Growing up on his parentsâ ranch in North San Diego County, Victor Villaseñorâs teenage years were marked by a painful quest to find a place for himself in a world he did not fit into. Discriminated due to his Mexican heritage, Victor questions the tenets of his faith and the restrictions it places on his own spirituality and sexuality. Ultimately, his search for identity takes him to Mexico to learn of his familyâs roots, where he soon discovers that his heritage doesnât determine his intelligence or success. Through this often humorous and poignant tale, Victor deftly undermines the macho stereotype so often associated with Latinos, while exposing the tender vulnerability and naĂŻvetĂ© of a young man grappling with the roles foisted on him by the church and society. Victorâs youthful misadventures elicit sympathy, laughter, and tears as he attempts to divine the mysteries of the opposite sex in this powerful, revealing memoir. âThe clarity that comes from Villaseñorâs personal and cultural experience is not matched in any of Steinbeckâs major worksâ (Los Angeles Times).