I remember the day Mike came charging up the stairs into our living room smiling from ear to ear. The next hour (it was actually more along the lines of 3 hours), we sat talking about this book. Talking about the climate, the direction, the impact, the emotion, the power that sat within this short story.
Then last night he came upstairs again. This time the conversation was not as long but we reflected on Poor Pepe. We reflected again on the direction, impact, emotion and power.
As we sat there, I could not help thinking, “Wow, this would be a powerful movie” and it still would be. We are just waiting for the movie studios to get back to us. But seriously I did think that and still do. It is a powerful story that should be told and shared.
Then I remember reading it. I remember crying (quite dramatically actually), shaking my head in frustration, laughing, being angry (I actually put it down for a few moments…but the urge to finish was too strong), and then feeling closure. One thing I appreciated was that it did give you closure; not in the way you would think either.
Talk about tugging at the heart strings. I do not shy away from the fact that everything Mike writes I always enjoy. However, there are a few that I have sent him back to the drawing board. But with Poor Pepe there was no need to make him go back. He continued to edit and improve.
It is a powerful example of an immigrant family making the best of their life with what they have been given. If I get into any further description it would give the book away. Trust me you do not want that!
With our most recent discussion we talked about the potential of changing the titles name.
In this day and age, it is a book that would be worth the read. In my opinion it should be one of those books on the middle school and high school summer reading list. It is a quick read that will leave you feeling, well, feelings!
