Behind the Eyes

Behind the Eyes
Francesco X. Stork
Dutton
ISBN: 0525477357
Fiction, Young Adult
Reviewed by John R. Clark

When I started reading this book, it grabbed me and wouldn't let go. It is one of the best YA books I have read in 2006.
Hector Robles is a smart kid in a world where smart isn't valued very much. His father is dead, possibly as a result of alcoholism. His mother scrapes by while his older brother Filiberto drifts, much like their father did. Only his younger sister Aurora seems to have any direction.
Hector thinks, Hector reads; but Hector keeps his thoughts locked inside. He is however, a very keen observer and is able to link observations and insight in ways that are beyond his young years.
When the story opens, Hector is in a hospital bed, trying to put recent events in order. He knows this much; his brother is dead, Chava, leader of the Discipilos, is hurt and there is a gang contract out on Him. Mrs. Garza, the social worker who was pulled into the fray when Aurora saw bad things on the horizon, has found a reform school that will accept Hector. It may be his only chance to survive, so he reluctantly accepts it.
Once he arrives, Hector finds himself challenged in ways he never imagined, first by having to come out of his shell enough to start showing others his intelligence and then by having to decide to allow some of the other kids inside his head enough to get to know what makes him tick. The descriptions of his interactions with Ex-Lax, El Topo, Diaz and Sanson are particularly well done, giving you a way to see Hector that simple description could never do.
I particularly like the way the story flows back and forth between the action in the school and the events leading to Hector's attack on Chava. The ending is also well done and is much more realistic than most YA books that purport to describe what life is like for kids in tough situations.
This will be added to my YA sub-collection of high-interest books that appeal to boys who are reluctant readers where I expect it will get a lot of use.