Taking Sides

by Gary Soto

Lincoln Mendoza remains loyal to his former school’s basketball team, even after he moves from the barrio to the suburbs and plays for his new school’s team. “This touchingly realistic story explores the divided loyalties of a Hispanic basketball player who has recently moved from a poor neighborhood to a more affluent one. . . . Soto masterfully conveys the Hispanic-American experience.”-Publishers Weekly

Genres: Sports, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, School, Coming Of Age, Friendship

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Gary Soto is the author of eleven poetry collections for adults, most notably New and Selected Poems, a 1995 finalist for both the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the National Book Award. His poems have appeared in many literary magazines, including Ploughshares, Michigan Quarterly, Poetry International, and Poetry, which has honored him with the Bess Hokin Prize and the Levinson Award and by featuring him in the interview series Poets in Person. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. For ITVS, he produced the film “The Pool Party,” which received the 1993 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Film Excellence. In 1997, because of his advocacy for reading, he was featured as NBC’s Person-of-the-Week. In 1999, he received the Literature Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, the Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association, and the PEN Center West Book Award for Petty Crimes. He divides his time between Berkeley, California and his hometown of Fresno.

Reviews

[Cj Rittenhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taking sides is about a young Spanish boy named Lincoln Mendoza. Lincoln is in the eigth grade at Franklin Junior high in the barrio of San Fransico. After his house gets broken into Lincoln's mother decides to move to the white suburbs in Sycamore because their is less crimee. He leaves everything behind in the barrio including his friends. Lincoln was the star player at Franklin Junior high until he moved. His new coach treats him unfairly. Lincoln is now suffereing from a hurt knee, being homesick, and being treated unfairly. Lincoln's coach benches him on the big night of the game between his old school and his new school. This forces Lincoln to figure out where he belongs and who he is.

[Had Assay · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so boring. I tried soon hard to get into it but I just could not. Throughout the whole time I was reading, I was waiting for SOMETHING to actually happen. Every time there was a "problem" it was resolved after about one chapter. Lots of left out information and some things were not explained thoroughly enough. All in all I DO NOT recommend this book. No plot, bad storyline and terrible characters. DO NOT READ!!

[Shauny alliknowisgo Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a kid named Lincoln who used to live in the city and played basketball for is old school and was loving his life until he moved to the suburbs because someone broke into is home and stole his television and his radio . So his mother got tired of her neighborhood so she moved from there . Lincoln hates his new school because he is mexican and there is no mexican people at the school . His mom got a new boyfriend named roy and he used to play for Lincoln's old school . But the day before his game he met a girl and played basketball with her and hurt his knee so he couldn't play in the game against his old school and he was the best player on his team so his team lost . Then the coach calls Lincoln over to him and grips him up and since Roy had already punched the coach out at a basketball game when they were Lincoln's age he stood up and said something to the coach and the coach ignored it . So Lincoln's old coach offered him to go out for pizza with his old team to celebrate their victory even tho Lincoln's old team didn't win the game he went with them since his mother and roy was going to take him out anyway.

[Victor]

In taking sides what I liked was that lincoln ended up being in both sides after he didn't know which side to pick. What I disliked was that the sport was basketball. Lincoln was my favorite character because he's the main character and never gave up when his knee was injured. Easy because it didn't have many hard words and had Spanish words.
To never give up cause he didn't give up on playing just because his knee was hurt. Coach cater reminds me of this book because they keep playing to win something out of it like Lincoln did when he was going up against his old school franklin.

[Venu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taking sides is a book about a boy named Lincoln who once lived in a bad neighborhood. He later moves out of that bad neighborhood into a rich neighborhood. Lincoln lives with his Mom, his step father, and his dog Flaco. His dog was given as a gift by his dad. The climax of the story is when his new school plays his old school in a basketball game. Lincoln is really into basketball. Throughout the story Lincoln goes through the struggles of being the only Hispanic in his white neighborhood he also goes through the struggles of being new to the school.

My favorite character in this story is Lincoln because he is really good at dealing with stuff under pressure for example when he was hurt and somebody broke into his house he was very calm and tried to fight the intruder. The characters felt very real to me. The story was very predictable throughout the whole story I knew what was going to happen next. My favorite part of the book is when Lincoln's house gets broken into and Lincoln has the courage to get out of bed and try to fight the intruder. I felt like some parts of this story were not written well when the mood was sad the author would put something funny in, and it doesn't go with the mood. At the end of the story is was very relieving for the reader. At the beginning of the story the book is very boring but when you get past the the beginning it is very interesting and you want to keep on reading the book.

I did not like the end because it wasn't complete, the ending was worse than a cliff hanger. Another thing I did not like about this story is that it is very short and the story feels kind of rushed. The climax is at the end of the story and the climax is short and the details are very descriptive.

All in all I liked this book, I wish it was longer but it was a very entertaining book. I would rate this book a 3 out of 5. The people that would enjoy this book are people who like sports books and realistic fiction book. This is a very good novel written by Gary Soto.

[Alexis Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was probably the best book I've ever read. It is so good with the descriptions and the feeling. As well of the dialogue. Then having a guy break in his house, with a girl he liked, but couldn't tell. Having a hurt foot, coach being mean about it. Then having to play against his own team. Brilliant. This book is way more than a 5-star rating.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

(for 7th grade reading intervention group)

[America Saenz]

Lincoln Mendoza is an eighth grade Hispanic boy who used to play basketball for his old school, Franklin Junior High. His Latino populated neighborhood and his school were not one of the best ones out there, as it was very poor and filled with many crimes. One day, Lincoln's house is broken into and him and his mom move into a neighborhood of white people, where the everything is much nicer and there is much less crimes. He makes new friends at his new school, Columbus. One day, he injures himself and cannot play against his old school. All the time he is out and not playing basketball makes him homesick and he misses his friends, his school, and everything. He begins to reflect upon himself and if he is still loyal to his buddies at home, and true to his true Mexican self. This book is great, especially for those of Mexican heritage. It makes you really connect with the protagonist of the book, even if your heritage isn't Mexican because it is about staying true to who you are. I would recommend it to those who like stories they can connect to in several ways. By reading a story about something that can happen on real life, one can unlock the meaning and message behind it.

[Frankie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main characters in my book is Lincoln Mendoza, he is Mexican and like to play basketball he's the all-star of his team. Lincoln had moved schools due to someone breaking into his house so they moved out of the barrio. Him and his mom and dog had moved to a more decent neighborhood where Lincolns friends thought it was rich people and white people. His friends said that Lincoln was changing a lot since he moved from the barrio and from schools but Lincoln did not agree with it because he said that even though he moved to a different neighborhood that doesn't mean that he had changed. The main conflict in the book is when Lincoln hurts his knee playing basketball with his crush (Monica) and he is worried that he won't be able to play against his old school. My personal reaction to my book was normal because I can connect to the way they talk and the things they do because me and my family get along like that. I personally rate this book with 5 stars and recommend anyone that can relate to this in any type of way.

[Terry Marzell]

Soto, Gary. Taking Sides. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt, Inc. 1991. Target Audience: Ages 8-12. Reading Level: 5.7. When eighth-grader Lincoln Mendoza moves from the inner city to the suburbs, he is forced to adjust to a predominately white school filled with upper-middle class students. He must make a personal decision about loyalties divided between his “homies” and former basketball team-mates and his new school’s basketball team when the two schools are matched for an important league game. This coming-of-age story with a Hispanic protagonist would appeal to boys interested in sports. I appreciated the inclusion of Spanish-language dialogue which lent an air of authenticity to the narrative. Tag: CSULB Class 5 MS Realistic Fiction.

[Diana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this with my students for the past two years. No more. It is horribly boring. Students just glare at me whenever I tell them that we need to "get through this book".
I don't disagree with them.
The venacular is dated and the story plods along.
Ugh. Never again.

[Lexie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have many questions as to why this book was included in our 7th grade curriculum. It is better suited for 4-5th grade readers. The plot is very thin, but my students definitely enjoyed reading a book from a Latino boy's perspective.

[George Kasnic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using in my Sixth Grade reading class. Accessible for students with relatable content that will grab their attention, present conflict in a way they can connect to, with the added bonus of rich bilingual (Spanish)content.

[Marguerite Coleman]

Gary Soto’s fictional book, titled Taking Sides exhibits racial issues, acceptance of being a new student, and dealing with the challenges of growing up. This book shows the reader a struggle from learning to live in a new area with the challenges of his past coming back to reality and a desire to be the best player on the basketball team in his new school. Lincoln is an Hispanic 8th grader who just moved from a poor area in California to a more richer section in the suburbs. Lincoln has been good at basketball since he was little and decides to try out for the basketball team at his new school. No shock, he made the team but started to have some unfortunate problems. His coach begins to dislike him and becomes the type of coach know one wants to play for. Lincoln’s new team is planned to play his old school and he doesn’t know if he should play his best or below what he can play. He is afraid of beating his old friends and betraying his new teammates by not playing his best.

In my opinion, the book taught me a good lesson and helped me to understand how you will always have issues in your life when making a change. The best thing to do is just be yourself and don’t change what you're good at for other people to feel better. This book showed me how you should just believe that your friends are your friends. You should trust the fact that they will not judge you for doing what you do best. Text states, “You played a good game, as usual.” This piece of text showed me that his friends stayed true to their friendship and didn’t care that he played his heart out. His friends knew what he could do on the court so they knew that he was not betraying them by playing good and winning. This book helped me to rethink back when I was in 6th grade. When I was in 6th grade I moved to the Abingtons from a cathlic school and I decided to play basketball with my new friends. I was so scared because we were playing my old school the first game I played with them. I was worried about stealing the ball off my old friends and making them feel bad. In the end, they were so happy about finally seeing me for the first time since last year. It was great because it made me feel happy that our friendship stayed the same even though we had not seen each other. As an author, Gary Soto’s develops characters that connects the readers in a meaningful way, making you make connections as the story goes on. You are able to feel the emotion of the characters and learn how the characters handle the situation. The book was so engaging and was hard to put down, (sadly the story only has 176 pages ). The book is definitely worth reading, it was very easy for me to make a connection with my life and the story. I really wish I had read the story before I went to a new school because it would have made some of the challenges I had so much easier. Great story to read for your teens because it may help them get through friend issues. One of the best books I have ever read, I loved the connections I was able to make within the story. Would definitely recommend.

[Patricia R]

Taking Sides by Gary Soto is an interesting read that follows the story of a young Hispanic teen named Lincoln, whose life experiences goes through a change which he has to learn to navigate.

Lincoln lived in the urban San Fransico's Mission District which is lower to middle class neighborhood with his single mother. After their home was broken into by community vandals, she moves to the suburban city of Sycamore. He leaves behind a diverse ethnic community and his basketball teammates of Franklin Junior High but remains in contact with his best friend Tony. He becomes a part of the high-class society of Columbus Junior High for which he feels out of place as the population of the school has a minority of Hispanics within. His love for basketball makes his transition into the school culture easier as he joins Columbus Junior High basketball team. He is worried about having to play against his old team during their basketball tournaments.

Lincoln finds a friend named James at his new school and James connects him with another Hispanic female named Monica. As he settles into his new community, he also has a get comfortable with a man his mom has started dating. At first, he was not too keen with this new guy name Roy coming to their house, but then he finds out that Roy used to play basketball as well. He found comfort in that, because he was happy to have something in common with Roy.

As the anticipation of the basketball tournament build and Lincoln gains courage to play against his previous basketball team, he gets an injury to his knees for which his coach benches him on the day of the game. After the first quarter of the game and Franklin Junior High is leading in the game, the coach puts Lincoln to play. Lincoln doesn't think about playing against his old teammates but just plays the games with passion as he usually would. Lincoln new team won the game, but Lincoln does not feel guilty about beating his old teammates. He is just happy and content with his old friends and new friends alike.

I loved this story; it was so interesting to read of the different experiences the characters went through and how they handled each problem with a good enough situation. This book can help new students navigate within a culture that is unfamiliar too them. It can help them learn to embrace the commonalities that they are comfortable with. I know making new friends are hard especially in a new cultural environment and learning how Lincoln went about making his new friends will help others learn to.
This is a great book for teens and young children as they too have to navigate new situations at times.

[Taylor Manrique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soto takes readers through the story of the harsh reality that young Lincoln is going through in his life. Lincoln is a shining star on the basketball court, he loves the game and playing with his best friends. Living in a violent and crime-bound neighborhood, Lincoln and his mother are always faced with the threat of someone breaking into their home, which has happened before. After their house has been broken into once again, Lincoln's mother decides it is time to move to a safer neighborhood, unfortunately meaning Lincoln must attend a different school. Saddened by the move away from his team and friends, Lincoln must learn to adjust to his new school, especially if he wants to continue playing basketball. As if the moves wasn't enough Lincoln's new coach treats him unfairly, he injures his knee, and must deal with being the only Hispanic kid at an predominately white school. Lincoln is forced to go through finding himself in this new place, while still trying to keep his old home as a part of his life. This story is perfect for readers of this age level(middle-level to high school), as the story comes from the perspective of someone their age. This story can be relatable for readers who have experienced a move and being the new kid, and the struggles that come with that. Readers can also relate to the passion Lincoln feels towards his sport, especially since this is the age when sports become competitive and a big part of young adult's lives. Readers of the Hispanic decent can relate to this story the most, probably because of the fact that Lincoln is a Hispanic male that struggles with being the minority of his new school. I was really able to relate to Lincoln when it came to being so passionate about athletics, as I was and still am. I know what it is like to deal with adversity when all you want to do is play and be the best at what you are doing. Although I enjoyed the concept of this story, I felt that it dragged on too much, when it could have been resolved chapters prior. By making this book shorter and getting to the resolution faster, I believe it would make it easier for readers to read and enjoy. This book can be used in the classroom as a reader's theater, where students can pick characters and a scene from the book to be acted out in front of the class. This way emotions and perspectives of the characters can be understood better.

[Yihyun Shin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: One day, Lincoln's house is broken into and he and his mom move into a neighborhood of white people, so he moved to a new school 'Columbus' and played basketball for them. the story explains the conflict between Lincon's best friends and his new school.

The first theme of the book which is the author’s main message was, “Do your best at what you like”. There is a text that shows the major character(Lincon)’s act “Lincoln rubbed his swollen knee and ran”(Soto 105). This is when Lincoln decided to play a basketball game even though he got hurt. It tells us how he worked hard at basketball.
The other text evidence says “Under the overhead lights the knee looked more purple than ever. He could hurt his knee even worse if he plays the game”(Soto 103). It shows how terrible that Lincoln's knee was. Following the text evidence above, we can know the author's message. For success on your part, put some hard work into it.
The second theme in the story is, “Do not try to force the other”. In the book, Lincoln's basketball coach yelled to Lincoln “Come on, don’t be a crybaby”(Soto 104). It shows that the basketball coach is an unknowing guy who does not consider the players' situation. The coach also yelled “Get dressed. You don’t have time to be hurt”(Soto 101). This is the coach's answer when Lincoln said about his knee. It shows how bad that coach is. In conclusion, The second message that the author wants to send is that you should not force someone who doesn't do what you want.
This book is for someone who likes the story about friendship. If you are someone who wants to read a story about basketball, I don't recommend it to you.
I do not like this book because this book is more about friendship than basketball. The climax of the book is when Lincoln plays the basketball game, but it is only a few pages long. It makes me bored

[Dominic Romo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking Sides by Gary Soto is a very similar book to The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian. Taking Sides is about Lincoln Mendoza, a Hispanic boy living in a very violent part of San Francisco, with frequent robberies and shootings. After their house is robbed, his mom takes it as the last straw and decides to move into a safer, white, neighborhood. Lincoln played basketball for Franklin Junior High School, but after the move he has to adjust to the new environment and his coach, whom highly dislikes Lincoln. He has a fight with his best friend Tony from his old neighborhood, and has trouble with girls and getting playing time on his basketball team. This book is very similar to The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian because like Lincoln, Junior from Part-Time Indian also moves school from harsh conditions, joins the basketball team, is not accepted by the white people, has a fight with his best friend and has issues with girls from the new school and in the end having to play his old team and friends. Readers that can relate to Hispanic culture, struggles with barrios and adjusting to new environments with many issues will truly feel connected. It would be hard for most to connect emotionally with the story if they have not had similar struggles or can not understand some common Spanish frases(phrases).

[David Natiuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son read this for 7th grade class assignment, but he told me he liked it and I was curious. It's a nice slice-of-life book about a high-schooler that comes from a challenging, poor, mexican-american upbringing but has recently moved to a nicer area with his mom. He is a basketball player, and is playing for his new school... but there is friction from the coach (racial?) and struggle in his own mind about belonging with this new crowd at all.

The book is easy to read, well-targeted to a younger audience. It is a short book that doesn't get too much into descriptive text, but focuses on the story, thoughts and feelings of Lincoln, the main character. The book mixes in spanish phrases and life perspective in a conversational way, which I enjoyed. There is also definitions in the back if you wanted to look any terms up.

I gave it four stars for what it is and who it targets - probably those in 6-8th grade somewhere. It's easy reading should appeal to kids who aren't already reading much bigger books like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, etc. It does feel rather short, however, if you're used to a much more in-depth story.

[Tracey Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this novel for a master's degree course on multicultural literature. The novel was a quick read, which may entice middle-grade readers, especially those who are reluctant readers, to take it on. The story centers around Lincoln, a young man in the 8th grade who plays basketball and has just recently moved from the city where he attended mostly Hispanic Franklin, MS, to the suburbs where he now attends Columbus, MS. Lincoln is torn and conflicted about whether he feels more like a part of his new school, where he is one of very few brown faces or his old school where things are rougher but where he has long-standing friendships and history. The novel includes a good amount of Spanish language dialogue, which makes it feel more authentic to the Hispanic culture. Some of the references are a bit dated, but for a book written in 1991, it will still appeal to middle-grade students, especially boys who will enjoy it as a quick read.

[Jalen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lincoln Mendoza is a star basketball player for Franklin Junior High in the barrio of San Francisco, but when his house is broken into, his mother decides they should move to a better neighborhood the prosperous white suburb of Sycamore ten miles away. Lincoln likes the change at first, but soon he begins to miss his old friends and school. There's more to Lincoln's plight than being homesick, though. He has a fight with Tony, his best friend from the barrio; his divorced mother has a white boyfriend whom Lincoln dislikes; his basketball coach doesn't like him; he hurts his knee; and his new house is broken into. What else can go wrong? Well, he has a fight with Monica, a girl from his new school whom he really likes, and his coach benches him for the big game between his new school and his old one. When the big game finally takes place, it forces Lincoln to figure out who he is and where he belongs.

exposition- Lincoln is on the phone with Tony, talking about the bet they made. The bet was on a basketball game. And Lincoln got lucky and won the bet by a close game.

rising action- Lincolns school has to play against Franklin, Lincoln's old school, and Lincoln is very anxious to play them. he doesn't know which side to take. if he pick Franklin high school he dont know how he is going to play and if he chose Columbus he doesn't want tony to be mad at him.

climax - Lincoln hurts his knee and can't play against Franklin. he hurts his knee playing monica in a game of basketball. he leaped up in the air to block her shot and came down on if

falling action - They're playing Franklin and coach calls outs Lincoln into the game and Franklin win. But Franklin didn't care because he wanted Franklin junior high to win.

conflict- when Franklin junior high plays Columbus junior high and he doesn't know who he wants to win. but he ends up taking Franklin junior high side. He did it because he only really liked one person on Columbus high.

resolution- lincoln picked franklin junior high his old school. he wished he was still going there because he didn't like his basketball coach. he always takled about how he wished he was still going to franklin junior high.

setting- Taking Sides takes place in San Francisco around the late 1990s or early 2000s. We know this because the main character, Lincoln listens to the rapper Ice-T who began rapping in 1997. Moreover, the book states that Lincoln was listening to him on a cassette tape, which were popular around that time. Lincoln also lived in Mission District before he moved to Sycamore California.

protagonist- The protagonist is Lincoln. It is lincoln because it is all about him picking which team he wants to represent and what team he wants to win.

antagonist- Coach yatuis is the antagonist. He is because throughout the whole story him and Lincoln didn't get along at all. And he was always on Lincolns back and nobody liked him.

Denouement- Franklin junior high beats Franklin junior high. they won by 13 points and Lincoln came in and closed the gap of the score.

Secondary characters- Monica, yutius, tony, james, roy, flaco, vickey, beatrice

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taking Sides is included in Jennifer Serravallo's Independent Reading Assessment kit. I read this book to become more familiar with a level S book.

Linc Mendoza's story is one that will make students stop and think as they read his story of finding a way to "fit in" to a new school, a new neighborhood, and a new way of life after moving from the city to a suburban neighborhood in San Francisco. While his mom seems happier, Linc has a hard time knowing where he belongs until the basketball team in his new school faces off against his old school. This book is a complex story with characters who are real, somewhat unpredictable, and make you think about what you would do if you were faced with taking sides.

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lincoln goes to Franklin high. He moved from the Mission District of San Francisco, an urban barrio, to sycamore, a pleasant suburban town with tree-lined streets. Lincoln hurt his knee and doesn't want to play but the coach is making him play. I think this book was good because this actually happens to people. Yes I would recommend this book to other people because it could be a real life situation for people. On page 79 it says Coach " I hurt my knee, its pretty bad."Coach tucked the ball under his arm and commanded, "Get dressed. You don't have time to be hurt."

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is a fast read. It is about boy named Lincoln and not being able to fit into an affluent school especially when his coach does not seem to like him due to his race. This novel is also about friendships, basketball, family and relationships.

[Elizabeth Clevenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always so much fun to read anything by Gary Soto! The use of figurative language is amazing! I read this years ago as a novel study with my sixth graders for several years in a row. Then decided to read it to my husband for a recent road trip. He really enjoyed it!

[Laura Potenciano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precuela de "Cruzando el pacifico". Ambos libros se encuentran entre mis favoritos, me gusta mucho la manera de escribir de Gary Soto, con una familiaridad y calidez que me recuerdan a mi hogar.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read and good solid plot. Touches on racial and socioeconomic issues lightly, but well for a younger audience.

[Danial · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool, This iS like Real Life

[Luis Espinoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The protagonist is not entirely likable, which is honest and good. Yet, this may be too dated for today’s adolescent reader.