On The Hook by Francisco Stork
On The Hook
Hector has always worked hard and minded his own business. He wants to be captain of his school’s chess team, go to college, and help his family make their way to a better life someday.
Until Joey singles him out. Joey, whose older brother, Chavo, is head of the Discípulos gang, tells Hector that he’s going to kill him: maybe not today, or tomorrow, but someday. And Hector, frozen with fear, does nothing.
From that day forward, Hector’s death hangs over his head every time he leaves the house. He tries to fade into the shadows — to drop off Joey’s radar — to become no one. But when a fight between Chavo and Hector’s brother Fili escalates, Hector is left with no choice but to take a stand. Will Hector lose himself to anger and the pursuit of revenge?
On the Hook is an intense but ultimately hopeful novel about finding the courage to dream of a better future and do the hard work of living.
Visit franciscostork.com for more information.
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“Intense, at times brutal, but so vital for today’s polarized society, this book will hopefully encourage readers to have compassion for others, even those with whom they vehemently disagree.”
- Booklist (starred review)
“What starts as a quiet drama quickly escalates to a potent, fiery story while remaining a deep meditation about cycles of violence.”
- Kirkus (Starred Review)
Throughout Stork’s (Illegal) unflinching, fully fleshed out novel centering a 16-year-old chess aficionado turned reformatory school student, his introspective Mexican American protagonist wrestles with an unimaginable question: “How could he live with himself knowing that he let his brother die?”
- Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)
About the Author:
Francisco X. Stork was born in Monterrey, Mexico. He came to El Paso, Texas with his adoptive father when he was nine years old. He studied English Literature and Philosophy at Spring Hill College, a Jesuit College in Mobile Alabama. He obtained an M.A. from Harvard University where he studied Latin American Literature with, among others, Octavio Paz, the Mexican Nobel Laureate. After four years of graduate studies at Harvard, he entered Columbia Law School. After graduating from law school, he practiced law in a number of private and public settings while pursuing his vocation to write. For the last fifteen years of his legal career, Francisco worked as an attorney for a Massachusetts State Agency that develops affordable housing. Francisco retired from the practice of law in April of 2015. Visit franciscostork.com for more info!
