Saenz, Benjamin Alire. Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood.

SAENZ, Benjamin Alire. Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood. Read by Robert Ramirez. 8 cds. 9 hrs. Listening Library, Books on Tape. 2005. 0-307-28592-8. $48.00. Vinyl; plot, author, reader notes. S

This is a sober, moving, coming-of-age story. Sammy lives in a poor, Chicano, small-town New Mexico barrio. Although he has lost his mother, he has what many of his friends don't--a loving, caring father. A serious student, he excels in school but suffers the low self-esteem of a minority teenager whom the "gringo" world deems less capable of intellectual and career achievement. He falls in love with a girl who is living in a nightmare of domestic abuse. He loses her when her alcoholic father murders the entire family. Still, his ever-steady father, an irascible old lady who lives next door, and his friends sustain him. The production plunges the listener into a unique culture with well-drawn characters who demonstrate that the concerns of adolescence are universal.

Ramirez gives a flawless performance, moving effortlessly between English and Spanish. There's a lot of Spanish--but for audio it provides just the right amount for authenticity without overwhelming the non-Spanish speaking listener. The meaning can be gained from context. Set in the 1960s, the novel explores how the counterculture affected youth from a disenfranchised but still conservative background. It's not light listening but the prose and plot have tremendous grace and emotional impact. YAs of today can relate. Excellent for cultural studies. Nancy Crowder Chaplin, Libn., VCCW, Goochland, VA

S--Recommended for senior high school students.