Spring 2019, Wild Readers 5 discussion

Bait by Alex Sanchez took me back to high school: I felt a l little bit like I was witnessing boys who lost their tempers--and I remember, during that time in my life, not asking why. Just being annoyed.

But in this book, Diego loses his temper a lot--a whole lot, and becomes violent at times--and we read to find out why he has turned out this way. We learn about his past, his family, the potential threats to his future that his temper and troubles might bring--and we watch as his counselor Mr. Vidas pushes him to confront all kinds of serious issues, and to overcome a dreadful childhood. Pressure is on Diego.

Bait, to this reader, is about emotion and trauma that teenage boys might have to cope with. When I was growing up, the only book I read that made similar attempts was Then Again, Maybe I Won't. Sanchez tries to takes on themes of machismo and homophobia--about where these affects and prejudices might come from--and how boys like Diego might cope with adversity if they don't get guidance, mentorship, and support. I liked so much that the book wasn't about a grizzly past but about how teenagers might weather a grizzly past.

I did wonder about Ariel. She seemed quite supportive and loving of Diego--and I found this not to be completely believable. I didn't really get to know her character well enough to understand why she was so mature, so calm, so THERE for Diego. Seems like she could've been more of a character in her own right.

Overall, I liked this book a lot and wish I had read anything like it back in the 1980s to give me more of a sense of empathy. Empathy and the ability to put myself in the shoes of another, to me, are what literature is FOR. It's the reason we want to read--to immerse ourselves into the stories of another. Bait does that. I dug it.