Angie Grajeda

Professor Lao
College One
October 2, 2014
RRJ: 5
1. In chapter 4 from the novel "The Madonnas of Echo Park," by Brando Skyhorse we enhance
loads of information from a character named Efren Mendoza. For this chapter Efran was the one
telling the story, we learn about his life. Efan is a bus operator for the Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transit. In the first few pages he introduces to us what he does on a days of work.
Describes the different types of people that aboard, the routes he takes, etc. As we continue to
read we learn a little about his family, his father Manny Sr. and his brother Manny Jr. we learn
that both were in gangs. We also get introduced to a female named Carol. Efren mentions that
they dated for a while but then he decided to dump her because he discovered she brought her
children along with her on her route, he didn't like that because he thought it was dangerous. The
major event that happened in this chapter was when he told the story of when he ran over a black
kid.
2. While reading chapter 2 from the "The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse, I found it to
be really fascinating. I felt glad of Efren for not wanting to follow the same steps of his father and
brother. The thing that tormented me was when he told the story of the black kid and the mojado
fighting. Also the part where he mentions the mojado getting beat up, his face bloody and
bruised. It really bothered me, that he knew the spanish language but did not like to talk it.
Overall, this chapter was very intense and i can not wait to continue reading.
3. Why did Efren at the end of the chapter decide to let the guy in the bus and take him wherever he
was going?
Did Efren ever go back and see his family or he just decided never to go back?
4. While i was reading, i felt confused when he mentioned his family, his father and brother, what
happen to his mother? The strategies that I used while reading this chapter was rereading, and
taking side notes of things that i thought were important to know from this chapter. The most
challenging part while reading this chapter was not knowing the meaning of a word. I solved this
by putting it in my side notes and looking up the word in the dictionary. My motivation to continue
reading the novel was that i found it really interesting to read. I want to know more about the past
few characters and the more to come and how do they all connect at the end. I can connect to
this chapter because I take transportation.
5. As i was reading the novel I came upon words i did not know. I felt lost, and confused because i
couldn't capture and understand what the narrator was saying. I knew that it is important to know
a word in its context so you can be able to understand what the narrator is saying. Some words
that i did not know from this chapter were oases, itinerant, and rabid. I choose this words as
good words, because i think it is important to know the definition of these words to be able to
understand the context.
Oases: something serving as a refuge, relief, or pleasant change from what is usual,
annoying, difficult, etc.
Itinerant: traveling from place to place, especially on a circuit, as a minister, judge, or
sales representative; itinerating; journeying.
Rabid: furious or ranging; violently intense.