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The Afterlife
You'd think a knife in the ribs would be the end of things, but for Chuy, that's when his life at last gets interesting. He finally sees that people love him, faces the consequences of his actions, finds in himself compassion and bravery . . . and even stumbles on what may be true love.
A funny, touching, and wholly original story by one of the finest authors writing for young readers today.
A funny, touching, and wholly original story by one of the finest authors writing for young readers today.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
135 people are currently reading
1141 people want to read
About the author
Gary Soto
135 books246 followersGary 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 337 reviews
January 5, 2011
When you read the back description of The Afterlife, you become interested. Hey, the main guy gets killed off right away. Cool take on things. So you open the book, you begin to read, and you soon discover that the "hook" is meant to carry the book through 168 pages with its momentum, rather than actually develop a plot. Because there is no plot, rather just a list of things that the protagonist does as a ghost. Mostly just float around. He occasionally pokes people in the heart. Anyways, rather than talk about what this book has, I'll talk about what it doesn't have. It doesn't have an antagonist. The murderer of the book is just a briefly mentioned character that doesn't do anything significant other than kill Chuy. It doesn't have a main conflict. No fears when you're a ghost, just float around and watch people. It has no resolution, because it ends just like we knew it would be: with Chuy leaving the earthly plane for the proper afterlife. The book has no climax, no points of heightened excitement. It is as intense as reading a newspaper article. And lastly, this book has no point. There is no moral lesson, there is no theme, or message. The author sat down one day and thought "What if I write a book about a guy who just died? That's interesting." He then promptly forgot to add in the "other stuff" that would turn this collection of pages into a novel. Also, not that it matters at this point, but the author's use of converting random words into Spanish did not give the book an "ethnic" feel, it just gave the reader the added work of flipping to the back of the book for translations. I do not recommend this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2024
This book was 158 pages long. Felt like 400. It started to get interesting 78 pages in, then it pooped out towards the end. Not absolutely terrible.
December 1, 2014
The story starts out with the main character named Chuy, who is later killed in a bathroom because he complimented some guys yellow shoes. After he found himself looking down at his own body. He knows he's a ghost. He experiments with his new abilities. He visits his family and friends before he completely disappears, while being a ghost he falls in love with a girl who is also a ghost. I love how Chuy still finds love in the afterlife. In my opinion, this book was very interesting and entertaining.
January 30, 2019
They say autumn is the color of death,...
It's like there's a story in it somewhere but I just couldn't understand it. It has a concept but the story went from one place to another, and when I reached the ending, I wasn't satisfied.
It's like there's a story in it somewhere but I just couldn't understand it. It has a concept but the story went from one place to another, and when I reached the ending, I wasn't satisfied.
November 9, 2010
Katie Hupfer
2nd hour
English 9.3
Murphy
Title of Book: The Afterlife Number of pages: 158
Author of Book: Gary Soto
1. Plot Summary: “The Afterlife” starts off right away with the main character, Chuy, getting stabbed to death by a young man in yellow shoes. Chuy had only made a comment about the man’s shoes, and he murdered him on the spot. Immediately Chuy’s spirit, or ghost, lifted from his body, and he just floated there inspecting himself. He begins to learn more and more about his new status as a ghost. He learns that the wind can push him around easily, but not so much if he tightens his stomach muscles.
The book proceeds into Chuy finding the young man in yellow shoes, which we also learn is named Chuy. He roams the streets, then soon after ‘yellow shoes’ finds his family in mourning at his house. Chuy discovers that his mother had asked his cousin, Eddie, to seek revenge on the other Chuy – to find him and shoot him dead. Although our main character Chuy has extreme hatred towards our murderer Chuy, he still doesn’t want to get his cousin involved, or into trouble. At this point, Chuy has found out that his ghostly form is starting to disappear, first his hands, then his feet.
Soon after Chuy leaves his house, he finds a girl named Crystal, who had just died. He knew that she was new to her ghostly form because she had problems keeping still and moving against the wind. Chuy goes over to her, and immediately begins to like her – a lot. He follows her around, continuously asking her how she died. She gives in, and tells Chuy how she committed suicide by overdosing on pills. They both are starting to disappear more and more, Crystal much faster.
Chuy also befriends another man by the name of Robert Montgomery – a homeless man that died of a fever. They take the bus to Chuy’s, and along the way the bus picks up the other Chuy. Robert inhabits his body, and our Chuy then leaves him. Chuy wanders around for a bit, then hitches a ride to Oakland, to see a Raider’s game. He stated in the book how he had always wanted to see a Raider’s game live, not on TV. After the game finishes, he jumps into another car and heads back to Fresno, his home town. He then decides to find Crystal again, who had left to see her parents. They end up falling in love by the end of the book, and the book concludes with the two floating away, both nearly gone. My guess is that they will keep floating together until they both have completely disappeared.
2. Main Conflict: I think one big conflict is man vs. self, because right after Chuy dies it’s as if he can’t really accept it. He knows he’s dead, but he doesn’t seem bothered by it – at all. He acted like it was as simple as falling off a bike, but he soon discovers that he can’t just get back on and keep riding. Another conflict would be man vs. man. A man in yellow shoes knifes Chuy in the stomach, and it seems as if Chuy, and Robert, haunt him until the end of the book.
3. Characters: Our main character, Chuy, is an average seventeen year old Mexican boy. He doesn’t have much going for him. He ran track, but only ever placed third place in anything. He’s definitely a romantic, always searching for that perfect girl, and falling in love at first sight. Then we have Crystal. The way Gary Soto describes her, she is a beautiful young teenager, who also runs track – but happens to be very good at it, a cheerleader, and her school’s vice president. She wanted to make it big, but never got the chance due to her suicide.
4. Setting: “The Afterlife” takes place in smaller city called Fresno, in what I gather to southern California, near Mexico. It’s a nice city, but seems to have a lot of slums and “cholos,” or gangsters. The scene doesn’t change much except to Crystal’s house, on the outskirts of a town named Selma. Her house was on a vineyard, a nice white house with a big porch – a classic country setting.
5. Point of View: The story is told through the eyes of the main character, Chuy. He talks in first person, using him, her, etc. I think it makes a significant difference in the story that it’s told from Chuy’s perspective. I say this because it could’ve been told through the eyes of ‘yellow shoes,’ Crystal, Robert, or even his mother. If the story was in the perspective of the murderer Chuy, I’m sure the story would spin in a whole different direction, with different emotions, conflicts, and a whole new line of characters. At that point, it wouldn’t even be about ‘the afterlife’ anymore, because this Chuy is still living, facing more realistic problems.
6. Theme(s): I think the author is trying to get across that even in death happiness can be found, but not so much about life-after-death, even though the book’s title is, “The Afterlife.”
7. Personal Reaction: The book didn’t turn out quite what I thought it would be – the title and description were a bit misleading. However, it was still a good book to sit down with and spend the afternoon reading, it was really short. I liked that in the afterlife Chuy and Crystal seem to find hope in each other. What I happened to dislike was the lack of feeling – it’s as if everyone that died in this book didn’t even care. To me, life is a big deal. I know I’d be extremely upset if I was just abruptly cut off from reality, only to float on and wither away as a ghost. I recommend this book to those that enjoy people finding happiness in the saddest of times; because that’s the message I got from the book.
2nd hour
English 9.3
Murphy
Title of Book: The Afterlife Number of pages: 158
Author of Book: Gary Soto
1. Plot Summary: “The Afterlife” starts off right away with the main character, Chuy, getting stabbed to death by a young man in yellow shoes. Chuy had only made a comment about the man’s shoes, and he murdered him on the spot. Immediately Chuy’s spirit, or ghost, lifted from his body, and he just floated there inspecting himself. He begins to learn more and more about his new status as a ghost. He learns that the wind can push him around easily, but not so much if he tightens his stomach muscles.
The book proceeds into Chuy finding the young man in yellow shoes, which we also learn is named Chuy. He roams the streets, then soon after ‘yellow shoes’ finds his family in mourning at his house. Chuy discovers that his mother had asked his cousin, Eddie, to seek revenge on the other Chuy – to find him and shoot him dead. Although our main character Chuy has extreme hatred towards our murderer Chuy, he still doesn’t want to get his cousin involved, or into trouble. At this point, Chuy has found out that his ghostly form is starting to disappear, first his hands, then his feet.
Soon after Chuy leaves his house, he finds a girl named Crystal, who had just died. He knew that she was new to her ghostly form because she had problems keeping still and moving against the wind. Chuy goes over to her, and immediately begins to like her – a lot. He follows her around, continuously asking her how she died. She gives in, and tells Chuy how she committed suicide by overdosing on pills. They both are starting to disappear more and more, Crystal much faster.
Chuy also befriends another man by the name of Robert Montgomery – a homeless man that died of a fever. They take the bus to Chuy’s, and along the way the bus picks up the other Chuy. Robert inhabits his body, and our Chuy then leaves him. Chuy wanders around for a bit, then hitches a ride to Oakland, to see a Raider’s game. He stated in the book how he had always wanted to see a Raider’s game live, not on TV. After the game finishes, he jumps into another car and heads back to Fresno, his home town. He then decides to find Crystal again, who had left to see her parents. They end up falling in love by the end of the book, and the book concludes with the two floating away, both nearly gone. My guess is that they will keep floating together until they both have completely disappeared.
2. Main Conflict: I think one big conflict is man vs. self, because right after Chuy dies it’s as if he can’t really accept it. He knows he’s dead, but he doesn’t seem bothered by it – at all. He acted like it was as simple as falling off a bike, but he soon discovers that he can’t just get back on and keep riding. Another conflict would be man vs. man. A man in yellow shoes knifes Chuy in the stomach, and it seems as if Chuy, and Robert, haunt him until the end of the book.
3. Characters: Our main character, Chuy, is an average seventeen year old Mexican boy. He doesn’t have much going for him. He ran track, but only ever placed third place in anything. He’s definitely a romantic, always searching for that perfect girl, and falling in love at first sight. Then we have Crystal. The way Gary Soto describes her, she is a beautiful young teenager, who also runs track – but happens to be very good at it, a cheerleader, and her school’s vice president. She wanted to make it big, but never got the chance due to her suicide.
4. Setting: “The Afterlife” takes place in smaller city called Fresno, in what I gather to southern California, near Mexico. It’s a nice city, but seems to have a lot of slums and “cholos,” or gangsters. The scene doesn’t change much except to Crystal’s house, on the outskirts of a town named Selma. Her house was on a vineyard, a nice white house with a big porch – a classic country setting.
5. Point of View: The story is told through the eyes of the main character, Chuy. He talks in first person, using him, her, etc. I think it makes a significant difference in the story that it’s told from Chuy’s perspective. I say this because it could’ve been told through the eyes of ‘yellow shoes,’ Crystal, Robert, or even his mother. If the story was in the perspective of the murderer Chuy, I’m sure the story would spin in a whole different direction, with different emotions, conflicts, and a whole new line of characters. At that point, it wouldn’t even be about ‘the afterlife’ anymore, because this Chuy is still living, facing more realistic problems.
6. Theme(s): I think the author is trying to get across that even in death happiness can be found, but not so much about life-after-death, even though the book’s title is, “The Afterlife.”
7. Personal Reaction: The book didn’t turn out quite what I thought it would be – the title and description were a bit misleading. However, it was still a good book to sit down with and spend the afternoon reading, it was really short. I liked that in the afterlife Chuy and Crystal seem to find hope in each other. What I happened to dislike was the lack of feeling – it’s as if everyone that died in this book didn’t even care. To me, life is a big deal. I know I’d be extremely upset if I was just abruptly cut off from reality, only to float on and wither away as a ghost. I recommend this book to those that enjoy people finding happiness in the saddest of times; because that’s the message I got from the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2023
Well, this is certainly a play. I have some questions about the general worldbuilding, but found it to work quite well in terms of stage directions, set, and character - it's easy to imagine this actually being performed, and I can imagine it's a great production to work on. However, I found it to be very unbalanced in tone. This tackles some really heavy topics, like suicide, and doesn't exactly deal with them delicately. Also, the tone keeps shifting between somewhat serious to trying (and mostly) failing to be funny, which is really jarring. The end result is just a slightly cringy play that left me very confused as to what message it was sending.
February 1, 2009
Summary: In the first two pages of this novel, the main character is murdered at a nightclub; the rest of the novel chronicles his journey as a ghost through the first few days following his death. Chuy learns what it means to be dead (and to have lived) as he "visits" his friends and family and discovers the powers he does, and doesn't, have as a ghost.
Response: My first reaction to this book is to realize how different it is from my usual reading material. For example, this book is about a boy, and I guess I usually read about main characters who are girls. Second, as both a teacher and as a parent, I have only read to children 9 and under, so I have not read much young adult literature; this book is about a high school student, and the issues and questions are definitely not those of a younger child.
The further I read, I also found that I was struck by the connection I made to "The Lovely Bones" - particularly in the differences and similarities between the concept of the afterlife that each author presents. Also, simply, in the difference between the experiences and genders of the two main characters. I felt each captured the your person's voice very well, and it makes me want to go back and reread "The Lovely Bones" which I thoroughly enjoyed despite the difficulty of the subject.
As I followed Chuy's ghost journey, I enjoyed his discovery of what it had meant to him to be alive - something he maybe couldn't fully feel until he was dead. People always talk about the feeling of immortality that teenagers have, and this book struck right at that notion. I kept wondering what it would feel like to read this book at the same age in life as Chuy; as an adult, I couldn't help but read it with the hindsight I have on my own teenage years. I also couldn't help but read it as a parent, and I mourned for Chuy's parents, not just for their son's death but because of how little time he spent with hi as a ghost. I (in my parent mode!) wanted him to spend ALL his ghost time with them, especially once I knew it was limited; I would imagine his desire to see his friends, and his uncle and cousin so much, ring much truer to the books intended audience. I would love to hear a discussion of this book among actual teenagers - I wonder how it would speak to them?
Finally, on a very small point, I found one scene particularly touching: it is when Chuy thinks back to a punishment he received when he was seven for breaking the pencil sharpener at school. he remembers feeling so wronged that he tells himself how sorry his parents would be if he died, how much they would miss him and would be sorry that they had treated him so poorly. I thought is was very powerful to hear 17-year-old Chuy look back with hindsight on his 7-year-old self, knowing that he would never have the chance to grow any older and develop any more hindsight over his own choices. I think that "you'll be sorry when I'm dead!" feeling is fairly universal among 7-year-olds, and to have such a childish thought reflected on by Chuy, still a child compared to adults, but older and wiser than his own child-self, was very meaningful.
CONTEMPORARY REALISTIC FICTION
Response: My first reaction to this book is to realize how different it is from my usual reading material. For example, this book is about a boy, and I guess I usually read about main characters who are girls. Second, as both a teacher and as a parent, I have only read to children 9 and under, so I have not read much young adult literature; this book is about a high school student, and the issues and questions are definitely not those of a younger child.
The further I read, I also found that I was struck by the connection I made to "The Lovely Bones" - particularly in the differences and similarities between the concept of the afterlife that each author presents. Also, simply, in the difference between the experiences and genders of the two main characters. I felt each captured the your person's voice very well, and it makes me want to go back and reread "The Lovely Bones" which I thoroughly enjoyed despite the difficulty of the subject.
As I followed Chuy's ghost journey, I enjoyed his discovery of what it had meant to him to be alive - something he maybe couldn't fully feel until he was dead. People always talk about the feeling of immortality that teenagers have, and this book struck right at that notion. I kept wondering what it would feel like to read this book at the same age in life as Chuy; as an adult, I couldn't help but read it with the hindsight I have on my own teenage years. I also couldn't help but read it as a parent, and I mourned for Chuy's parents, not just for their son's death but because of how little time he spent with hi as a ghost. I (in my parent mode!) wanted him to spend ALL his ghost time with them, especially once I knew it was limited; I would imagine his desire to see his friends, and his uncle and cousin so much, ring much truer to the books intended audience. I would love to hear a discussion of this book among actual teenagers - I wonder how it would speak to them?
Finally, on a very small point, I found one scene particularly touching: it is when Chuy thinks back to a punishment he received when he was seven for breaking the pencil sharpener at school. he remembers feeling so wronged that he tells himself how sorry his parents would be if he died, how much they would miss him and would be sorry that they had treated him so poorly. I thought is was very powerful to hear 17-year-old Chuy look back with hindsight on his 7-year-old self, knowing that he would never have the chance to grow any older and develop any more hindsight over his own choices. I think that "you'll be sorry when I'm dead!" feeling is fairly universal among 7-year-olds, and to have such a childish thought reflected on by Chuy, still a child compared to adults, but older and wiser than his own child-self, was very meaningful.
CONTEMPORARY REALISTIC FICTION
February 14, 2013
The book I read was The Afterlife by Gary Soto. This book was very interesting and fun to read overall. This book has a very interesting plot; that is because the main character, a seventeen-year-old Latino-American named Chuy is stabbed to death in a nightclub within the first three pages of the book. The rest of the book is all about his journey as a ghost as he finds out just how much people actually cared about him and his search for his killer’s motive. His time as a ghost is limited as he finds that within a few days, his ghost body will soon disappear and he has no idea what will happen after that. Throughout the book several things happen. He meets other ghosts, interacts with people that are alive and finds out how much he is missed by friends and family. He discovers what it means to be dead, and what it meant to be alive.
In my opinion this was a good book. I would give it four out of five stars. The genre of this book could be a drama or horror book depending on how you would view a horror book. The story was very good and extremely easy to follow. The author used very good descriptive words at some points and at other points there were none. Despite this flaw, the story was still easy to follow in these parts. I think this book was very unique. I have never read a story that is told in the first-person of a ghost. It was interesting and made me think. I have read better books but this one is definitely good and well written. I would recommend reading it. Even with all these positive points, the book didn’t have very many descriptive words in some parts and that’s why I gave it four out of five stars. Altogether, I enjoyed the experience of reading the book and I’m glad I picked this
In my opinion this was a good book. I would give it four out of five stars. The genre of this book could be a drama or horror book depending on how you would view a horror book. The story was very good and extremely easy to follow. The author used very good descriptive words at some points and at other points there were none. Despite this flaw, the story was still easy to follow in these parts. I think this book was very unique. I have never read a story that is told in the first-person of a ghost. It was interesting and made me think. I have read better books but this one is definitely good and well written. I would recommend reading it. Even with all these positive points, the book didn’t have very many descriptive words in some parts and that’s why I gave it four out of five stars. Altogether, I enjoyed the experience of reading the book and I’m glad I picked this
March 17, 2010
The book it's about this guy names chuy, he's 17 years old and he got killed at a club night party just for telling a guy he liked his shoes. After his death he became a ghost and so he sees his family and friends crying for him. When he sees the yellow shoes guy he started following him and doing things to him and realized that her body is diseaparing part by part every amount of time after a little while he mets this ghost girl named Crystal so he decided to teach her some tricks about ghost and after a while of being teaching to her he fall in love with her. When he's finaly death in the after life and all his body parts disapear he finally realized that he couldn't do many of the things that he could do when he was alive.
In my opinion the book was a good book because it kind of makes you think about your death and to enjoy your life everyday because you never know when you are going to be gone of this world. =]
In my opinion the book was a good book because it kind of makes you think about your death and to enjoy your life everyday because you never know when you are going to be gone of this world. =]
June 23, 2011
This book started out in a promising and unique (for young-adult anyway) fashion by opening with the murder of the narrator. As a ghost, he then moves out into the world to encounter his grieving family and his unrepentant murderer. But despite some promising characters and possible conflicts, not enough happens in this book. It's not intensely emotional enough to really evoke a strong reaction. And in the absence of real angst the narrative wanders on waiting for a major plot point. Until it ends. The writing is competent but I never felt really touched by either Chuy's predicament or his family's grief. And the love interest was clearly a relationship of opportunity. The concept was clever but something more was needed.
April 1, 2016
I really liked this book. I liked it because how it was told. I say its a good book for the details and information it gives about Chuys life. Also how he traveled around as a ghost. I really liked the ending when he found Crystal and said,"She flew at my side, southward toward what, I now know, is called the afterlife"(Soto 158), this sentence shows and mentions the title of the book and its a good ending for this book.
February 25, 2010
I thought this book personally was a waste of time.It seemed like a average book that does not grab my attention. Im on the 2nd chapter barley,and im not encourage to keep going on. One thing i do like is the humor which is pretty funny. Also i like how Gary Soto made a visual how the after life might be.Its nice to picture and a great way to make a book, only if there was more adventure to it!(:
September 19, 2016
I thought this book was an interesting premise - young guy is randomly stabbed by a terrible person in a public bathroom and as a ghost, witnesses the reaction to his murder and meets a couple other ghosts. At times it was very juvenile but I had to remind myself that it's a book meant for young people.
February 1, 2017
Chuy is an average, high school aged, Latino boy in Fresno. He thinks about girls. He's not great at sports but tries to do them just to hang out with his friends. He's got a best friend and family members that he likes and while he's not a over achiever, he's still a good kid.
And then he gets randomly killed at a club. (Not a spoiler - that's the whole premise of the book).
Now he's a ghost, figuring out how to be a ghost, and figuring out what it means to be dead (as well as what it meant to be alive, in the first place). Folks compare this to The Lovely Bones since the narrator is a young ghost reflecting on life - but I think the books had some different goals. For me, The Lovely Bones was more about the crime itself and the families pursuit of justice. In many ways, that book is really ALL about the family and how those characters adapt and grow and move on, while the ghost just observes.
In the Afterlife, the story is really all about Chuy and his process of learning to be a ghost and his discussion of his life. There isn't a lot of focus on the crime itself (though we do get to see the killer several times) - but the focus is actually more about the neighborhood that Chuy grew up in, the community that he was surrounded by, and generally exposing readers to the experiences of a young Latino.
For full enjoyment, don't plan for a great reveal or conclusion, but simply absorb the environment - it's a POV that isn't very common in YA. It's written simply and well, with some hidden gems in turn of phrase.
This short book is more likely to be appreciated by actual teenagers (unlike TLB, which I think is geared towards an adult audience).
And then he gets randomly killed at a club. (Not a spoiler - that's the whole premise of the book).
Now he's a ghost, figuring out how to be a ghost, and figuring out what it means to be dead (as well as what it meant to be alive, in the first place). Folks compare this to The Lovely Bones since the narrator is a young ghost reflecting on life - but I think the books had some different goals. For me, The Lovely Bones was more about the crime itself and the families pursuit of justice. In many ways, that book is really ALL about the family and how those characters adapt and grow and move on, while the ghost just observes.
In the Afterlife, the story is really all about Chuy and his process of learning to be a ghost and his discussion of his life. There isn't a lot of focus on the crime itself (though we do get to see the killer several times) - but the focus is actually more about the neighborhood that Chuy grew up in, the community that he was surrounded by, and generally exposing readers to the experiences of a young Latino.
For full enjoyment, don't plan for a great reveal or conclusion, but simply absorb the environment - it's a POV that isn't very common in YA. It's written simply and well, with some hidden gems in turn of phrase.
This short book is more likely to be appreciated by actual teenagers (unlike TLB, which I think is geared towards an adult audience).
August 9, 2024
A quick one but I read this in middle school & it was just as good.
December 10, 2020
This book was completely different from what I thought but I still enjoyed it. The main character Chuy got to experience his life as a ghost and even found love. I've always wondered if those who have passed on could walk the Earth, this book brought that to life in the most interesting ways. The book started abruptly, which I wasn't a big fan of. Overall I would recommend this book to others!
October 10, 2016
Have you ever wanted to know whats life after death,or the pain of getting skewered with a knife like a human shish-kabob. Could you be fine knowing you were going to die in a club bathroom as a senior in high school? Now imagine yourself in the shoes of the young senior at Fresno high school Chuy.
The main character is Jesus but everybody and his friends call him "Chuy." He was a normal boy, ran cross country and did teen things with his friends at school. The story takes place around Fresno California. Along the way you find out the small and big details as Chuy makes his way through purgatory. Sometimes in life there can be times were you wont truly understand, but as time goes on you learn to accept how it is for what it is.
I wanted to read this book because the topic of what is life after death can be anything anybody could say it is. So I am intrigued on how people can show what they think it is like by using imagination to create a story out of it. Like Jesus, I also find myself in positions were I should not want to be in, and can be difficult to get out of that particular situation. Also I can relate by the challenges he had to overcome on his journey through purgatory. I was on the edge of my feet as you got to go through the challenges Chuy had encountered and overcame, or the adventures of the unseen truth you get to witness as you progress on the book. I feel as if the book lived up to its promise as mystery.
You should read The After Life if you love ah-ha moments and times when you gasp, it is a fast read and could be read by anybody. you can not put it down. This book is aimed for people who read mystery, but anyone who loves an adventure genre would enjoy this as well.
The main character is Jesus but everybody and his friends call him "Chuy." He was a normal boy, ran cross country and did teen things with his friends at school. The story takes place around Fresno California. Along the way you find out the small and big details as Chuy makes his way through purgatory. Sometimes in life there can be times were you wont truly understand, but as time goes on you learn to accept how it is for what it is.
I wanted to read this book because the topic of what is life after death can be anything anybody could say it is. So I am intrigued on how people can show what they think it is like by using imagination to create a story out of it. Like Jesus, I also find myself in positions were I should not want to be in, and can be difficult to get out of that particular situation. Also I can relate by the challenges he had to overcome on his journey through purgatory. I was on the edge of my feet as you got to go through the challenges Chuy had encountered and overcame, or the adventures of the unseen truth you get to witness as you progress on the book. I feel as if the book lived up to its promise as mystery.
You should read The After Life if you love ah-ha moments and times when you gasp, it is a fast read and could be read by anybody. you can not put it down. This book is aimed for people who read mystery, but anyone who loves an adventure genre would enjoy this as well.
March 5, 2009
I've never read a Gary Soto book I didn't like, and this was no exception. In Afterlife, 17-year old Chuy is stabbed to death by some cabron in the restroom of a Fresno nightclub after Chuy compliments his shoes. When he finds himself dead and floating above his former body, he spends the next 4 days tooling around town, doing the sort of things ghosts might do.
He looks in on his family, his best friend, his killer, and the girl he was supposed to meet at the club that fateful night. He finds that he can reach inside people's bodies and make them feel cold and sick, or simply comfort them with his presence. He also watches a llama take a dump. (Nickel and Dime made me a fan of how Gary Soto describes animals taking a dump.)
He meets two other ghosts, a pretty young suicide victim named Crystal and a homeless man who died in the park, and they kindle a kind of strange post-mortem friendship.
While all of this happens, Chuy is gradually disappearing, starting with his hands and feet.
What happens when you disappear completely? Do you go to heaven or hell? Someplace else? Or are you just gone? Soto leaves that question up to the reader.
I decided to read this after a young woman asked me to recommend a book she could finish in two hours. This is the one she chose, and she came back two hours later to tell me how much she enjoyed it. I would not hesitate to recommend it again to anyone looking for a brief yet thought-provoking YA read.
He looks in on his family, his best friend, his killer, and the girl he was supposed to meet at the club that fateful night. He finds that he can reach inside people's bodies and make them feel cold and sick, or simply comfort them with his presence. He also watches a llama take a dump. (Nickel and Dime made me a fan of how Gary Soto describes animals taking a dump.)
He meets two other ghosts, a pretty young suicide victim named Crystal and a homeless man who died in the park, and they kindle a kind of strange post-mortem friendship.
While all of this happens, Chuy is gradually disappearing, starting with his hands and feet.
What happens when you disappear completely? Do you go to heaven or hell? Someplace else? Or are you just gone? Soto leaves that question up to the reader.
I decided to read this after a young woman asked me to recommend a book she could finish in two hours. This is the one she chose, and she came back two hours later to tell me how much she enjoyed it. I would not hesitate to recommend it again to anyone looking for a brief yet thought-provoking YA read.
March 8, 2009
In "The Afterlife" by Gary Soto is about a teenage boy who's name is Chuy and he is 17 years old. He goes to night club for a date, but he gets stabbed for telling a guy that he likes his yellow shoes. Then Chuy is dead and is a ghost and sees what his family and other people are doing and what he sees is that all of his family and the girl he was dating were all crying for him. What Chuy realizes is that he could have done alot of things when he was alive that he couldn't do anymore and he regretted it. Then he starts remember his family and how little time he has spent with them and his friends.
Then he saw the guy that had stabbed him and he keeps following him and does things to him. Then he meets a girl named Crystal who was dead because she tried to suicide herself. He starts talking to her and teaches her about how to go in different places with her ghost body and tells her to get to places. Then he starts liking her and he saves the life of a homeless person, but that person dies and comes with them in the afterlife.
My critique of this book is that I found this book interesting because of how it tells the life of someone who is dead that isn't in his body. I also liked this book because it tells of how Chuy, who is dead, can move only when the wind comes so that it can carry him. I would give this book 3 stars because it was of how Chuy wanted to get revenge of the person who killed him and because it describes of what he does when he dies and how moves.
Then he saw the guy that had stabbed him and he keeps following him and does things to him. Then he meets a girl named Crystal who was dead because she tried to suicide herself. He starts talking to her and teaches her about how to go in different places with her ghost body and tells her to get to places. Then he starts liking her and he saves the life of a homeless person, but that person dies and comes with them in the afterlife.
My critique of this book is that I found this book interesting because of how it tells the life of someone who is dead that isn't in his body. I also liked this book because it tells of how Chuy, who is dead, can move only when the wind comes so that it can carry him. I would give this book 3 stars because it was of how Chuy wanted to get revenge of the person who killed him and because it describes of what he does when he dies and how moves.
September 20, 2013
This story is about a Mexican American teenage boy killed in the bathroom at a dance. The main character seems to create a new life for himself in his afterlife, making new friends and even meeting a girl. The book does a great job of being very descriptive, which helps the reader visualize a picture of the events in their minds. The main character, Jesus/Chuy spends some time at the beginning of the story trying to predict his family's reaction to his death.I believe this book would be of interest to students in late elementary school and freshman in high school and that the story is something teenagers of various cultures could relate to. I was shocked at the violence at the very beginning of the story, but as I kept reading I began to understand why the author wrote the book this way. In addition, throughout the book, there are some spanish words inside of the reading. It took me awhile to figure out that some of the spanish words used in the book were defined in the glossary at the end of the book. Overall, it was a good read.
August 8, 2010
Just starting on Susan's recommendation. Just finished and came away with mixed reactions. Gary Soto creates Chuy, a teenager living in a violent Latino community. He is murdered on page 4 and spends the next 154 pages discovering himself as a dissolving ghost. Chuy visits his home, follows his murderer, meets a girl ghost and finally resolves his problems with life and death. I liked the way Soto developed a teen with insecurity who finds more self-awareness with a "new" perspective, a lesson to young readers. The cultural environment might interest young readers, and it might not. Soto's idea of life after death is original and keeps the plot active. I expected something more dynamic with his quest as a ghost, maybe revenge or contact with family, but Soto "flatlines" and closes with a love statement for a vague girl ghost met earlier. Worth reading but not what it could have been.
December 9, 2011
The Afterlife
by Gary Soto
What does death feel like? Gary Soto attempts to answer this question through his character Chuy who realizes he is dead (read the book to see how) and tells the story of his Afterlife immediately after death. The novel starts out with a bang in a restroom where Chuy is in the wrong place at the wrong time...and....then, in my opinion, slowly goes downhill from there. The biggest disappointment to me is the "romantic" way Chuy describes the afterlife and even his death for that matter. Frankly, there are few surprises here--it would have been nice if Soto would have come up with a more creative interpretation of life after death. As the novel stands now, Afterlife is a cliché'. If you've never read this author, I wouldn't start with this novel first.
by Gary Soto
What does death feel like? Gary Soto attempts to answer this question through his character Chuy who realizes he is dead (read the book to see how) and tells the story of his Afterlife immediately after death. The novel starts out with a bang in a restroom where Chuy is in the wrong place at the wrong time...and....then, in my opinion, slowly goes downhill from there. The biggest disappointment to me is the "romantic" way Chuy describes the afterlife and even his death for that matter. Frankly, there are few surprises here--it would have been nice if Soto would have come up with a more creative interpretation of life after death. As the novel stands now, Afterlife is a cliché'. If you've never read this author, I wouldn't start with this novel first.
September 27, 2012
Seventeen and life is good for Chuy, until he attends a dance at a local nightclub and without a warning is brutally stabbed and murdered.
Chuy's spirit is now free to observe the love and grief of his parents and friends. Chuy's spirit is able to watch as the man with the yellow shoes who stabbed him continues a journey down the wrong paths.
This is a well written book that is touching and thought provoking. Never grasping at sentimentality, rather it is a soft ball flying in the sky.
Recommended.
Chuy's spirit is now free to observe the love and grief of his parents and friends. Chuy's spirit is able to watch as the man with the yellow shoes who stabbed him continues a journey down the wrong paths.
This is a well written book that is touching and thought provoking. Never grasping at sentimentality, rather it is a soft ball flying in the sky.
Recommended.
December 4, 2016
This book was an okay book, the title explains it all. In the beginning the boy dies and he's in the "afterlife". The story was confusing, at first you think that something crazy will happen like he will be alive again or he is dreaming but none of that sort happened. He was dead and was a ghost. Throughout time he explored what he can do as a ghost. Later unexpected turns in the story happens and the main character Chuy is in love. I don't want to tell you guys much about the book so just read for yourself and find out the mystery about the boy and his love.
February 25, 2010
I thought this book was okay. I think it could of had a better ending, because i do not like it when Chuy just disappeared. I want to know what happen after. I did like that it just cut me off. Although, I liked that Gary Soto express his idea of the afterlife in this book. I wished he could have done a better job. He did however, made me realize the importance of life and to be thankful for what we have, because tomorrow we might not have all of what we have today.
March 2, 2010
At first I choose this book because i've always been interested in ghosts and thought it would be good. However the plot to me was kinda boring while Im not saying it was bad I have say to that I expecting a bit more ot of it. Though I must say the ending did leave me kind of hanging woundering was that it I did however I did like how the author used spanish word throughout the story.It deffinatly make a person think about what comes after death so I'd say it was an ok read overall.
February 23, 2010
Shoot down for what he believes is a complement, Chuy finds himself stuck in the world between living and dead. In his ghost form Chuy discovers how much he truly meant to his family and friends when he learns of his mother's plot to violently avenge his death. Chuy must learn how to intervene before he completely disappears.
October 1, 2015
I thought "The Afterlife" by Gary Soto was an excellent book. I really enjoyed reading this book because of the great detail it had. The author did a very good job of painting a picture in the reader's mind. Especially the part in the beginning where Chuy gets stabbed. I felt like I was right there in his body. Overall, this was a great book that I'd recommend to any of my friends!
January 13, 2017
The Afterlife is a book about a teen named Chuy who has an altercation in the bathroom of a party and ends up paying the ultimate cost for it. This book is actually more enjoyable than I thought it would've been. It has a romantic aspect as well and it really helped me enjoy the story a lot more. I would really recommend this book to anybody looking for an interesting book.
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February 25, 2010i really didnt like this book. it was slow and, boring. i didnt like how it showed how he died in the first chapter. after that he jus described his life and it was just not interesting. it didnt have me wanting to read more.
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