A Different Kind of Heat

Excellently written, this book is a fast read. Contemporary life portrayed throughout a journal depicts a real life situation, growing up in an inner city environment. I rate it 5 stars, clear, crisp, engaging. The author excels in his depiction and use of the written language in this text. I look forward to his next publication impatiently.

Can anger and rage be changed to peace and forgiveness? After watching her brother shot by a cop in the street, Luz Cordero turns to gangs and violent protests to deal with her rage. Her brother is dead and her mother is in jail and Luz is angry at the world. Now Luz is living at the St. Therese Home for Boys and Girls and trying to pull herself together. Luz presents her story in journal form as she flashes back to her brother's death and her life as a gang member and protester. Protesting police brutality helped Luz for awhile until things got out of hand and she found herself on probation and sent to live with Sister Ellen. St. Therese's Home for Boys and Girls is home to Luz and several other residents, all with their own history of violence. The hope is that working together in group therapy sessions they can overcome their experiences and learn to live with their less-than-perfect lives. Things seem to be improving for Luz until one day she finds herself face-to-face with the young cop who shot her brother. The rage returns and Luz feels compelled to right the wrong of her brother's death. To her surprise, she finds that Officer Mickey Pesaturo is struggling with his own demons. Never having used his gun, he is dealing with the guilt of having taken a life, even though it was in the line of duty. Pagliarulo helps the reader see Luz's courage and determination to remember her brother and yet forgive the ugliness of the crime. This book will not disappoint. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Anger is not a "bad" or dangerous emotion, but how we express it can be. Wrestling with the life and culture of an inner city ghetto, its violence and hopelessness, Luz Cordero has many reasons to be angry. With her neglectful mother locked away in jail and the older brother who cared for her dead at the hands of police, she frequently loses control and winds up in a group home for problem teens. Her internal struggle to regain control of her emotions, and the external consequences of this struggle, are rendered with poignancy and honesty, so don't be surprised when the tears well up in your eyes. New author Antonio Pagliarulo's deft use of the journal format provides a sense of genuine immediacy to this story of an inner-city Hispanic girl's struggle to come to terms with the loss of mother and brother, and the violent, self-destructiveness of her own behavior. With time and the retreat to relative safety afforded by the group home, she begins to sort through the mess of emotion--feelings of abandonment, loneliness, helplessness, and rage--that often overpower her, a process that is vividly described in her prose and poetry. In developing a new perspective of herself, Luz also allows herself to begin to see things from the perspective of others, and recognize their humanity. This first novel is truly superb and highly recommended for older teens, especially young women dealing with similar issues, but young men should also find much to interest them in this superb book, as will adults of any age. I'm looking forward to the publication of the first book in the author's forthcoming series, "On the Avenue."

Mr. Pagliarulo has an ear for dialogue and really gets inside the head of his main character. Luz is realistic and confronts the world with the confusion and rage that many teenagers feel as events spin out of their control. With the support of her friends and the help of a nun she slowly realizes she doesn't have to fall victim to the gangs, violence, and drugs around her. It is a credit to the author that "A Different Kind of Heat" never becomes preachy or maudlin. I'm looking forward to his next novel! Teens in need of summer reading for the upcoming school year will find this a fast read that holds their attention. Definitely check it out!