College Reading Reflection

Throughout the course of reading the Madonnas of Echo Park we will do RRJs. In
Reading Response Journals are where we would summarize in our own words the chapter that
we just read. While doing these RRJs the questions that you answer after really make you think
about the chapter that you have just read along. One of the questions in the RRJ asks you about
what your thought process was while reading the text or what kept you from understanding
certain parts of the chapter. Which I like a lot because I get to put what connections I made with
my own life to the book along with being able to be honest about why the chapter might have
taken so long to read and understand. What came up a lot throughout me answering this section
was how I was eating dinner halfway through reading so I stopped and had to go back to the
beginning of the chapter to get the chapter fresh in my head again. Another big one that
occurred was me falling asleep while I was reading because I would do the reading after my
baseball practices so I would be exhausted and fall asleep and wake up hours later and read the
chapter to do the RRJ. The big Character that made an impact on me was the very beginning of
the book in the authors note when the author practices telling Aurora that he would not dance
with her because of her race. It had a big impact on me because I had some friend who were like
that and I just ignored it when they made their comments but after reading the book I have
stopped hanging out with a couple because I have come to the realization that they would not
grow up for a while and did not want to surround myself with those kind of people. After doing
all the RRJs it has gotten me to read what I will need to answer after reading the text that way I
can make specific parts in the reading that pop out to me for later help on the questions I would
have to answer.

Joe Quire
Reading Response Journal

1.

In the authors note it starts out by saying that the book is dedicated to a girl named
Aurora Esperanza. She was a class mate of the author Brandon Skyhorse when he was in
sixth grade. Brandon got a MTV on the TV in his room from his parents because he got a
part time job as an ELS tutor after school. The next day Brandon starts bragging to some
guys in his class about how he was watching MTV; during the class he writes on a piece of
paper descriptions of some of the music videos he watched. While they were being passed
the teacher Ms. ONeill took the note and asked everyone in the class to raise their hands if
they thought MTV was cool. As all the kids started to raise their hands she announced that
they would have a class dance party the following week. At the start of the dance party a
classmate of Brandon named Aurora put on a Madonna track. After she put the track on and
the music started to play she walked over to Brandon who was standing in front of all the rest
of the boys in the class in the corner and asked him to dance. Brandon announced to the
whole class that he wouldnt dance with her because she was Mexican. After the dance party
ended Ms. ONeill called Brandon to stay and Aurora to stay. She told Brandon that he
needed to apologize to Aurora and as she says that Aurora ran out of the room. Ms. ONeill
runs out of the class after her but Aurora was gone. Ms. ONeill comes back in and tells
Brandon that after they return from break that he would have to apologize to Aurora. When
they return from break Aurora never shows up so Brandon asks around the class to see if
anyone saw her over the break and no one in the class said that they saw her. Years later
Brandon finally meets with Aurora and tries to apologize to her but she said she didnt want
an apology and they joke about the incident that happened that day. At the start of the first
chapter it talks about how a bunch of Mexicans meet in a certain area and trucks come in and
pick out workers to come work on their construction sites. While Hector talks with a guy
named Diego who he has befriend as they wait for bosses to choose their workers. Diego
gets picked by one of the bosses for the job and Hector tries to get on the truck but the boss
tells him no. One of the guys that was picked to be on the truck threw up all over himself
and the boss kicked him out of the truck and then told Hector that he could take his place.
When the truck arrives at the job site everyone gets out and makes their way to the
construction zone. Hector is chosen by the boss to set up the fence around the construction
site. The other Mexican workers start to make jokes at hector because hes putting up a
fence. His friend Diego starts it off by saying, Mexicans are supposed to cut through
fences, not build them. At lunch the boss tells hector he need him to stake out the walk way
for the front of the house. When he makes his way to the front of the house he is reminded of
his family that he had when he lived in apartment with his wife and daughter. Hector cheated
on his wife so he left him. After the flash back hector is asked to dinner by the boss. At
dinner the boss hands Hector five hundred dollars; which hector refuses to take and tells the
boss that his pay is eighty-five dollars. The boss tells hector that he is a manager and not like
the rest of the Mexican workers. The boss then tells Hector that his first job as a manager is

to get rid of the sledgehammer that was used to kill his fried Diego earlier that day. They tell
him to dispose of it in the lake. Every time Hector wants to dispose of the sledgehammer
there are a lot of people around. He walks by an LAPD command center and a police officer
asks Hector what he is carrying. Hector responds by telling him that he was paid to dispose
of a murder weapon.
2.

When Brandon told Aurora that he wouldnt dance with her because she was Mexican
blew me away. I figured that he was just going to tell her he didnt want to dance because of
the pact he made with those boys in his class. Also I was very shocked at how the racial
conflict between kids started at that young of an age.

3. How could you cheat on your wife; especially after only being with her for a short amount of
time? Why is the story all about Auroras dad right now?
4. I felt really confused when Brandon reject Aurora because of her race. I figured out that the
story is being told from the perspective of Auroras dad Hector right now.
5. Rpido This means faster. I think it is a good word because it shows that they were
forced to get a lot of work done for such little pay.
Trabajadores This means hard worker. I think it is a good word because it shows that the
Mexicans would put forth all they could to make sure that they got the job done good.
Alien This means someone not from he. I think it is a good word because all the workers
crossed into the united states illegally and are taking other peoples jobs because they will
work for lower pay.

Joe Quire
College 1
RRJ 8: Madonnas of Echo Park Chapter 6
1. Chapter 6 starts off by Freddy Blas explaining how he was locked up for 19 years and
was a part of a mob that caught the Loco serial killer in 1985 (Manny Sr.). Then it goes
on by explaining how Freddy runs away from home and works at a pork taco stand and
would pick pocket money from customers. Brando Skyhorse states that Freddy wants to
do good because he has changed and starts to think about starting a family and loves
living in Echo Park because he is so respected. In addition, Freddy had a job in
Hollywood as a valet parker with a man named Javier, whom was killed by Freddy
because he was trying to pick up a wallet and take money in a Mercedes but his foot
pounded the accelerator, making him smack Javier to the windshield. Furthermore,
Freddy writes Cristina in Jail and she says she will always love him and it was true
because when Freddy got out of Jail, she took him into her house even though he was
drunk. He goes back another day and this time he finds out that Cristina died, so he goes
to a bar to hustle at a pool table so he can make enough money to get a hotel and find
Angie (Cristinas Daughter). He then jumps on a bus and negotiates with the driver and
they leave.
2. In the chapters they are connecting more because Hector was brought into play when
Cristina cheated on Freddy with him. Also, the serial killer that Freddy took down so the
cops can get him was Manny Sr., who killed baby Madonna. While reading this I kept
thinking if Freddy was the person who was beaten up by people when he walked out of
the bus but then I thought about it and he mentioned that we have a black president now,
so the time period is present. However, I liked Freddy throughout the chapter because he
was blunt with people and wouldnt pretend to be tough then secretly be all soft like
Manny Jr. I really liked how Freddy started off the chapter by saying that The best
sunrise youll ever see is your first as a free man (104), because it reminded me of the
movie The Outsiders when Pony-boy Curtis ends the movie with explaining the meaning
of the sunrise. But honestly I am still kind of confused with how everyone is connected in
the story and how they all are pointed to Baby Madonna (Alma Guerrero) and how Angie
is connected.
3. Why wouldnt Freddy just hook up with Julianne for the pleasure? Especially since he
just got out? Whatever happened to the man that was on the bus with Freddy? Did he end
up becoming a bus driver?
4. I was distracted because I was eating cooking and eating dinner throughout reading this
chapter. Also I had to look up quite a few of the Spanish words because I forgot most of
my Spanish. Also to me there seemed to be a lot of profanity in this chapter.

5. Maricn- this means, faggot and I chose this word because I had no idea what it meant.
a. Hustler- this means, someone who knows how to get money from others and I
chose this word because it talks about how he does it all the time.
b. un lobo- this means a wolf. I had no idea what it the word meant.