Man, things these days are tough for Miguel. After it happened. Matt De La Pena's novel, We Were Here, is a story about a kid who in the beginning has sort of given up on the world. Group homes seem like the hell on earth to Miguel. He doesn't want to make friends, talk, or really even know the names of the other kids in the Group home. All he wants is for things to have happened differently.
Miguel's first encounter with a boy from the Group home named Mong developed into a fist fight. Mong, a small, scrappy asian kid, beat Miguel up pretty good. He even spit in his face. But eventually Mong and Miguel would become friends, one might even call each other best friends. They figure out that they have something in common, and decide that it's worth it to see where their similarities might take them.
Rondell, Miguel's old juvi roommate, who is a huge black kid who Miguel had also fought with, also ends up at the same Group home as Miguel. Small world. Although Rondell may have lacked certain things, he doesn't lack heart and loyalty. And man, the dude had some sick game on the basketball court.
Three kids, a hard-ass mexican, an insane chinese guy, and gigantic black dude, learn about what it takes to survive. These three have gone through more than most can imagine, but they never stop trying to figure it all out, to make things right.
