Book Summary and Reviews of A Second Chance on Earth by Juan Vidal

Book Summary

A father, a friend, and a favorite book help a teen boy understand love and loss in this moving and vivid YA novel in verse.

Have you ever encountered a book that KO'd you, Iron Mike Tyson style? One that hit you square in the face and heart like some abracadabra casting a hex from an unknown planet?

For sixteen-year-old poet and b-baller Marcos Cadena, that book is the beat-up copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude he finds among his late father's possessions after Papi is killed in an accident.

Marcos' papi has always loomed large in his eyes. So, when Marcos travels to his parents' childhood home of Cartagena, Colombia to spread Papi's ashes, he brings his father's book with him, convinced that Gabriel García Márquez's masterpiece holds the key to understanding Papi's life and accepting his death.

In Cartagena, Marcos befriends eighteen-year-old Camilo, a taxi driver and fellow García Márquez fan who appoints himself Marcos' unofficial tour guide. Together, the two boys explore the landscape of Cartagena, from the picturesque streets of Old Town to the poor neighborhood where Camilo grew up. But when Camilo reveals a troubling secret from his past, Marcos must ask himself whether everyone deserves a second chance.

Woven through with themes of friendship, family, and forgiveness, this poignant novel in verse is also a love letter to Colombia and to the books of Gabriel García Márquez.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Marcos is grieving the sudden death of his father in an accident. Discuss the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Trace Marcos's journey through each stage of grief. Cite specific passages from the book to support your thoughts. Explain what Marcos means by "There's a trapped lion /alive and raging / inside my lungs" (p. 3).
2. Everyone is telling Marcos that he is the man of the house now. Read the poem "Two Voices in My Head" (p. 81). How is Marcos conflicted about his new role? In what way does he feel responsible for Daniela, his younger sister? Debate whether Marcos feels more like a man when he returns from Colombia.
3. Marcos finds a copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude by ...