We Were Here: A window into the mind of a troubled teen

Matt De La Pena writes with beautiful and straightforward language in his YA novel, We Were Here. The book is written in first person, from the main characters voice. Miguel’s authenticity in his narration enables readers to connect with him and truly appreciate the road he is on – the road to not only Mexico, but the road to find himself. The books journal format lends credibility to the story as well. The book is an account of Miguel’s current situation where he resides in a group home for delinquent teens, finding friendship with crazy Mong and rough Rondell. The three of them manage to break out of the home and head to Mexico to become fisherman.

What I find so engaging about this book is not the fact that it has a great plot and characters, but that it introduces readers to the “unspoken” voices of delinquent children, and acts as a social critique. The characters in the book are judged, outcasts, and truly shunned by society, they are “delinquents in society,” and must be put into a “system.” Miguel deals with these stereotypes, and in his voice, readers see pain associated with this stigma. He often wonders what the point of his very existence is now that he is associated as a “bad” person; he knows he cannot become good again. There is a beautiful line that his friend says when asked why he doesn’t ever get scared:

“I think we’re all just passing through in this life. We are only temporary. When I learned that I realized there’s no reason to be scared.”

This idea of fatalism has almost an underlying tone of the book, in the sense that all the characters feel this way. Where does this thought of not caring what happens to you begin? The truth is, I am sure almost every young adult has felt this way before-that they were just temporary, that no one or nothing really matters. Also, the great thing about teaching this book to a class is that not only do students have the opportunity to interact with themes of race, class, delinquency and society, but also they can relate to the character whether they identify with all of his circumstances or none of them. The language Pena writes in is in itself relatable, that we can somehow understand Miguel no matter what our background is. I think this might be a great book to incorporate into a school with students of a low-socio economic background, where violence in young adults it is more prevalent.