The Afterlife

by Gary Soto

Book Overview

You'd think a knife in the ribs would be the end of things, but for Chuy, that's when his life at last gets interesting. He finally sees that people love him, faces the consequences of his actions,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0152052208
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 0.5" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Honestly Terrible

I remember reading this when I was a Freshman in high school. All I could remember was the cover and that a boy got stabbed. So I did some googling and found this book. I remember really liking it. This time around, I am questioning my own judgment. There is essentially no plot to the "story," It is bland and tasteless. I feel it could have really been something insightful but in the end you're left just wondering "what did I just read?"

3 stars from me, 5 stars from my students...

Although I find _The Afterlife_ to be a somewhat mediocre (if unique) book, I have had several students in my classes read this and respond with much enthusiasm. It is important to keep in mind that adults are not the target audience here, and there is something that really grabs the interest of male adolescent readers, at least those in my classes who have read this book. As a teacher of often reluctant readers, I am always keeping my eyes open for interesting new books, not just from lists of recommended reading, but by seeking input from my students as well. This is how I was first introduced to _The Afterlife_ by Gary Soto. One of my students read the book and began to recommend it to others. After reading _The Afterlife_, many students have responded that it is one of the best, if not the best book they have ever read. Several students read the book, then I decided it was time to read it for myself. I was disappointed. However, after reflecting, I could see the appeal for my students. In order to attempt to define the appeal, I need to explain the basic plot. The main character, Chuy, a young Latino, is stabbed and killed after complimenting another teenager's yellow shoes. His spirit leaves his body, and his spirit slowly begins to pass into the next world. However, he is still able to move around and observe his world without being seen. Along the way, he meets a young lady who has also left her body and become a spirit. If all of this sounds fantastic, it is, but although it can be unusual, Soto never lets his book become sensational. I believe the reason this novel holds the interest of my students is that it focuses on one of the deepest desires of teenagers: the desire to stand back and analyze their world without the world looking back at them, the desire to do good things without considering "image" or the disapproval of their peers, the desire to establish a relationship with a member of the opposite sex without the discomfort of their own body always getting in the way. In fact, although Chuy seems like a good guy before his death, he is better able to define his world, does some of his kindest acts, and forms more meaningful relationships after. By the time we are adults, most of us have established a certain balance in our lives. It only stands to reason that a book like _The Afterlife_ appeals less to adults than those who are in the midst of a time in their lives that can seem very unbalanced at times. I give this book four stars based on the average between the three it would receive from me and the five it would receive from my students if they were writing this review.

he's done it again

i have always been a fan of gary soto, he is an amazing writter, so amazing i cant even describe it, byt he takes hispanic life and turns it into something beautiful so other people can truely see what our culture is about. hes done it yet again with this book the afterlife. I would strongly recommend that before reading this you read buried onions...a book about chuys cousin. in buried onions eddie tells us about jesus's death...and you find out who did it and what happened to them.

WOW

Growing up, i always feared death. At night, i would get on my boney, scraggly knees and beg my parents to let me sleep in thier bedroom. Even the thought of dieing and not knowing what would happen after that made me toss and turn all night.In Afterlife by Gary Soto, we learn about Chuy, but only after hes dead. On the second page, Chuy gets stabbed my a misunderstanding and finds himself hovering over his bleeding lifeless body.But the book is more than that. It shows how Chuy realizes that his life only begins when it is acually over. He finds that he cares about everyone that he has ever met with passion. And it tells how he finds the love of his life, well....afterlife, Crystal. This book helped me understand that death is whatever you want it to be, and that in death, there is no fear, only serenity.

WOW is all i can say

Growing up, i always was scared to death of death.I would always beg my parents, on my stubby knees, if i could sleep in their room at night, because even the thought of death made kept me tossing and turning all night long. But now after i read The Afterlife by Gary Soto, im a much more secure about death.On the second page of this coming of age novel, Chuy gets stabbed (a great way to start a book....no joke), and that is where the begining of the end of his life starts. He discovers how much his family and friends truely cared for him, and he even meets the love of his love...or afterlife.... named Crystal.This book gives a great oppinion of how death is, and really opens eyes to a whole new world.

Not every author kills character first!!!!!!!!!

As you have read in most books authors kill them in the last pages of the book but not Gary Soto. Thats what makes this book so special he writes things from a dead persons point of view or what he thinks it would be like being a ghost. I really liked this book. There was a ix of a little bit of everything. Love, death, awesome writing. Chuy meets this girl names Crystal who he falls in love with. He meets her beccause she had died too. In the book Chuy learns an important lesson. He learns that his family and freiends loved him a lot when he thought they didnt even reconzie him before. So reda this and find out what happens!!!