The Last Summer of the Death Warriors

Francisco X. Storks thought provoking book, Marcelo in the Real World (recent winner of the Schneider Family Book Award for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences), prompted me to read The Last Summer of the Death Warriors and while I like Marcelo better, I wasnt disappointed with the Death Warriors.

Daniel Quentin (D.Q.) and Pancho Sanchez meet each other at St. Anthonys orphanage. Both seventeen years old, D.Q. has been there for several years. However, six months ago he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Panchos family has died; first his mother, then his father, and finally his older sister, Rosa, who was mentally slow. She was found dead in a motel room, apparently of natural causes. Pancho is sure someone killed her and has vowed revenge.

When D.Q. sees Pancho, hes sure that Pancho is the one to carry on the Death Warrior Manifesto that D.Q. is writing. Death Warriors dont whine. They love life. Everyone at St. Anthonys has a job and Panchos is to help D.Q., first to clean out a room for D.Q. to move into, then to help him get around and ultimately to help him during chemo sessions that his mother is forcing him to take in the hopes that it will put the cancer in remission.

In The Last Summer of the Death Warriors Stork has pitted an extremely intelligent D.Q. against a less educated, more street smart Pancho. They both have goals: D.Q. to die (or to live) with dignity and Pancho to avenge his sisters death. But as they are forced to spend time together, they learn so much. D.Q. learns that his mother, although she left him at the orphanage during a difficult time in her life, means well and wants him to get better and will resort to even the mystical if it provides hope. Pancho learns that revenge is not all that it is cracked up to be.

Stork has written great characters. He explores serious issues, such as a patients rights to treatment. He explores relationships. Of course, D.Q. thinks hes in love with someone (Marisol) who falls in love with Pancho. Its interesting how the two boys handle the situation. Pancho, D.Q. and Marisol are real, deep characters. The remaining characters are less fleshed out. Storks works are thought provoking (as I said earlier) and they are worth reading. While I found some of the action to be unrealistic, The Last Summer of the Death Warriors is well written realistic fiction.