Pocho

The novel starts with the story of how Juan Rubio first came to California—a dramatic tale of assassinations and gunslinging. Why might the novel begin with this story? How does Juan Rubio’s story compare to Richard’s?

While much of Pocho deals with questions about masculine identity, the novel is also sympathetic to the difficult lives of its female characters. Study Villarreal’s portrayal of Consuelo, Mary, and Zelda. What do these characters have to say to the novel’s questions about what it means to have an independent self? 

Compare a passage about Richard’s childhood to a passage about Richard’s adolescence. How does Villarreal’s writing style reflect Richard’s inner life as he grows up? 

The power of sex is a persistent theme in Pocho. How does sex interact with the novel’s overarching questions about culture, tradition, and independence?

Why do you think Villarreal might have included the story of Joe Pete Manõel in Pocho? How does this troubled figure fit into the novel’s big picture?

Richard’s group of friends is diverse in a lot of ways: He hangs out with kids of many different backgrounds, and all of them have different ways of interpreting life. However, their differences begin to come into focus as the characters get older and suffer from discrimination. How does Pocho imagine the causes and effects of discrimination? What shapes does prejudice take in this novel?

Throughout the novel, Richard is in ardent pursuit of truth and reality. What do you see him discovering about these ideas as the novel goes on? How does his quest change?

Look up the life story of José Antonio Villarreal—who, like Richard, was the son of Mexican immigrants to the US. How might the shape of Pocho reflect how Villarreal himself became a writer?