What a mesmerizing, heart wrenching, sad but hopeful book this was about domestic violence based on the author’s life. Rex has a very angry mom and step dad who are always mad at him, it seems, all the time. His stepdad ridicules Tex for being Mexican which makes Rex wonder why is he with his mom. His mom blames Rex, who was away, for his baby sister dying before she was born. Rex carries this guilt for a long time but thinks about her a lot, and it gives him hope at times when he needs it. As his mom constantly berates and beats Rex over nothing, he realizes this cycle of pain is a bond between he and his mom. At the end, Rex does survive it all with hope and tells us life can be dark but it will get better,