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Read the book Morris Award finalist Sonia Patel called "a brilliant, subtle debut," and Kirkus Reviews hailed as "heart-wrenching, funny, hopeful, and not-to-be-missed" in a starred review!The Closest I've Come is a must-read from talented first-time author Fred Aceves, in the tradition of Walter Dean Myers.Marcos Rivas yearns for love, a working cell phone, and maybe a pair of sneakers that aren't falling apart. But more than anything, Marcos wants to get out of Maesta, his hood, away from his indifferent mom and her abusive boyfriend - which seems impossible.When Marcos is placed in a new after-school program, he meets Zach and Amy, whose friendship inspires Marcos to open up to his Maesta crew, too, and starts to think more about his future and what he has to fight for. Marcos ultimately learns that bravery isn't about acting tough and being macho; it's about being true to yourself.The Closest I've Come is a story about traversing real and imagined boundaries, about discovering new things in the world, and about discovering yourself, too.



About the Author

Fred Aceves

Fred Aceves was born in New York to A Mexican father, and a Dominican mother, which makes him 100% Mexican, 100% Dominican, and 100% American. He spent most of his youth in Southern California and Tampa, Florida, where he lived in a poor neighborhood like the one described in The Closest I've Come. At the age of 21 he started traveling around the world, living in Chicago, New York, The Czech Republic, France, Argentina, Bolivia, and Mexico, his father's native land. Among other jobs, he has worked as a delivery driver, server, cook, car salesman, freelance editor, and teacher of English as a second language.



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