Bloodline 
by Joe Jiménez

Bloodline is a realistic fiction, young adult novel by Joe Jiménez which tells the coming of age story of Abram, a vulnerable yet tough seventeen year old "hijo de abuela" boy, who's on a path of discovery with his conflicted self, his first love, and derailed role models.

In an emotionally filled novel set in San Antonio, the author masterfully constructs a bridge between poetry and prose. With furious tenderness, the voice that murmurs this tale grabs you by the heart, swelling it with explosive descriptions and poetry of a broken story where the idea of hope and a bright future seem to be remotely out of reach. 

Bloodline is a novel that allows us to glance beyond the story itself and into a reality which unfortunately reflects the life and hardships of many boys in our community, in what sometimes turns out to be a troubling transition to manhood. It leaves us with questions regarding our role within our Latino families and our society as a whole. Most of all, it is a call to help the future of our youth.

Joe Jiménez is the author of The Possibilities of Mud (Kórima 2014) and is the recipient of the 2016 Letras Latinas / Red Hen Press Poetry Prize.

​You can purchase Bloodline through Arte Público Press. Click here to purchase. 

Reviewed by
​Mónica Rodriguez-Raygada
6/26/2016

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