The Broke Hearts by Matt Mendez (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Broke Hearts by Matt Mendez Wesley Jacques Mendez, Matt The Broke Hearts. Dlouhy/Atheneum, 2023 [240p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781534404489 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781534404502 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 8-12 In this follow-up to Mendez's Barely Missing Everything (BCCB 04/19), Juan's best friends Danny and JD deal with their grief in the wake of Juan's highly publicized police-involved killing. Danny puts in minimal effort in his University of El Paso art classes despite his recognizable talents and first-generation status, having followed Juan's dream of attending community college. JD, meanwhile, enlists in the military as a result of the fear and grief associated with seeing his friend's death firsthand. As deployment approaches, he tries to balance family and the military life that his family never wanted for him. Mendez's strong narrative and distinct, picturesque writing are both reflected in the artistic aspirations of his protagonists: JD aspires to make movies when he returns from the air force, and his affinity for screenplays is as potent as Daniel's artistic interest in traditional Mexican and Southwestern aesthetics influences. The two young men aren't as close as they once were, but they are effectively presented in parallel as Mendez explores masculinity, mourning, and Mexican-American identity with emotional depth that readers will find moving and heartbreaking. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois