Brownsville: Stories

This shows a widow dealing with this as she tries to build a life with her bowling as a single older woman.

Table of Contents for: Brownsville : stories

Even after escaping her husband's controlling ways with his death, she finds joy and power in bowling until a young man ruins that by stealing her bowling ball. After this event shows her and readers that these toxic men are inescapable, Lola runs into a teenager she thinks is guilty of stealing her bowling ball. Lola takes the power back, but is forced to do so in a violent, and therefore stereotypically masculine, way by rolling her backup bowling ball into the young man as he reads a magazine in a convenience store.

The ball connects, but readers are left to imagine the fallout for themselves. All in all, Brownsville is a satisfying collection of short stories by Oscar Casares. He shows a lot about masculinity particularly in an area impacted both my American and Mexican ideas about what men must be and maturing particularly in an area squeezed by American and Mexican capitalism, values, morals, religion, and so on.

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Casares displays how and why these men struggle so much, but doesn't seem to offer much optimism for positive change nor ideas for altering the cultures and systems that create such men. Feb 07, Chrysten Lofton rated it really liked it. I get really enthused about pieces like this because they use only a short expanse of prose and still expose a sliver of grand human soul.

By the time it reaches me as a reader, it looks effortless, but I know words are hard-won. Perez happened to be one in several aspects, wife, mother, medical receptionist, etc , I think there comes a time when you have to answer for yourself.

And, am I okay? But sometimes, a severely petulant, delinquent teen will only respond to one thing—a hefty, unapologetic strike. She saw the shot and she took it. Imagine the headline in the local paper. That whole community would have had a hardy laugh, especially other victims of burglary. This is a meaningful read about life after life.

Dec 04, Kristina rated it it was ok. It was nostalgic to read about all the places and locations mentioned in the book "Oh, yeah! All Brownsvillians are also not so naive or sexist either: He painted a lot of his characters as if they grew up in the middle of no where with not much to look forward to but retrieving tools and bowling. Despite the nostalgia, this book was a very clear reminder as to why I disliked and still dislike Brownsville so much and was so quick to leave it Move away and not look back.

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Not all the characters are as "extreme" as he portrayed us to be, but there is a great amount of truth to their behavior, thought process, mannerisms, etc Nov 27, Nathaniel Rios rated it it was amazing. As someone who is from the Rio Grande Valley, this book was just a refreshing take of home.

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More often than not, the RGV isn't given the best of portrayals and that's completely valid and I understand where all that comes from but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Reading this reminded me of the home that I knew, the one that had actual people in it, living their day to day lives and it's gorgeous. The sheer fact that this is written with such a beautiful style of writing makes it one of the As someone who is from the Rio Grande Valley, this book was just a refreshing take of home.

The sheer fact that this is written with such a beautiful style of writing makes it one of the most incredible things that I have read. It's an anthology so there aren't any characters so there aren't many recurring characters because I do believe there is only one, but each and every single one of them tells a unique story of their lives in the RGV.

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I don't want to say too much about these stories but I will say that Chango is one of THE best short stories I've ever read and to this day I still feel the weight that story carried. This is a fantastic read. Apr 25, Breezy Zuniga rated it really liked it. If you've ever wondered what life below the Checkpoint is like, Brownsville: Stories is the book for you.

Written by a Rio Grande Valley native, Brownsville recounts several short narratives about different individuals from a modern Latinx perspective. An RGV native myself, I found Brownsville compelling and precise down to the not-so-glamorous details of Hispanic culture, such as the search for purpose during young adulthood in the midst of overbearing family and the question of machismo cult If you've ever wondered what life below the Checkpoint is like, Brownsville: An RGV native myself, I found Brownsville compelling and precise down to the not-so-glamorous details of Hispanic culture, such as the search for purpose during young adulthood in the midst of overbearing family and the question of machismo culture that dominates Latinx communities of the south.

Brownsville is short, gripping, and hard to put down, and Casares' spellbinding way of telling stories so closely mirrors real life that you'll feel like a Brownsville native yourself by the time you put it down. Feb 09, Christopher James rated it it was amazing Shelves: I loved this story, I really did. I connected with it in ways I haven't connected with another short story in quite some time. In a way, it was simple, but it was profound.

You've got a character who has spent her life being told what to do, and she bursts out of her shell to become the woman she has always wanted to be. It's a courageous, intriguing tale I'd recommend to all. Jul 03, Hillary rated it it was amazing Shelves: These stories are simple and complex at the same time Aug 22, Aurelio Rodriguez rated it really liked it.

Simple short stories with little character development.

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However for those of us from the Rio Grande Valley the stories are vaguely familiar and warming. A must read for those wanting a glimpse into the lives of the fortunate few who live on the Texas-Mexico border. Jan 10, Stephanie Cronk rated it it was ok. Having grown up in South Texas, I had high hopes for this book. The stories are well written, but not completely to my taste. I think I was trying too hard to find connections between each story and the characters in them and when there weren't any, I was disappointed. Apr 03, Kelly rated it really liked it Shelves: Sep 13, John Stinebaugh rated it really liked it.

Mar 08, Chad Andrews rated it it was amazing. An excellent storyteller who creates a worldview through dioramas, without preaching or judgment. I enjoyed, and it has stayed with me. Jul 07, Shelly rated it really liked it. Nov 22, Amber Michelle rated it it was ok.

Sep 11, Andrea rated it it was amazing Shelves: Listened as part of "LeVar Burton Reads" podcast. Aug 08, Liam Wallace rated it liked it. May 31, Emily rated it liked it. Cute and challenging, but not rocking anyone's world. Mar 23, Lisa rated it really liked it. I loved this collection especially the last story which made me laugh out loud. A great way to end a lovely series of snippets on the lives of the people of Brownsville - am going to find more work by Casares now. I think he has written a novel too.

Brownsville: Stories

Sep 21, Ben rated it liked it. I was ready to find some real answers in Brownsville; so I'll admit this may not be the most objective of reviews, but as an invisible war rages just south of the Rio Grande, which according to the New York Times has claimed the lives of over 2, people since January, I feel the time for equivocation is over and the need for an autopsy report on all those hopes, which were shared by Mexico and America is exigent.

The one word review of Brownsville by Oscar Casares, who I believe teaches at UT A I was ready to find some real answers in Brownsville; so I'll admit this may not be the most objective of reviews, but as an invisible war rages just south of the Rio Grande, which according to the New York Times has claimed the lives of over 2, people since January, I feel the time for equivocation is over and the need for an autopsy report on all those hopes, which were shared by Mexico and America is exigent.

Maybe he wanted to depict the issues moving beneath the surface--the expression of which we're only now beginning to see. A comparison of Brownsville's symbolism with Flannery O'Connor's attack is not much of a stretch, and something Oscar Casares should be proud of. It almost makes a person want to become Catholic or to, at least, vicariously tap into the archetype that humankind has been so compelled by for so long--even, arguably before Christ--in brief, the resurrection. Still, there is more at risk than the fate of blue collar souls praying for assimilation along la Frontera.

As the Department of Homeland Security builds a fence through Brownsville, we must wonder what propitiatory work is done stacking bricks on bricks or rolling out chainlink and razor wire, and I'm reminded of the beginning of Robert Frost's poem, Mending the Wall: Something there is that doesn't love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun; And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.

So, when I was left with a feeling of inured safety by this collection of stories I wondered what the intent was The distinction, I believe between the subtext of Brownsville and that of Flannery O'Connor's stories is that O'Connor was not playing it safe. She wasn't using symbolism to protect her characters or even herself. Symbolism became the razor of her fiction with which she dissected her characters and inexorably vivissected herself.

I can't play a part of the complete pettifogger, though. It gives me a headache to think critically too long. What I look for primarily is craft, and stories like Chango stand-out as inspired in thier terse and austere handling of a slightly rediculous situation--an approach that draws the reader right into the events.

Namely the tale of Bony, a soporific loser, who finds a monkey head in his front yard and adopts it as his new best friend, albiet one he finds a little unnerving. On that note, there is much to said in favor of Brownsville in so far as it hedges our zealous national hegemony with characters who are just as comfortable speaking Spanish as they are English in a neighborhood not far from Mayberry.

All the same, just as the Andy Griffith show wholly ignored the onerous issues of inequality and race in small southern towns during the 's, favoring instead a glassy-eyed nostalgia, so also does Brownsville bowdlerize the very conflict, which underscores its own eponymous tension. Mar 14, Melyssa rated it it was amazing. Full Review on bit. Nov 25, Tony rated it it was amazing Shelves: Latino life in the small Texas border city of Brownsville comes alive in this entirely engaging debut collection of nine short stories arranged in three parts.

The first three stories are grouped in the section "I Thought You and Me Were Friends", and focus on male relationships. The opening tale tells of a young boy working at a firework stand and his realization that his boss isn't a nice person. The second is about a man overly obsessed with a hammer borrowed by a white neighbor, and charts t Latino life in the small Texas border city of Brownsville comes alive in this entirely engaging debut collection of nine short stories arranged in three parts.

The second is about a man overly obsessed with a hammer borrowed by a white neighbor, and charts the ups and downs of their friendship in relation to the hammer. The final story follows a young slacker whose best and only friend recently died and left him without human anyone to talk to. This last one takes a slightly David Lynchian turn, and isn't quite as strong as the first two.

The first story is one of the weaker ones, about an old gardener who has lost his religion. The details of his living and work conditions are far more interesting than his spiritual predicament. Next is a brilliant portrait of a man in his early 20s who married, divorced, and had a kid too young, and doesn't really understand his ex-wife, his child, what happened to his youth, and what's happening to his future.

It's a heartbreaking story that shoots to the core of single-family parenting and the other parent. The third tale is of a hardworking state employee who is driven to desperate acts by a neighbor's dog. The first deals with a man whose sly cousin hustles him into prepaying for his funeral.

The third is a bit of a comic turn about a geriatric bowling the only female protagonist in the book whose lucky bowling ball gets stolen.

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The collection is somewhat reminiscent of John McNally's collection, Troublemakers. Both sets of stories are primarily about working-class men living in marginalized communities between the coasts, trying to hold their own as their communities shift around them. As such, they are more directly relevant to majority of people in this country than the plethora of tiresome New York, San Francisco, historical, or academe-set novels that seem to dominate the bookstores. According to his cousin, you would be wise not to open the door if Jerry ever comes knocking.

Jerry is a somewhat slimy salesman and will somehow convince and shame you into letting go of your last hard-earned dollar. Domingo lost his faith in God when his daughter died 21 years earlier but now, in the later years of his life, he is trying to find God again so he can see his daughter on her birthday. The collection contains nine stories separated into three parts. At first some of the stories seem strange like the one about the monkey head, Chango.

By the end of the story, talking to a monkey head seems -- almost natural. Casares fills his stories with wonderful characters. They are realistic, three-dimensional fully developed people whose personalities and quirks will make you feel as if you personally know them. All the stories are warm and funny. Reading a Casares story is like listening to a good storyteller. Oscar Casares is a new and talented writer.