Special Problems Blog

So by reading this book I learned A LOT! I learned a lot of funny things and serious ones too. Like, boys get embarrassed if their on bottom, a married man never gives up and never quits, we punish ourselves, not God, and a single shot of tequila will kill a 550 lbs pig. And who knew that people got their horses drunk! In this portion of the story, Victor's older brother passed away two weeks prior. His father rode his horse Cherokee into town, and literally inside of a bar. His mother recieved a call from the bar that Cherokee was drunk. Upon arrival, Victor observed his father in a drunken state from grief, but also from what appeared to be the loss of love from his wife. They were both grieving and he was needing her strength, her touch, and her kiss. But he, "stunk like a bull who'd pissed all over himself." But in one of most tender moments in the book, when he saw his life's dance partner, he crudely calls after her, “LUPE, MI CORAZÓN! Mi novia! MI ES...

One of my favorite themes from the book was concept of the strength of women. As a child, Victor was taught he would be raised by women for 7 years because only they were strong enough to bear children. Even comically later on, Victor secretly observed his brother with his girlfriend on a hay stack. As his girlfriend was on top during this escapade, and they both appeared to be making painful faces to this little boy, his lens observed the strength of a woman dominating his brother (who, no doubt, would be deeply embarrassed if anyone found out). Stories like this bring charm to the text, but also provide context to why Victor's father feels so strongly about how his mother left his father when he was overcome with grief. She took the whole family across the border to Texas to start a new life. Victor shows how other cultures have valued the role of women better than what ours has. It something to remember that we were all brought into this world because of the strength of a woman....

In Burro Genius, we learn the power of reconciliation. Victor has great love for his father, but at a celebration he is told stories about his father as a leader in the mafia. Victor tries to reconcile his view of his father as a loving, hard working man who sacrificed a lot for his family, with a man that is violent, cut throat, and willing to viciously torture people who do him wrong. I think all of us have at some point look at our family and wonder if the truth lenses we viewed them from still hold as adults. Are eyes are opened to our heritage just as Victor's was, and ask questions about whether that is still the path we wish to follow. Victor struggles with understanding his heritage and reconciling it with the world around him. At school his teachers are incredibly violent with people he loves and contradicts the teaching of his parents. His mother puts lots of trust in the school and encourages Victor to pay attention, and that nothing bad would happen. He tries to recon...