Crazy Loco

by David Talbot Rice

A powerful collection of short stories telling the tales of a Mexican-American childhood ideal for fans of Gary Soto

Welcome to Southern Texas.
Meet Loco, a dog with a passion for firecrackers. And Pedro, an altar boy forced to lean a hard lesson from two of the toughest, oldest men ever to serve the Lord. Jordan and Todd are two boys from California who don't know what they're in for when they push their Texas cousins a little too far.  Loosely based on the author's own childhood as a Mexican-American boy in south Texas, this story collection is a moving whirlwind of humor and insight--brash, tender, and full of the unexpected.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Young Adult, Cultural, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Hispanic

144 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

David Talbot Rice CBE (11 July 1903 in Rugby – 12 March 1972 in Cheltenham) was an English art historian. His father was "Talbot-Rice" and both he and his wife published using "Talbot Rice" as a surname, but are also sometimes found under "Rice" alone, or "Talbot-Rice".

Born in Rugby and brought up in Gloucestershire (England), he was educated at Eton prior to reading archaeology and anthropology at Christ Church, Oxford.[1] At Oxford his circle of friends included Evelyn Waugh and Harold Acton as well as his future wife (Elena) Tamara Abelson (1904–1993) whom he was to marry in 1927. She was a Russian émigrée, who was also an art historian, writing on Byzantine and Central Eastern art and other subjects as Tamara Talbot Rice.

Following his graduation, Talbot Rice undertook a number of archaeological digs overseas and developed a passion for all things Byzantine. His expertise in the area of Islamic art was recognised when, in 1932, Samuel Courtauld endowed the Courtauld Institute at the University of London and Talbot Rice was among the first appointments, taking up a position as lecturer.

Talbot Rice was subsequently appointed to the Watson Gordon Chair of Fine Art at the University of Edinburgh in 1934, a post he held until his death in 1972. In 1937 he gave the Ilchester Lecture, later published as The Beginnings of Russian Icon Painting.

During the Second World War Talbot Rice served with modest distinction as Head of the Near East Section of Military Intelligence (MI3b), which was responsible for Eastern Europe including Yugoslavia but excluding Russia and Scandinavia. Originally commissioned onto the Special List in 1939, he transferred to the Intelligence Corps in 1943. He ended the war with the rank of Major.

When peacetime returned he came back to Scotland and established an Honours degree at the University which combined art history and studio art and is still offered today. His ambition to establish an arts centre in the University was realised posthumously when the Talbot Rice Gallery was founded and named after him.

From 1952 to 1954, he led the excavations of the Great Palace of Constantinople in Istanbul, Turkey.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snapshot:
A really rich anthology of short stories set in south Texas and telling sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking tales of the lives of Chicano adolescents. The collection questions -- in a manner that is always real, never pedantic -- what it means to be American and Mexican at the same time.

Hook:
Some of the stories are hysterical; all have an engaging voice, realistic characters, and a thought-provoking turn of events!

Challenges:
The large number of American cultural references could pose problems for English language learners, even in the addition we read, which has vocabulary and questions targeted at ELLs. We read this book in both the ESL 1 and 2 classes that I was assisting. For the 2 (early intermediate) class, the book was a good choice for a class text.

Student(s) in mind:
Since we read it all together, this is difficult, but I would also have recommended it to Jose in my other class, or even to Oriel -- both Latino and drawn in by funny prose.

Conference notes:
Since each story has different characters, a different point, and so on, I would ask a student reading this book independently to create a chart to track whichever aspect of the book s/he finds most compelling -- for example, theme, character development, or tone.

Level: Middle through high school. The themes are not too mature nor is the language too difficult for middle schoolers, but the stories are still interesting to older readers, even those in their forties (grin).

[Fern ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED THIS BOOK. I read it in middle school and it was so entertaining while giving Hispanic kids a way to relate to them, especially since in the Hispanic community, a priority is family and for Milagros's dream to go out of state, away from her family, is unsupported by her parents. Tia Mana is the voice of the theme that if you want to pursue your dream, FLY, and GO PURSUE YOUR DREAM!

[Carmen Anaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about funny and sad experiences that are short stories you would enjoy reading. The first story is about a boy named Romero how likes older girls especially this one girl but you might be surprised what happens. The second story is about Harry and he has to move in to his grandfather’s house with his family and his grandfather is not every nice to him. One of the last stories is about a family with this crazy dog but doesn’t chase cars but everything else. My favorite part of the book was when the family though that the dog drove to California. If you liked the book Macho, then you will like this book because it makes you laugh.

[Aliza Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've heard David Rice read a few of the stories in this collection back in South Texas at different venues and was amazed at how much his writing had matured since his first book (Give the Pig a Chance--another fine book in its own right). A side note to anyone with an opportunity to experience Rice's presentations--take the chance, go out of your way if you have to, but do listen to him. Back to the book: I was so looking forward to Crazy Loco, and when I got my copy, I got right to it. Dropped Moby Dick, and slowed down on To the Lighthouse to finish Crazy Loco. The stories, most of which are told in the first person, the narrators varying from story to story, are humorous and fun to read. But I feel the strongest pieces are the ones in which Rice cuts out the humor, and gets down to some serious business, like in "Last Mass" and "Her Other Son." These stories are emotional without being sentimental. These stories bring to mind others of his works, namely "Tina La Tinaca" from his first collection, and they show exactly why Rice is being published today.

[John Molina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know David so I cannot write an unbiased review about his short story collection. I will say though, that Rice is an outstanding writer and is work will be greatly appreciated when people get to know more about the Valley. Thank you David, for writing this great collection and for being a friend.

[Carlos Anticona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy loco is a very energetic collection of short stories telling the tales of a Mexican and American childhood. It is loosely based on the author's own childhood as a Mexican-American boy in south Texas, these stories is a hurricane of humor, creativity, and full of the unexpected. Some of the short stories consist of a dog that loves firecrackers. Two boys who are from California named Jordan and Todd who don't know what they're in for when they push their Texas cousins and little too far. And Pedro, a boy who’s an altar force to learn a hard lesson from two of the toughest oldest men to ever serve the lord.

Most of the stories are funny, but a few of them are sad and serious. I felt the sad stories, such as “Her Other Son” and “She Flies.” They were much stronger than some of the funny stories, such as “proud to be an American” and “the California cousins.” I prefer the stronger stories more because I could feel for some of the characters and what they were going through. When reading this book, it reminded me of the book “Crossing The Wire” because they spoke a little bit of Spanish (that the readers can understand) in both the books.

At the end of every story, the author kind of leaves you in a cliffhanger. You are left wondering what will happen next in the characters life? Or, why did the character do that? The cliffhangers in my opinion is what made me keeping reading the stories because it makes you think deeper about the story. It also helps you get a better understanding of the story when you think so much about it. I really enjoyed reading Crazy Loco, and I hope that you will too.

[Adam DeClercq · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this collection of short stories. Each story had some fun, was easy to understand. I also appreciated the experience of hearing about Americans living on the border and some of the conflicts they go through being from Mexican families, and even crossing the border to visit family.
It is a simply, quick read but I think the stories are engaging enough to entertain advanced readers. Plus the stories are simple enough and short enough to encourage reticent readers to read.

[Erin Steffens · Rating 1 out of 5]

The amount of excused animal abuse in here is insane. It seemed like the author didn't know how to write a story without it. The stories were flat, pointless, and left no emotional impression at all. He really had nothing to say, but wrote a couple boring stories anyway. Even the titular story was bad. Spoiler: it ends with the family car (and dog that was inside, left in the parking lot) being stolen, so the family just goes to the animal shelter to get another dog that looks like him. What is the message here? What is the point ?

[Karina Soltero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its quite funny. However it was a bit confusing due to the fact that every chapter was a new story.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

My students chose this one. They loved the bathroom humor most of all. I’m sure they would give more stars than I did.

[Nancy Ironside · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite collections of short stories.

[Sebastian Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

[Ana Luisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swear this collection is about my childhood and not of the authors. So heartwarming, and funny, and relatable.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT!!!! short stories of Mexican-Americans mostly set in the Texas Valley. Read this in a weekend, it was so good.

[brian conix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Idk

[Troy Fanton]

12 Copies

[Pritchie Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Crazy Loco. It is a great book that unfolds in a unique way. It’s a young adult novel focusing on the lives of teenagers living in Texas. The book is compiled of short stories that are so descriptive they read more like essays. Much of the book focuses on culture specifically that of Latin American culture but there are many other themes throughout the text.

I’m happy to actually say I would love to teach this in a class. It’s upsetting that many teachers or English majors, myself included, have to make a conscious effort to have the literature taught in their classrooms be representative of the entire class. I know throughout my highschool career most of our curriculum was white washed. That’s why I really think Crazy Loco would be great for the classroom. It’s a current book and contains a lot of humor which I think would translate great to middle grades students.

I also like that this book can become a lesson in history and culture as well. I think it is important when teaching a subject to find ways to tie in with other subjects and this book would be perfect for that. Crazy Loco could easily inspire a lesson plan that leans more towards history. Connecting subjects through a text like Crazy Loco is great for students because it shows them that the things they are being taught aren’t separate entities but rather are highly connected.

I would highly recommend this book whether you want to use it in a classroom or if you are just looking for something to joy read.

[Katey Gingles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the layout of this book it was like a bunch of mini stories in one book. They were fun and some of them gave inspiring tales of courage, friendships, and life through the Hispanic culture. It was refreshing to see a ‘non-white’ book offered for a change and I’m glad I picked it.

A way that it could be taught in the middle grades classroom is through food and history. There is a lot of food mentioned in the book from beans and rice to fajitas. It could be a classroom day where we talk about the food, work societies, history of Hispanic and Latin Americans. Another way would be to incorporate the personal history of any students, if they wanted to, who have family members who are a part of the Hispanic/Latino cultures. Another aspect that could be included is finding the morals of the stories. For instance, in Valentine, a boy loses his friends because he does the right thing and in turn he is bullied by them for the rest of the time that he’s in their class. It’s important to bring in the bullying aspect because so many kids go through it at one point or another. Also in that story is the morality of not giving into peer pressure and to no matter what do the right thing. I think it would be important for all children, even older ones, to continue to learn the importance of both of these examples and provide awareness of what could possibly be done, how one would go about talking about, etc. both in the classroom and out of it.

[Leketha Outley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book captures the thought patterns of teens and the depiction of the daily lives of Mexican-Americans in Texas Rio Grande Valley. It displays short stories about different situations. One story focuses on two small-town boys trying to understand their older cousins from California. Another story is about a relationship between a girl and her great aunt whom she loved dearly. Her aunt was an 85 year old woman who retired as a midwife. Another story talks about a teen who resents moving in with his Catholic grandfather after his parents divorced. These were the stories the author highlighted in details of Catholic religion and Spanish dialect. He emphasized on Hispanic culture in a diverse manner similar to his won upbringing as a child. This was an awesome book to read and I feel children of all cultural backgrounds would enjoy it. I would definitely put this on my list of good reads in my classroom.

[Sara Gandaria-Escamilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories is written for a young audience, so it is a very easy read. The stories are about growing up in The Rio Grande Valley, so the themes and place are very familiar to me. Rice does a very good job of capturing Valley life for his Mexican-American characters. Some of his imagery is poetic, and some of his prose is laugh out loud funny. A few of my favorite stories are: "Sugarcane Fire," "Papa Lalo," "Proud to Be an American," and "She Flies." On Rice's website you can hear him do a reading of "The California Cousins."

Even though these stories are about growing up Mexican-American in the Valley everyone can relate to the stories. I read this book as part of a class, and everyone in my group could relate to the stories even if they didn't grow up anywhere near the region.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that I read for a class at Texas State. The author is actually an alumni of Texas State. The author is also from my hometown where I was born in Weslaco, TX. In the book he mentions this town and others towns in the Rio Grand Valley. This book comprises of nine short stories. This book would be good for middle school or high school students.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick book of short stories taking place in the Rio Grande Valley. The book did not contain the most masterful writing that I have ever read, but I think middle school and early high school students would like this book. In fact, the writing reminded me of a very accomplished high school student and the stories an amateur feel to them, but I still enjoyed the book.

[Oscar ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book "crazy loco" is a really good book it has many short stories and sorta mainly Hispanics family; and one of the stories have to do with crazy loco the dog in the book cover. I think Hispanic teenagers will be interested in this book i liked it. Its appropriate it doesn't have anything sexual or bad .

[Desi · Rating 5 out of 5]

ok , i enjoyed reading this so much, mainly because im Mexican so i can relate to some of the stories told in his book.. so if you're looking for a quick read and good laugh about the Mexican wive tale's Crazy Loco is for you!

[Whitney · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for short stories that exemplify Hispanic American life (or, more precisely, Hispanic Texan life), this book is perfect. However, the stories themselves were not all amazing or awe inspiring and there was little that connected them all, so as a book I didn't love it.

[Mitchell Waldman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I realize this is marketed as a young adult book, but, in my view, a good young adult book should be a good book for everyone. This one seemed dumbed down way more than necessary, uninteresting...I couldn't get very far with it and had to put it down.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super funny. I imagined the stories as I might have experienced them in my life. I met this author many years ago before he was published and I was privileged to read the manuscript before it became a book. Highly creative writer.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book talks about several events. it is an wounderful and exciting book to read

[Silvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found short stories She Flies and Last Mass particularly touching. David Rice, the author, by the way has agreed to visit some time in the future since he lives here in Austin.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a really hard time getting into this one. I had heard it was hysterically funny, but I just didn't get it.