at home. You remain a tourist in her body."
"Oh you're funny, did you swallow a clown for lunch?"
"There are things that can't be written, said, or painted."
"New York City, like the country it's in, is a place that promises you everything and gives you nothing."
"In America, it's where you end up that matters, not how you got there. As long as you get there, no one asks questions. You don't ask. You never ask. And if someone does ask how you got there? It's usually a harmless person who never got anything, never got out, does paying rent as he waited for God to deliver him."
"There's no place like home, Dorothy had said about Wisconsin or was it Kansas? I never cared for the movie or the book. All I know is many want out. What Dorothy really wants is to come to Oz. And Oz is running out of room."
"All religions are streams, rivers, bodies of water that lead to the same ocean."
"Sex with Helen is like a process of continual adjustment. Like living in a foreign country. You learn the language, the currency, the method of transportation, the good stores and restaurants. You trey to feel like a native, like you belong, careful not to embarrass yourself. Still you never succeed in feeling at home. You remain a tourist in her body."
"Oh you're funny, did you swallow a clown for lunch?"
"There are things that can't be written, said, or painted."
April 16, 2015
Julio Santana is hijo de Chango, a child of the Santeria god representing fire and lightning. He knows this because the operator of the botanica next door, the high priest of Regla Lukumi, Papelito, told him so.
Julio has lived all his life in Spanish Harlem, where he now owns the top floor of a gentrified building. He loves this neighborhood where he built a cardboard clubhouse in a burned-out lot as a boy, where his mother saved his father’s life from depression and addiction. Where he watched as the Pentecostal church in which he had lost his boyhood faith burned to the ground.
Julio’s trial by fire is still to come, though, because he is keeping secrets. His name is not on the deed to his building, because he doesn’t want the IRS to ask where his money comes from. His best friend, Trompo Loco (Crazy Top), wants nothing more from life than some attention from his unacknowledged father, Julio’s secret boss Eddie. And Julio’s secret job is to burn down buildings.
Chango and the other Santeria Orishas expect to be paid for their help, for the stories that guide their followers: with sweet cakes and candy, burning of candles and incense, a derecho of $50 or $5—or sometimes, with everything you hold closest to your heart. Julio wants to help his friend Maritza with her immigrant-filled church. He wants to find a way to help his friend Trompo deal with his father’s neglect. He wants to quit his secret job.
Julio Santana, child of Chango, wants to find a way out of the fire. Federal agents, the INS and his secret boss Eddie all are conspiring to keep him on the job. Julio must make a decision. Whatever he chooses to do, someone will get hurt.
This is a thrilling story, told in a genuine voice of Spanish Harlem. Quiñonez makes us part of his neighborhood, helps us feel its rhythms and its pain. I cared about these people and their problems, I wanted Julio to find the solution and rescue those he loved. I read until 3 AM, unable to put it down.
This one’s a winner.
Black as tar, with no trace of Spanish blood in his lineage, at sixty-eight, Papelito is a man made up of rumors. It is said he can kill with prayers. Papelito is the only gay man who can walk the streets of Spanish Harlem swaying his hips like a cable-suspended bridge and not be ridiculed.
Julio has lived all his life in Spanish Harlem, where he now owns the top floor of a gentrified building. He loves this neighborhood where he built a cardboard clubhouse in a burned-out lot as a boy, where his mother saved his father’s life from depression and addiction. Where he watched as the Pentecostal church in which he had lost his boyhood faith burned to the ground.
... Spanish Harlem was worthless property in the seventies and early eighties. Many property owners burned their own buildings down and handed the new immigrants a neighborhood filled with hollow walls and vacant lots. Urban Swiss cheese. The city would then place us in the projects, creating Latino reservations… as many who owned real estate burned the neighborhood, collected the insurance, sat on the dilapidated property, and waited for better days. Today the wait is over, Spanish Harlem’s burned-out buildings are gold mines…
Julio’s trial by fire is still to come, though, because he is keeping secrets. His name is not on the deed to his building, because he doesn’t want the IRS to ask where his money comes from. His best friend, Trompo Loco (Crazy Top), wants nothing more from life than some attention from his unacknowledged father, Julio’s secret boss Eddie. And Julio’s secret job is to burn down buildings.
…In the news, we were being punished for being junkies, thieves, whores and murderers. The evidence of God’s wrath was the blocks upon blocks of burned buildings we supposedly brought on ourselves. In my church it was a sign, these fires that consumed Spanish Harlem… these fires were evidence of prophecy, of fulfillment, of… “The Truth.” But the truth was, it was just a guy like me who had set those fires…
Chango and the other Santeria Orishas expect to be paid for their help, for the stories that guide their followers: with sweet cakes and candy, burning of candles and incense, a derecho of $50 or $5—or sometimes, with everything you hold closest to your heart. Julio wants to help his friend Maritza with her immigrant-filled church. He wants to find a way to help his friend Trompo deal with his father’s neglect. He wants to quit his secret job.
Julio Santana, child of Chango, wants to find a way out of the fire. Federal agents, the INS and his secret boss Eddie all are conspiring to keep him on the job. Julio must make a decision. Whatever he chooses to do, someone will get hurt.
This is a thrilling story, told in a genuine voice of Spanish Harlem. Quiñonez makes us part of his neighborhood, helps us feel its rhythms and its pain. I cared about these people and their problems, I wanted Julio to find the solution and rescue those he loved. I read until 3 AM, unable to put it down.
This one’s a winner.
May 5, 2010
I read this book twice. Once on my own back in 2005 and it was just ok for me. It was a cute novel with a love story twist to it. The second time I read this book it was for one of my college courses. I appreciated more the second time realizing what was really going on. Gentrification is happening in alot of areas of NYC and it was a good to see the sides of both parts the latinos dealing with the community being gentrified and the gentrifiers taking advantage of the situation. I liked the book
March 24, 2014
The book was interesting and beautifully written. I love how the writer introduces a variety of characters. It's so much more than a love story, it's about change and gentrification and even gives a look at Santeria. I've heard of it before but I never understood what it was. I love how the book shows that people can change for the better. Also how mistakes are made, but can be learned from. I'm really glad I read this book.
September 26, 2015
You know what? I really enjoyed this book.
Sure, the plot is predictable, and there were some other problems--but the characters were wonderfully vibrant and lively. Narrator Julio's positive attitude saves the book from being too heavy. I had fun seeing Spanish Harlem through his eyes--yes, fun. That's not to say Quiñonez shies away from the dark aspects of life there. He presents a brief, intimate tale of a remarkable place.
Sure, the plot is predictable, and there were some other problems--but the characters were wonderfully vibrant and lively. Narrator Julio's positive attitude saves the book from being too heavy. I had fun seeing Spanish Harlem through his eyes--yes, fun. That's not to say Quiñonez shies away from the dark aspects of life there. He presents a brief, intimate tale of a remarkable place.
March 31, 2008
I discovered this book randomly in a local bookstore. One of the most colorful and vivid novels I've ever read. It was addictive. This guy creates some extremely vibrant characters and throws in a crazy blend of Nuyorican soul, Bronx intensity & Santeria mysticism.
August 12, 2008
the "american dream" as interpreted (fictionally) by a puerto rican living in spanish harlem. good read for nyers who can identify with references like de la vega and bodegas and botanicas... quick read too.
November 23, 2008
I picked this book up from the library (having never heard of this author, but using it to complete my ABC Author challenge) but I don't really remember anything about the story - it left little impression on me.
March 22, 2009
Another winner by Ernesto Quinonez about gentrifying "SpaHa". If not for my annoyance with Julio's love interest, the book would have received 5 stars for its earnest characters and crafted storytelling.
June 12, 2014
Conflicts, cultural and internal, permeate the life of the protagonist. His dilemmas held me captive, struggling along with him as to what decision to make. I was also engaged in the theme that in life our actions inevitably affect the lives of our loved one, whether positively or negatively.
December 14, 2007
Umm, this book is called Chango's Fire in the English version. Why can't I find that version on Goodbooks??? Anyway, if you can find it in English, I recommend it - very interesting.
January 28, 2008
Dedicated to moi-- what more must be said?
Want to read
February 7, 2008I read Bodega Dreams in Cuba, and I liked that. So I thought it might be a good idea to read his next book in Costa Rica.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews