Post by Proxy for N Aldana

Chacon’s novel is one that I really enjoyed! I felt all these emotions coming out in me, because my father grew up in a similar Mexican family, and also didn’t receive love and affection from his mother. The life Joey leads is a sad one, always letting him down. His mother angers me to the core! Why did she choose not to hug her children? I didn’t feel she had any excuse not to be affectionate towards them. Especially since she had no problem with being affectionate with her husband! So why choose not to with the children? I believe a lot of the problems the children have stem from how they were raised by Rachel also. Vero just knew she would never accept her father’s ways. Why would she though! He never did anything to show her he cared about her, and she didn’t owe him anything. She had every right to leave, and Rachel should have never chosen her husband over her own flesh and blood! Vero couldn’t even count on her mother when it was about doing something about William’s ways. Rachel failed to do anything about William’s actions and mean temper. Billy had been William’s target for taking his frustrations out on, so I believe all those years of abuse got to him. He turned into this angry and emotionless teen. It was too late for him; William had got the best of him. So, now that Billy wasn’t the target anymore, Joey took that place. This led’s me to believe that is why Billy might have treated Joey badly as did William. He was no longer his father’s target, and Billy probably felt a sense of relief. The torment that Joey endures in this sad glimpse into his life is a heart wrenching one! Joey just wanted to be loved. He wanted to be accepted for who he really was, but was too scared to show it. William did nothing but constantly put Joey down, telling him he was stupid and worthless, dumb as the come. No wonder Joey had such troubled issues with acceptance from his peers. And, his mother didn’t make things better by just telling William to shut up, and not talk to the children in that manner. She enabled him to scar these children for life! She is just as guilty as William. I feel very passionate about Chacon’s novel because it allows people to see the terrible things that arise from emotionally and physically harming your children. As I previously said, this novel struck a sensitive spot in my heart. My father always tells me how he believed showing your children you love and care for them is so important! My father told me that he will never forget the way he felt growing up in that type of family, and that he would never be like that. He made a promise to himself that when he had children, they would be shown that their loved. I can say that he did a wonderful job, especially since he was not taught that from his mother and father. “and the shadows took him”, made me thankful for my parents and their love for me!

Assignment #6 shadows blog

I really did enjoy this book, for the fact that there are a lot of characteristics that I could relate to in some of the characters; Joey’s insecurities, Williams explosive temper, Rachel’s love for music. In the novel, I think Chacon portrayed a typical lower class family very well. No, not all lower income families are as dysfunctional as the Molina’s. But I think he does show that it is more common then not. The Molina’s for their sake seem to be a typical family just trying to get ahead in life and make the best with what they have.

While I read through this novel, every time William would come into the story I would get pissed off. I think the reason I reacted this way is because I had people in my life that shared some similar characteristic as William. The degrading, cursing, yelling wasn’t pointed towards me, but it was pointed to people I did care about and it pissed me off the same way it would while I was reading Chacon’s novel. It also opened my eyes a little bit on how frustrated I get with my two boys’. I wouldn’t ever be as aggressive as William is with his boys; I love and respect my kids to much to treat them like William treated his kids.

Rachel tried to be a good mother, aside from the lack of affection she seemed to believe that the boys would do the right thing. I have to commend mothers out there who can relate to Rachel situation and stay in a relationship just for the kids. Although people on the outside can say “Why do women stay with men like that? I would have left him along time ago.” Even though she did make a lot of threats to William about leaving him if he laid a hand on the boys again, Rachel seemed to do what she had done when she was growing up, stick with the family. Whether they were all miserable or they were ecstatic, they were “a family” and she would fight to the bitter end to keep it that way. Until the end of the novel when she finally has had enough and she feels like her kids are old enough to handle being in a broken home.

At first Joey seemed to be a young boy with a pretty good imagination. But once the three Joeys came in and he was communicating with them, I thought this boy has some major issues or he was a loon. As the book continued I saw how Joey used acting to escape reality and change into a different person. He also used acting as an escape from the realities of his father’s abuse and he also dealt with his anger by acting like a different person. I was not surprised by the ending of the book. I felt that Joey would not make the right decisions and turn out like his father. I wanted to know more about what happen to everyone. It left a lot of questions for me as to what happen to all of the characters. I think that the author did this on purpose to make the reader use their imagination to make their own conclusion.

I have to be completely honest; I did not really care for this book. I thought it was a good story, but not written to its potential. The characters were too developed to be mostly a story about Joey and under developed for a story about the Molina Family. Joey’s character was the most developed and I did truly enjoy his story. I felt Joey could have been anyone I had ever met. I was involved in the theatre in high school and knew people who would not talk to the theatre geeks outside of the stage, so his “acting” was no stretch for me.
As for the rest of the family, I had some emotional reactions to their characters. I disliked William from the beginning, but thought he was just acting like his father or uncles. It was a learned behavior that many men struggle to overcome these days. When it started to come out that he was much more than just abusive to his family, I began to despise him. Emotional reactions to characters and situations are what many writers strive for, so I think Daniel Chacon did a very good job with William. Vero and Billy were throw away characters for me. They could have been so much more if they were fully developed. Vero’s relationship with her father and what we later learn about him could have been very different. Did Vero suspect her father was attracted to girls her age? Was he attracted to her? Was the attraction the reason he never beat Vero, or was he taught to never hit a female? Billy is lost in the background. I would have loved to know who he was, other than the middle child who didn’t like his father and tried to defend a young woman his father abused. Rachel was a confusing woman. We did not learn about her upbringing except to say that her family was rich. Any religion or family life might have explained her reasoning to stay with William as he repeatedly beat on her children. A family background on William might have explained some of his behavior as well.
Amusingly enough, I was at a Modesto Nuts game tonight and the family sitting in front of me started to remind me of the Molina family. The father was a little tight with the purse strings when the kids were asking for food or toys. There were three children with the oldest being the only girl and the youngest having a tail, just like his father. As I watched them, I was repeated reminded of the Molina family. I found myself wondering if William would ever take his children to a baseball game. Would he buy them hot dogs and peanuts, or would he bring them from home?
None of the issues brought up in and the shadows took him are specific to Hispanic families. Any of the events could have happened to a white family or an African-American one, but Chacon is Hispanic, so he wrote what he knows. I do find myself wondering if he experienced any of the events in the book himself or if they were people he know all rolled together.

Daniel Chacon

In the novel I felt he was really making you feel like you got to know each one of the characters. I feel like I connected the most with Joey though. I can remember being in a new school and I would over exaggerate to make myself look a little better with the kids to fit in. In junior high and High school kids have a tendency to try to fit in. You never want to be the kid that sits alone or never gets invited to go to the parties. Joey felt this same way and so when he went to his new school in Medford he acted like he was in a gang in Fresno so he would get the respect of the other misfits in school and maybe kids would be so scared of the fact he was in a gang that they would like him more. This really ended up working great for him. He ended up with lots of friends and just was a little confused about who he really was. In one of the comments that were posted someone referred to Daniel Chacon portraying Mexicans in the wrong fashion. I don’t think he was trying to make it sound like all Mexicans were poor but more that Joey’s family wasn’t the wealthiest. When they moved he was considered wealthier than some of the other children. Also I don’t feel he was trying to imply that Mexicans were all from gangs. He did go into some detail about the part of Fresno Joey was from and that gangs were also from that part. He did not specifically say that Joey lived in a town were all the Mexicans lived and were in gangs. Just that were Joey would have to move back to in Fresno on that part of town your only choice is to be in a gang.
Now let me give you my opinion on the end of the book. The book was a little slow for me at the beginning and then as it comes to close it starts to really pick up. That was a little hard for me to understand that there is so much that you are left wondering about. You never know what happened to Joey that causes his father to attempt to murder him like the next door neighbor sees. Also does Joey end up with Leah or Amy? So many questions but that was the point we are all still asking ourselves these questions which lets us not forget about the book and if there was a sequel I bet over half of the people that read this book would go and buy it just to find out the ending. I think it takes a good writer to end a story like that.
I would recommend this book to people that like to hear family life stories and enjoy a little questioning. If you don’t you should look for something else. I look forward to reading other books by Daniel Chacon and also enjoyed meeting him at MJC he is a great speaker.

Assignment #6 - & The Shadows Took Him In

First of all, I have to say that I really enjoyed reading this novel. It was very interesting and I could not seem to put it down. In fact, I read Part I in one day and Part II in another. I really don’t ever read books that fast and I usually stop reading them in between because I cannot get into them, but this one was easy to get into. This book helped me to understand something I have never seen or personally experienced before, a Chicano lifestyle.
What shocked me the most about this novel was the way William treated his family. He always seemed to be yelling and cussing at them, beating on them, calling them stupid or not paying any attention to them at all. I always knew that sort of thing happened but never seen it first hand, so when reading it, I visualized it happening. I have to admit too, it made me mad.
I learned two really important things while reading this novel that I will probably carry with me the rest of my life. The first thing is, that we all have the choice to choose who we become. We are all going to have people at our backs telling us who to be and how to live but in the end the decision always belongs to us. We all may get sidetracked or lie about who were are out of fear in the process but eventually we can find who we are and embrace it. That is the same thing that Joey did. He never realized how much he was like his father until his mother told him what Vero had wrote her in the letter. She said that Joey was like the shadow of William when he was drunk on his and Rachel’s wedding night and William’s shadow left him and took over Joey. Joey changed in the end, realizing how much he was like his father and how much he didn’t want to be that way.
The second thing I learned may be personally learned and I may have been the only one that felt this way. I realized in reading this novel that there are people out there that struggle everyday to make it. They constantly live a life where they are scared or angry or badly treated. I on the other hand experience a bad day here in there as a lot of other people do and complain and think that my life could be over. I always knew that there are people out there who have way more complicated lives than I do but by reading this novel I got to experience almost living in another family and seeing the hell that they went through. It was like experiencing it firsthand. For instance, when William beat the dog and killed the dear, or yelled and screamed at everyone in the family. Or the fact that Rachel decided to stay with William until she got enough money to get back on her feet. In my family, when my parents separated, my mom left instantly. She knew she didn’t need a man to stay on her own to feet. She could make it on her own.
Basically, this novel opened up my eyes to many different things. I am glad that we had to read this particular novel.

Blog #3 shadows

Is Molina family a representative of the Chicano community? What is the Chicano community? I’m sure that there is no one Chicano family. The Molina family is one that the mom stays home and the dad works. There are three children. The dad works hard and trys to get ahead. The dad is successful in that he keeps getting promotions. To get a better job, the family moves to Oregon. The mom and dad want the best for their children. I don’t know how well Vero and Billy are doing in school but at least one child is doing well in school. On the down side, the dad is very abusive. He verbally and physically abuses the boys. He verbally abuses the daughter. He abuses his wife by harming their children. I think that abusive familes come in all colors.

Is Rachel a good Mother?

Did Rachel was a good mother? I think that Rachel was a good mother because she try to defend her kids when ever William the father try to hit them. Sometimes she was not that good because she did not help her daughter to be a good girl, I'm not saying that she was bad girl but the thing is that she did not encourage her to dress as she suppose to, but of course she encourage her and the other kids to be good in life and to follow their dream.
Another thing that she had is that she wanted the best for her kids by protecting them by anything bad that it will happen to them when they were in the street. Another point that make her to be a good mother is that when one of her kids did something bad, she got so mad that she want it to hit him because she did not want it that not of her kids be bad and be in drugs or even in some problems that it will hurt them. Rachel was a good mother because when ever her kids want it something in her husband did not wanted to give it to them she just give it to them because she wanted it her kids to have everything that she had when she was kid. Another thing that i like of her is that when ever her husband hurt their kids for something innocent they did, she confront him by tell hem that if he ever hurt one of kids again that she will take their kids withe her and that she will never come back. I think that by defending her kids that is what make her to be a good mother because not all the mother do that they just let their husband to hurt their kids even if the kids do not do anything.
Rachel is a good mother because she support their kids with anything that they want to do in life if they want to be a author, or anything that they want to be, she will support them with any decision that they made or what ever they want to do in their life. The thing that Rachel do not aloud in her kid is that they get in a fight because if they fight they will get in trouble with the police or at school. She want for her kids to be good in life in to be some one in life that it will help them to support themselves when their parent are not with them anymore. To be a good mother is just not to give them what ever they want, or to defend them from their father when ever he hurt them, or from a fight they got at school or in the street, or when she goes in talk with them when ever they got in trouble at school. In able to be a good mother they need to be there all the time with their kids when ever they need her. Also she need to love them, and also a good mother give her life for their kids. All this quality Rachel have and that is why it make her to be a good mother because she will give her life for one of her children.

Blog #2-Shadows

The uplifting idea conveyed through this novel is no matter how bad the family situation is, people can succeed. Joey came from a poor (in the beginning) and abusive family. He was a leader (he started a gang and became the leader) and he did well in school. He also had a gift, he was a talented actor. He really liked acting and enjoyed the drama crowd. These kids were different from him. They were the "white kids that were going to college". He almost had a split life. He hung with the drama crowd, had a girlfriend, Leah from that crowd. He was well liked and respected from this group. He also had a gang crowd. He was friends with these kids for a long time and they also didn't fit in with the 'white kids". His other girlfriend, Amy was part of this crowd. Although she was white, she was poor and lived in the "wrong side of town". Amy's family was not the typical family. Joey could also compete with the white boys, Randy Abbot and Perry Doyle. I think that Joey envied them because they were everything he wanted to be if he was "a normal white boy". He hated Perry because he was a bigot and a jerk but also envied him because of his popularity at school.

Joey will be a success because he believes in himself and was following his dream.

Post for Jonathon S.

And The Shadow Took Him, started off as a very good eye catcher but at the end it was not as intriguing as the rest of the book. Their was a few things in the book that I didn’t quiet understand why the author portrayed Mexicans as. The author portrayed all Mexicans to be poor. He also portrayed them to have gang affiliations or for them to be in a gang. Why would the author want to give Mexicans such a bad image in the book? Especially when there is a lot of well educated hard working Mexicans out there that are not poor. And they are not in gangs of have gang affiliation. Yes, we all know that some Mexicans are in gang and belong to them but the majority of them do not and it is wrong for the author to portray them to be like this. Another thing is that I don’t know why the author used some much Spanish in the book. If the book is written in English shouldn’t the author be putting the English definition or the Spanish words next to them. Doesn’t that make more sense the just put Spanish words in that know body know what they mean. I speak English and I don’t speak Spanish so I had trouble with the book and all the Spanish that was used in it. Because I had absolutely no clue what any of the Spanish words meant in the book, isn’t the goal to make it so the reader can kind of understand them or will have a grasp of what them mean.

I did not mind reading the book but I could not understand why Joey was used as the whipping boy by William. The book never said why William hated Joey so much. It also never explained what Joey ever really did to make his father so angry at him. I wish the Author would have gone into more detail about what Billy was off doing all the time. It would have made the readers understand the Molina Family unit a little better. We all know that William had a hard life and that he had an extreme temper but I would have liked to know why his temper was so bad. What had happened to William to make him this quick to get angry and raise his hands to his kid’s? Did his father use to do that to him, beat on home when he was young? I would like to know why Vero didn’t like most of here family. What did they do to her to make her stay in her room and not want to come up except when her boyfriend with the low rider came over. The only people in the family that Vero seemed to talk to or even wanted anything remotely to do with was Joey and Rachael. Why did she not like Billy?

Assignment #6

And the Shadows Took Him was an awesome read. I love the way that the author, Daniel Chancon, uses a great deal of foreshadowing all throughout the novel. One expample of this is when Joey is looking himself in the mirror and he sees an evil version of himself. The evil version represents who Joey will become when he moves to Oregon. He also uses foreshadowing through the three personas that Joey develops.

I think that one of the reasons that I enjoyed this novel so much is Chacon's use of suspense. It seems like every time the story started to get juicy and something big was about to happen, Chacon would draw it out until I couldn't stand it anymore and then he would make me wait just a bit longer. An example of this is when Amy is raped by William. I knew that something bad had happened and I assumed what had happen but Chacon kept me dangling until the middle of the next chapter.

I really liked how Chacon kept in touch with the hispanic hertiage. Throughout the novel Chacon will use a spanish phrase and it made me a little confused because my Spanish is limited. Once I had gotten the translation it helped me to connect the story. I think that the use of Spanish throughout the novel helps to set the scene as well as character development.

One of the most disappointing parts of the novel surely has to be the conclusion. I am very upset that there was no resolution to the story. I got so involved in the novel that I craved more. It did not statisfy me that I had to assume what happens to Joey, Rachel, Vero, and even William. Maybe there is going to be a follow up--at least I can be hopeful.

Overall, this novel is a tremendous read. I was able to really connect to the characters. I loved the way that the story to told. I makes me feel like a relative is telling me the story. I have already recommended this novel to a couple of co-workers as well as family and they are just as engrossed as I was.

and the shadows took him

The novel “and the shadows took him”, by Daniel Chacon, was different than any novel I have read before, especially the writing style and the dialogue language. But after reading the book, I thought it was a good narrative with mixed elements of drama and suspense. Chacon presented a portrait of the Molina family and their struggle to survive and to fit in. It was a personal recollection of memorable events throughout a period of time, and it all came well together into one fine story. I also thought the novel offered a contrast of different personalities and the love-and-hate relationship between them. Chacon had several characters but only three played the main roles in developing his story: William, Rachel, and Joey. Billy and Vero, the other two members of the family, had minor roles but he kept them in the story through the end.

Chacon had villains and victims in his story. William Molina was the main villain from start to finish. And he was able to continue as such because no one tried hard enough to stop him, not even his wife. It was only Vero, his daughter, who stood up to him and refused to become his victim any longer, and she left the family. William was a bad father consumed with anger, which he released through acts of violence against his children. He was good at work and at improving his workplace. But at home he did not know how to treat or love his family, he was being selfish and belligerent. His arrogance led him to think he had the power over people and ultimately Amy became another one of his victims. Chacon showed the dark side of this character and the domino effect of his actions. He also wanted to assure his readers, at the end of the book, that William would be punished for what he did to Amy and Joey.

Rachel, in her role as a mother, tried to hold her family together. She was passive in the way she handled the abusive behavior of her husband towards her children. She loved her children and tried to teach them values, and she even kept in touch with Vero. But she could not stop William from breaking her family apart. She was a victim in an abusive relationship, and was submissive for a long time. Playing the piano gave her a sense of joy and relieve that she was missing in her life. She wanted to leave William sooner but needed him financially so she took advantage of his good income. She planned to stay with him till she finished her education and was able to make it on her own. Chacon did well in gradually transforming her character from a victim to victorious.

Joey, the younger son, was the vocal point in this story. It sounded to me as if Chacon was speaking through Joey: sometimes telling a story and other times telling about himself. Joey seemed like a nice kid who wanted his family to spend time together and have fun. He had a curious mind and a vivid imagination that made his character more interesting. He loved to act and entertain, and after his performance when he saw people applauding, “it was the best feeling in his life” (Chacon 280). He often thought of ways to become someone else other than himself, and did that through acting, in order to escape reality for a while. His relationship with Amy and Leah was another turning point in his life; he started to think about doing the right thing. Joey was another victim of William’s aggression. He did not like the way his father treated him, and he did not want to become like his father. Chacon managed to carry on several arguments between the three phases in Joey’s life (past, present, and future) in order to demonstrate his struggle with himself.

I thought Chacon wrote a good novel and did very well in his presentation of people and places. I expected to read about what happened to his characters, but he left the ending for readers to draw their own conclusion. I like to think that Rachel made it out of Oregon and succeeded in her new life without William, and that Joey did win the battle against his fear of failure and did succeed in his acting career. I enjoyed reading this novel; it was a well-told story.

The shadows

It’s been quite fun reading Daniel Chacons novel. It really made me connect with the characters. I often found myself wondering what was going to happen next, and times when I had to sit the book down for something else I almost couldn’t wait to get back to it. This was causing me to ask questions such as: Why did Joey join a gang? Or Why did he stop acting? It’s questions like these that kept me coming back to this book with interest.

The dysfunctional Molina family is broken apart in ways that are unforeseen at the beginning of the book. I expected something extreme to happen by the end of the book, but was surprised with the events that led up to it. Events such as how Joey’s girlfriend Amy was raped by William or Joey’s great fall in last chapters. I think Joey started his final fall when he last broke his promise to Leah and instead went with Karla. I mean after that it was at a point where you could see it coming; his acting was taking over the actor. It’s very obvious that William is a bad, but is Rachel a good mother? I mean she sure liked guiding him and trying to show him the path she thought was right, but could she have done more. It’s like when she finally gave up on Joey, she could have tried to at least force him to go with her or just stay somewhere else there with him so he could finish his play.

Out of the family I think my favorite character was Billy. Billy didn’t have everything going for him, and he didn’t have all the talent that Joey had and he wasn’t destroyed like Joey was mentally. Billy hardly came home and he was always careful not to be around William. Billy was always steadily making his escape plan, or at least that’s what I believe he was doing. He was on good terms with his girlfriend’s family and stuff like that.

The smartest kid in the family had to of been Vero. She was the one who got out, and although she isn’t talked about much after the rest of the family leaves, she somehow made it without them. That right there I think is enough to show that she’s the smartest, she had nothing and yet still made it. She most likely stayed with family or friends for a while, but the fact that she was able to get out from under the hold of William is amazing. She saw her chance and took it.

Rachel and William was a confusing couple, because at times William seemed half normal, maybe even nice. For the most part William was just being his normal self staying alone in the garage and making his demented heads. Rachel on the other was more outgoing to the family and she was very nice to them. She loved to play piano, but she seemed possessed when she did play especially late at night.

Overall I liked this novel. I think it was a good well paced and interesting book.

Assignment #6- and the shadows took him

I remember the first day I started reading the book “and the shadows took him”, by Daniel Chacon, I had just left the campus book store and was on my way to discuss some issues with the Dean. I ended up arriving to his office and to my surprise there was a sign posted stating he would be back within the hour, so I decided to sit on the bench and open up the book. Now, you have to keep in mind that I am a Mexican-American myself and the first one in my family to attend college; after being out of high school for almost ten years I finally decided to give my education another go around.

First of all, it was very weird for me to find out that some of my assignments for this English class would be to read this novel about a Hispanic family; I was intrigued and somewhat curious to find out what this book was all about. I thought we would be reading about Shakespeare or a book as big as a Bible on short stories but being able to read this novel was a pleasant surprise. As I sat on the bench and began reading I was consumed by the book and the pages just turned faster and faster. I found myself laughing even at the first line, “Their father never took them to restaurants, because he thought it a waste of money when they could open up a can of beans, sprinkle on Tabasco sauce, stuff their bellies, and it would all shit out the same way anway” (Chacon 3). For me they were more than words but somewhat of an illustration of the father I knew and grew up with. I imagined my Dad giving us the same line telling us to shut our mouths and make some tacos de frijoles if we were hungry because we should know better than to ask to eat out. It might seem strange to some of you but at times it even became too real that I had to put the book down and compose myself.

As I finished each chapter I began to find many different issues throughout the book, of course, the first being William and the amount of power and control he had on his family and the reoccurrences of shadows throughout the novel. Chacon did a great job in illustrating how William was the dark shadow that hovered over the entire Molina family. When we think of darkness we think of the color black and that was William. In the beginning of the book we are told of a young William driving a shiny black car and we are even given a description of the couch that started to evolve into the shape of William’s body. This just proves how powerful he was; even inanimate objects conformed to William’s demands. Then, when he decided to paint the house pink he never even touched the pink paint, after all his fuss about the color he ended up only painting the trims black.

Now, it was obvious that he was tougher on Joey than Billy and I feel this caused Joey to battle within himself to find out truly who he was. At first I thought Joey was struggling with multiple personalities but as the story progressed I got more of an impression of an inner battle that Joey was fighting; trying to figure out which “Joey” would win in the end. Joey found freedom in acting; he was able to be a “King” or anything he wanted to be and could be strong, powerful, and many things that he couldn’t be in real life. He was a product of his upbringing and desired attention and love and was going to find it no matter what.

I enjoyed the fact that Chacon stuck to the desires of the Hispanic people; most Mexicans long to move to the United States, just to live north of the border is an amazing goal and even though the Molina’s lived in Fresno, when it was time to move again it was even further up North to Oregon. The author could have chosen for them to move to Georgia or Florida but he didn’t, I felt this was symbolic to the “American Dream” that most Mexican families long for. It seems like the further North the Molina’s get the bigger and better their lives would be.

When it came time to write my Essay, our book review on the novel, I found myself overwhelmed with information on William. Even though, there were other characters like Rachel, Vero, Billy, and Joey, William just had the biggest impact on me. I mean I understood why Rachel was so submissive and just went along with William’s behavior, how Vero took on the rebellious role in her family, how Billy just always played the middle child, and how Joey fought with his inner demons. No matter what I guess my personal experiences just drew me closer to the character of William.

I truly can say that I enjoyed this novel, immediately after reading it I called my Mom and told her to go buy the book and read it. I already had done my part of giving her a breakdown of the story and we even laughed about how Chacon described “empanadas” and “Cholos”. I was very satisfied with the entire book and wouldn’t change a thing; it allowed me to dip a little more into my culture and brought back many memories and stories when my parents and grandparents had told me about their life growing up in “Califas”. I like the fact that many questions were left unanswered, about what would happen to the Molina’s but that is what life is all about anyways, unanswered questions. I’m glad that we didn’t read Shakespeare or any short stories because this novel did more for me than any other book I have read thus far.

Assignment #6 - and the shadows took him blog post

Well, I really had mixed emotions about this book. I have to admit that it really held my attention, as I read it entirely in one weekend, and it’s rare that I do that. There were however, some things about it that really frustrated me. I was very upset about the mother, Rachel, and her inability to follow through with the promises to her children about the abuse. I was also disturbed about the ending of the story, or lack there of. Lastly, What was the significance of the heads? I just didn’t get that.
At first, I really liked Rachel. In the beginning of the story, before the beatings actually take place, she seems to be a very good mother. I was impressed with how she stood up for the children at the restraunt when Joey ordered the most expensive steak, and William becomes irrate. But, as the story progressed and William began to physically harm the boys, I lost all respect for her. She promised Joey, after one beating, that it would never happen again, yet it continuously does. I, as a mother, don’t understand that. I had more respect for her daughter, Vero. She not only stood up to William, but left when he didn’t change the abusive behavior. Rachel just said that William had potential, that the family had potential. No man that beats children has potential.
Next, the ending left far too much to be desired. I thought that Daniel Chacon did an amazing job of describing every detail throughout the book. He illustrates every aspect of every scene. I just don’t understand why not the ending. He states that William is prosecuted for Amy’s rape and attempted murder, but that one sentence wasn’t enough for me. I was left wanting more! Did Joey end up leaving Medford? What about Leah? I really liked Joey with Leah. I felt bad for Amy, but felt the connection with Leah was awesome. I just needed Chacon to tell me what happened. I hate the unknown; maybe a sequel?
The heads! Can someone please explain the heads? I sometimes over-think things and I think that I have done that with this subject. Does William make a head for each person and how he feels about them at the time? Or, maybe there is no significance and it was just what he loved and what was most important to him. Then Joey destroying them and how much he was hurting to have done that to his father.
Overall, this was a very good book. I’m glad that I read it. It brought out some things that I have experienced in my life, and made me face them. Any book that does that; is a good book! Whether or not Joey did leave Medford or Rachel came back for him, it doesn’t really matter. William was locked up for what he did (at least I have to assume so). I will just live believing that it all turned out ok.

Assignment 6

It has been extremely interesting reading all of the entry's about Daniel Chacon's novel. This was an eye opening book for me. It dealt with real issues and real personalities and I personally felt connected to this family through Chacon's writing.

One question that was asked, "Is Rachel a good mother?". In my opinion, I think that she is. Rachel is doing all she knows how to do to provide a quality life for her children and herself. One might say she should leave her husband because he is rude, careless and setting a terrible example for her children. But if you think about it, if Rachel left her husband, she could not provide for all the children by herself. I have ultimate respect for her. She puts up with her husband and does her best to nurture these growing children. Which is no easy job.

Every child in the Molina family is different. Vero is somewhat of a rebel trying to find herself and make sense of life. Billy is kind of hard to describe, because he represents the typical kid growing up. Billy has a nonchalant attitude and is probably tired of dealing with his family, especially his father. Joey (who is my favorite character) is extremely active and has a lot of questions about life. The first statement that he made in the book was "why doesn't this family hug". I believe he is looking for love and attention and really needs to be taken care of because he is smart and has a lot of potential.

My opinion William...I think William is a teenager who think he knows everything, trapped in an adult body. In my opinion, William can not survive without Rachel and their kids. Although he is disrespectful, rude and ignorant, deep inside he loves his family. He acts like he dislikes his kids and that he is miserable. If his family were ever to leave him, he I don't think he would know how to function from day to day. William certainly has some internal issues that need to be resolved through communication with Rachel and perhaps he is angry about something that happened to him in the past. He may need counseling. If he was more supportive and expressed his concern for his kids, their family would be in a better shape both morally and emotionally.

This novel truly represents the Chicano version of the American Dream. As a matter of fact, Daniel Chacon did a good job representing all minority perspectives of the American Dream. I don't think people realize what minorities have to go through to be successful and live "normal" life's, even in today's society. Joey's character perfectly demonstrated the process of a minority trying to fit in. Some people are always trying to fit in. As a matter of fact, some of you who may be reading this for a class may be trying to fit in. Think about it.

and the shadows took him Blog

I am working on my Essay #4-for the shadows took him and I want to discuss one of the questions to bring up in the essay.
The question is: Is Rachel a good mother? I think Rachel married young and had no idea how to be a mother-good or bad. Her husband abused her children but not her. She did not protect her children. She stayed with her husband even though he verbally and physically abused his children. He verbally abused her and embarrassed her by messing around with young girls. She finally got fed up and left her husband but after over 20 years of abuse. No, I don't think she was a good mother. She loved her kids but not enough to protect them. They only have their parents to protect them and if they don't who will?

Third Entry-And the Shadows Took Him

I have been reading a lot of replies, and I felt like I should add a little more to my original posts. I just finished writing my essay #4 and I have to admit, after having done more research on the characters, I feel like they have more depth than I had originally assumed. I believe the greatest character is Rachel, due to the fact that she kept the entire family together for such a long time, even through all the turmoil. I feel like Joey was caught up in his acting, that he was taken by the shadows and transformed into his father. I feel like Billy really didn't want any part of his family, as long as he could live his life in his own state of peace. I think he realized he wasn't like any of his family and had to find his way out before he too was taken by the shadows. I think the most distasteful character of course was William. I think he ruined his entire family so horribly that all those heads he created were people he was trying to get to somehow accept him, and somehow not judge the person he was. I felt like he was extremely controlling, violent, abusive and downright pathetic. I think Rachel knew that she had made a mistake in marrying him, and left when the opportunity came. But I honestly feel like she left too late, because her entire family was destroyed. I think the greatest aspect that I came out with from the book was the aspect of understanding yourself. And I think Joey never really knew who he was, because he was so busy being so many different people that he lost himself and didn't know who he really was. I feel Billy was always himself, and realized that in order to stay himself he had to get out. But I think that Rachel had the hardest time finding herself because I feel like she lost herself the day she married William. This book made me reflect on many things, and although the ending was something that I wasn't expecting, I have to admit the fact that it makes me think, and has made many others think, is something the author should be proud of.

Assignment #6

I really enjoyed And The Shadows Took Him by Daniel Chacon. When I got the book at the beginning of the semester I started reading it right away and had stopped for a little while because of the assignments that took up my time. I was eager to start reading the book again. I found myself not putting it down because I was so interested in what was going to happen. The book overall was wonderful!

I felt bad for the family going through the problems that they went through like, Joey not able to be in the play in elementary school. Vero didn’t go to Oregon with her family she decided to live with her cousin, Norma. Vero got out of the house when she could because she didn't like how her dad was being abusive toward Joey. She didn't want to see her family gets hurt anymore by him. I did wonder if Vero would have fit in or how her life would be if she had moved to Oregon with her family. I was disappointed when they didn't talk too much about her after she had left the family. Rachel had talked to her on the phone but Joey didn't know that until the end. Billy wasn't talked about much ether because he was always at his girlfriend’s house or at the donut shop. I didn’t like Joey’s actions too much like smoking PCP, drinking and cheating on his girlfriend, Amy with Leah. Everyone makes mistakes but in these actions Joey knew what he was doing. I was glad he broke up with Amy because he loved Leah more than Amy.

Vero was my favorite character because she really was the only one who stood up for Joey. She had got into a fight for him and moved because of William’s behavior. She couldn’t tolerate her brother getting hurt anymore but she couldn’t really bring him with her because of their ages and I don’t think Rachel would have approved. Joey acted like things were okay in the home because he didn’t want to draw attention and wanted the family together.

I have recommended this book to my sister because I was telling her a little about it. Like I said before in my other blog, I was very disappointed in the ending. I wanted to know if Joey went back to Fresno or not. I was glad that he stayed to finish his last play that he was in because he seemed to be the happiest when he would talk about the play to his family.

I had fun with this book and really enjoyed writing the last essay! I look forward to reading other books by Daniel Chacon. Thank you for choosing this book for us to read.

Jamie Holly

assignment #6

I came across something really interesting as I was skimming back over the book getting ready to write my essay. Back toward the beginning of the book when Joey is suppose to be helping his father paint, but is hiding out in the bathroom instead. He looks into the mirror and "he thought he saw a sparkle in his eye, one that was evil, and a smirk on his face, evil, as if his reflection was up to something that would get the real Joey in trouble. He feared the boy in the mirror, because it wasn't him, but someone like him, but with power, someone with the sole intent of ruining his life." I hadn't given this a second thought the first time I read it, but now it struck me with how telling the revelation was. It's as if that is the true birth of "fat boy Molina" and every destructive choice that comes after. It's also interesting how that seems to be the first and last time he really recognizes that destructive force in his life. I know he has later conversations with fat boy, but he doesn't seem to recognize how destructive he is.

And the Shadows Took Him - Assignment 6

First, I really enjoyed reading and the shadows took him by Daniel Chacon. When I found out which books were required for English 101, I read about the book online and I could not wait to go and purchase it! Just the back of the book grabbed my attention! I have always enjoyed reading books with history or culture based in them, and this is one is really fun and easy to read since I could never seem to put it down!

I really liked the way Chacon wrote this book and described each of the characters. It seemed that you could picture them clearly, know what they were wearing, and feel as though you actually have met them in person. As other readers have stated before, you never knew what was going to happen next! This was true especially with William, due to his temper and quick responses. I really enjoyed how Chacon transitioned providing the scene, then usually going back in time to support what was happening (like when Rachel’s family life was discussed after the incident at the restaurant).

Joey was by far my favorite character. I liked being able to watch him grow as a person and having him finally decide whether to follow in his father’s shadow or become his own individual. I really wish that Vero was talked about more often, even possibly about what was happening in her life back in Fresno. I think it might have helped shed more light upon the unusual family dynamic. In addition, even though Billy was discussed mainly during the fight, when he arrived to pick up Joey, and when he, Joey, and Rachel would watch old movies together, I would have liked to learn further about him and watch him grow more as well.

I really loved this book, although I seemed to follow part one very well, and by the time I reached part two, I started to get confused with all of the characters and switching back and forth from scenes. It became somewhat difficult, but after reading closely I figured everything out….

I, too, did not expect what happened in the ending. I actually was disappointed. I am hopeful for Joey’s future and wish that he did move with his mother and pursue acting, what I feel is his true “identity”. Although, his father’s negative influence was so strong and he had control over Joey for so long that it would be difficult to escape. Yet, this type of ending did allow readers to create their own future for Joey and left everything to one’s imagination…

I still feel that a second book would really respond to some unanswered questions! Some I still had were: Did Joey move with his mother to Fresno? Did Joey become a famous actor? Did Joey end up having a drug addiction or other problems? What happened with Joey/Amy/Leah/Karla? Did Rachel truly leave William and did she ever see him again? Was William convicted of the rape of Amy and attempted murder of Joey?

I now am a Daniel Chacon fan, and am planning to read another one of his books this summer.

And the Shawdows Took Him

When I first saw the book, “And the Shadows Took Him,” I wasn’t too excited about reading it. This is because I’m guilty of judging a book by its cover. To me, it just looks boring, and being that it’s an assigned reading book, I already thought it would be boring. Boy was I wrong. This book wasn’t boring at all, it was just the opposite. The characters in this book make it impossible to be boring. I never knew what they were going to do next.
It was a little difficult for me to catch on to the different characters in the book at first. This is because Daniel Chacon jumps around a lot in the beginning. Also his use of Spanish language was sometimes confusing because I didn’t know what it all meant. I did take Spanish classes in high school, so I understood most of it, but for the average reader, this could get very frustrating. I know the author was trying to get more of a Chicano feel by using Spanish language, but I think he should’ve stuck with one language throughout the book, or at least translated the phrases that he did write in Spanish.
I did really enjoy this book; however I wasn’t satisfied with the ending. There was no clarity as to what happened to each of the characters. Did Rachel really leave, and did she keep any contact with William? Did she meet up with Vero and live together again? Did Joey go trough with his plan and move back to Fresno with his mom? What did William do to Joey? All of these were questions of mine once I finished Chacon’s novel. I really wish he would continue his writing with a second book. I would defiantly read it, and I’m sure anyone who read his first book would as well. By reading these posts, it seems like most people were disappointed with the ending.

Assignment #6

At first when I saw the book I did not think much of it because sometimes I do judge a book by its cover. That is until I came home and noticed that it is a chicano chicanery book and that's when it totally grabbed my attention. I too am a chicana and I felt close to the characters in this book because I have never been able to connect with someone about this subject because no one seemed to understand my point of view. This was my first book about chicano's and I have too admit that it was an experience that was incredible.

In the begining of the book it was a little confusing because it went from one person to another, but I continued to read to see what the book had to offer. The language at first was hard to get used too but then I stopped and remembered how normal that was for me to hear. In the household I grew up, in it was normal to have such language spoken, but only by my father. I didn't want too accept somethings in the story, because it just seemed too real too be true. What I mean by that is that I personally saw things in my family that are mentioned in the book and it brought me memories that are sad too me.

From the start I liked Joey better because he seemed different and innocent. He also reminded me of myself and Billy was like my brother and Vero was like my sister. Joey was a nice kid that was quiet and seemed to keep everything inside of him just so the family was ok together. He wanted everything to be somewhat perfect between the Molina's kind of like what you see on t.v. William made it clear too Joey that t.v. is fake this is the real life and they would never be like what he saw on television. As much as he wanted to disrespect his father at times he bit his tongue and kept it inside because he was better than William and there was something unexplainable that kept from from letting him tell his father that he was wrong.

Joey and his siblings as well as Rachel took a lot from William that affected them physically and mentally. That is not normal in other households. I personally have never heard of this happening until I read this book. Through out the book I would have liked for William too have changed more than by taking the kids too restaurants and buying materialistic products. I would have liked to have seen an emotional change in him towards his family. Instead he got worse.

Rachel changed finally by getting stronger and leaving the monster she had wasted so many years of her life with, but it seemed a little late in time. I know it leaves the ending for the reader to gather up the ideas he/she has achieved throughout the story and determine an ending. I have come to the conclusion that Joey has possibly turned to be like his father. If he would have left with his mother he would have avoided William and would no longer have the bad influences William produces. Joey could have continued his acting career in Hollywood just as he wished as a child and he could have been different. This is just my point of view and this is what I have concluded. I hope that I am wrong because even though this book is fiction there is very much truth that this could be someones true life.

That would be something that I would like too know what ever happened too the Molina's. I would love for there to be a continuance of this story because I will sure read it if there is. With this being said I really liked this book.

Assignment #6

After reading the whole book and the shadows took him by Daniel Chacon, I really came out enjoying it. It was a hard story to follow at first with all the mixed emotions coming from the family, but as time went by it all made sense. After reading just the first few pages I was hooked and I was already trying to figure out what was going to happen before I got to the ending. With every page I turned I was surprised at what I was reading and realized that it was going to be a great novel from the start.

Another thing I really liked about this book was reading about all the different characters and how they all influenced each others' lives. The relationships between everyone were so interesting and everyone’s characteristics were full of detail. I also really enjoyed reading this book because it explains the story about a dysfunctional family that in some instances a lot of people can relate to. Chacon did a great job at relating the readers to what he was writing about as well as sending out positive messages through using Joey as his main character.

From this story, Joey seems like an insecure but intelligent young boy who grows up in this family where all the kids are neglected, but he is the one who is mostly affected by it. I think his father treats Joey as his punching bag to release his frustration or anger. Joey’s often being used by his father to take out aggression and I think because of this, Joey keeps all his emotions towards his family to himself which causes him to become confused about who he is.

Reading the first part of this book I was able to acknowledge the characters and what they were about, but during the second part of the book it seems as if a lot of their attitudes changed. William became more of a darker person than before. I never would have guessed he would have harmed one of Joey’s girlfriends like that. And Rachel became less passive and finally decided to do something about the way William treated her by packing up and leaving. And Joey seemed to have stayed kind of the same, but with a somewhat more isolated personality. He never really seemed to change his ways and seemed like he still had trouble figuring out who he was.

The ending of this story really surprised me because it was left up in the air. I would have liked to figure out what happened to Joey, but it was nice to read about him finally having a much needed breakdown by letting go of some of his pent up aggression and destroying his father’s carved head collection. I still would have liked to find out whether he stayed in Oregon to pursue his acting or if he went back to Fresno with his mom Rachel. But I guess that’s what our imaginations are for; to pick up the remaining pieces of the story and create our own conclusions.

Assignment #6 "And The Shadows Took Him"

I really enjoyed Chacon’s “And the Shadows Took Him”. I read this book from cover to cover in a few hours; I just found it impossible to put down. The book is written in such a way that you are always wondering what is going to happen next. I think this is due to William’s explosive personality. This type of character can keep readers on the edge of their seats because it is never clear what he is going to do next.

In this story, it seemed to me that Billy and Vero were a small part of the action. They seemed to be lacking the dynamic role in the story that William, Rachel, and Joey had. I think that they could have been integrated a bit more into the story. At times I almost forgot that they even existed until they came popping up again. I think that the story would benefit from showing more interaction between the siblings in the later years. I would have liked to see how Billy and Vero underwent change just like the rest of the characters did.

I think that the character that went through the biggest change was Rachel. She went from being quiet and kind of passive to quite self sufficient and opinionated in the later part of the story. This was definitely due to William’s changing attitude and isolation from the rest of the family. I was very glad to see her make a stand for herself and to want a better life for herself and her children.

I found William to be a strange character throughout the novel. He seemed to be one of those characters of whom you could never know what to expect. I would assume that he is probably a product of his upbringing and doesn’t know any other way of parenting. I think that a lot of people can identify with the way he acts towards his children. Anyone that grew up in a strict household would probably identify with the struggle between William and Joey. I kept waiting for William to grow softer over time as he got older and become a better father and husband and was disappointed to see that this didn’t happen. I have to say that towards the end of the story, I could have never guessed what he did to Amy would happen. I think this add evidence to the fact that he is an unpredictable character.

Joey was the character that surprised me the most. I thought that over the course of the story that he would start accepting some responsibility and clean up his act. I was surprised repeatedly by his stupidity. I was shocked at the part where Joey was smoking PCP. Time after time, he just never acted any more mature. Everything seemed to be a game to him and he was lucky that he didn’t get killed with some of his actions. I was also shocked at his attitude towards William after he found out what he did to Amy. It seemed like he didn’t even care.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this story. I found the ending to be a bit unresolved. I would have really liked to have known what happened to Joey next. As much as I dislike that the ending, I think that the ending achieved its desired effect; it keeps you wondering.