Growing up on his parents ranch in North San Diego County, Victor Villaseors 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 familys roots, where he soon discovers that his heritage doesnt 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 navet of a young man grappling with the roles foisted on him by the church and society. Victors youthful misadventures elicit sympathy, laughter, and tears as he attempts to divine the mysteries of the opposite sex in this powerful, revealing memoir. The clarity that comes from Villaseors personal and cultural experience is not matched in any of Steinbecks major works (Los Angeles Times).