LitPick Review
In this book, Beast Rider, Manuel runs from his home in Mexico to meet his brother in Los Angeles. He does this by riding on top of a train, which is of course very dangerous. On the train, he meets people who are friendly and others who are not so much. At a stop, when he tries to get back on the train, he is caught by a gang who steals the little bit of money and food he has, beats him up, and leaves him to die. He is rescued by a nice lady who nurses him back to health, and after about a year, he is ready to go back on the train. He rides the top of the train all the way to the river, and then he and the coyote, which is a person who helps someone cross the border illegally, swim across. He gets to meet his brother and then continues to live with him in LA where he is met with a lot of hate and racism.
Opinion:
I really enjoyed this book. It was honest and came with a lot of different emotions. It showed not just the good parts of being a beast rider or just the bad parts, but it showed both so the reader could see what the experience was really like. On the train, there are people who steal from Manuel and try to hurt him, but there are nice people who take him to safety and get the others to leave. I really enjoyed the theme of helping others, such as when Manuel needs food and shelter for a night and the man lets him into his home, feeds him, bathes him, and gives him clothes and money. Then, the story takes a bad turn and Manuel is taken by the gang who hurt him and steal from him. This is a really sad and emotional moment. Then there is a kind woman who shows so much kindness and takes him in and nurses him back to health for almost a year, showing themes of friendship and kindness. Then when he reaches the city and gets to see his brother, which is such a great moment, he eventually needs to find work and is met with so much hate and racism. There are people who see him and tell him to go back where he came from and stop stealing jobs. He eventually gets hired by a lady who decides that she won´t pay him because she thinks he did a bad job. He finally finds work at a factory where he is mistreated and underpaid. Overall, this book was really good, and there was a lot of feeling in it.
