Incredible, amazing, terrible, and unbearable. It's so well written and incredibly powerful - but not for the faint of heart.

This book should be consider a self-help book for those who were molested, abused, and rape and yet it is work of fiction that speaks the stories of millions who sadly could relate to Diego. This is my second time reading a novel by Alex Sanchez and this man can speak volumes for me. I rarely ever read a book in its entirety in one setting and yet both times when I seek the comfort of Alex Sanchez's books, I find myself in the late hours of the night absorbed in his novels. His writing style is unique and somehow I feel as though he is writing these books for me because the characters are believable, I could relate to the characters whether physically or emotionally, and I find it remarkable that his books could bring me comfort and acknowledge that I am not alone with it comes to my sexual identity, romance, and friendship.

In this novel, we are introduced to Mr. Vidas, a probation officer who has appeared in court and deal with a teenager named Diego MacMann. He is sixteen year old, first time in court, and it is because he horrifically beat the crap out of gay guy in his school for giving him flirtatious looks. Clearly he has major anger issues. On the other hand, Diego, a hard working student, is scared for his life because he does not want to attend juvie but reluctantly is grateful about the terms and conditions that he must follow in order to stay out of jail. He accepts the plea deal, and must have a session with Vidas.

In the beginning, Diego feels shy and suspicious about Vidas and wants this whole dilemma to simply disappear! Diego does not understand how his anger is uncontrollable and during the home visit, Vidas learns that Diego's stepfather, Mac, committed suicide three years ago and something is not right about the way Diego reacts to this information.

Luckily for Diego he finally has found someone who he can place his trust and confide with everything because no one, including his mother takes the time to listen to him and show that they care about him. He has such a low sense of self, like he believes he is damaged goods and that no one will love him that they will simply leave like family. Vidas doesn't make the connection at first but he notices how Diego has low self-esteem and witnesses that his wrist are full of cut marks. He immediately learns that Diego has cuts all over his body, and feels different methods to discover the source of his anger.

Clearly from the beginning I figured what was wrong with Diego and I felt so heart broken for him that he was raped and molested by his stepfather since the age of 6 until Mac's suicide. No child should ever experience this pain and lost of innocence and I just wanted to hug him and tell him that it was not his fault and he should not feel guilty or embarrassed about the situation because he was simply a child and desperately wanted a father because his biological father left his family when he was very young. Even though Mac was dead, he still lived inside of Diego and because of this constant abuse, Diego pretty much was drowning in his own pain and anger from what had happen to him as a child.

I was never molested or rape, but I could completely connect to Diego about his low sense of worth. My parents divorced when I was very young, and within the first few years after their divorce, my father remarried and practically disown his own kids and his mother. I was furious, heartbroken, and was never the same after that event. I felt in many ways that I had to "grow up" and deal with my emotions alone because my mom struggled as a single parent, and my family is not very good at discussing about each others feelings. It also didn't help that I was bullied in elementary school, and having this sense of abandonment and abuse, it made me feel and believe that I did not have real friends, and that I was this hideous creature that would make people leave from my life.

I suffered for years this type of depression and dealing with my sexuality identity did not make things any easier. Luckily for me after my 1st year of high school was over, as a complete surprise from my mother, she signed me up for a summer camp in New York that forever will change my life for the better. Till this day I am forever grateful for my mother and don't know how to repay her back for her sacrifices. In this summer camp, I got to hang out with kids who shared similar passions like me, did a lot of performing arts, exercise, and learn how to be free and happy for once in my life.

This camp was practically paradise for 6 weeks and it gave me the opportunity to disconnect from the chaos of my daily life. The most important part of this camp was that I had counselors who were a few years older than me, who were gay, and could relate to me and showed me that everything gets better in life. I never could believe in a million years that I would encounter people from different parts of the world who could be my friend and help me learn how to trust people, feel handsome and brave. I cried so much during that time not because I was sad, but because I could finally let go to the things that no longer serve me. To apologize to the little boy for what happen and to let him know that he is loved, that being gay is perfectly normal, and how to feel beautiful inside and out. I will always be grateful for this life changing experience and how the pressure of the world was finally lifted off my shoulders.

The reason why I included this in my review is because as you read this book, you learn about the tragedy of Diego's past and through these life changing sessions with Vidas, he learns how to accept it and how to let go and forgive the past. Also he learns that the past does not define who he is and that it was not his fault to be raped and molested. Diego goes through this life changing experience and finally begins to feel like a human being. He gets a hold of his emotions and learns to finally be happy about his life and free from the terror that he suffered for years.

I seriously hope that Diego's experience and my life story could help those who are suffering similar situations and know that by acknowledging what happen and learning how to let go could essentially help you physically, spiritually, and emotionally. I will absolutely cherish this book and thank you Alex Sanchez for writing this book, by using your writing to provide a voice to those who are silenced or needs encouragement to speak out the wrong that was dealt to them. Thank you!

This was a great book. I completely understood how Diego was feeling. How he described what happened to him, his depression and his Suicide attempts, I felt like he was talking through me. (I know technically we didn't go through the same advents both still). How he felt like he was underwater fighting to get his head above sea level and no one hearing him so he was fighting silently. (Hopefully that sentence makes sense) That is exactly how Depression feels.

3.5

Sanchez really has a way of writing characters that tug at your heartstrings. I loved Diego from the first couple of chapters. I really enjoyed reading about his struggles and how he worked through them. An excellent read!

Diego MacMann has trouble controlling his anger. When a gay student at his school looks at him in a way that makes Diego uncomfortable, he responds by punching him in the face. Because of this, he gets put on probation, which means that he is required to attend weekly meetings with his probation officer Mr. Vidas. Diego’s father has never been a part of his life and his stepfather committed a suicide a few years back. His mother seems to be in denial about many of the things that are going on in their lives. Diego slowly begins to trust Mr. Vidas, and he becomes the one adult that Diego can be completely open with. Thanks to this trusting relationship, Diego is able to make progress with his anger management issues by confiding in Mr. Vidas some secrets from his past. While at the mall with friends one day, Diego runs into Mr. Vidas and another man who he realizes is Mr. Vidas’s partner. Finding out that Mr. Vidas is gay makes Diego question everything about him and their relationship. Eventually, he realizes that Mr. Vidas’s sexual orientation doesn’t change who he is, and Mr. Vidas helps Diego to move past some traumatic events from his childhood.

Although Bait is somewhat predictable and at times unrealistic, Sanchez is successful in telling a story of hope for victims of abuse. Though Diego’s actions are sometimes unrealistic - choosing to go on probation, his quick change of heart in regards to Mr. Vidas - most readers will forgive these flaws. Diego is a sympathetic character whose conflicted feelings about his abuser and his mother (who knew about the abuse and didn’t stop it) are realistic and will be easy for victims of abuse to relate to. Diego’s memories of the sexual abuse he endured are dealt with honestly but not graphically. Mr. Vidas is an important character in that he is a positive male role model who just happens to be gay. This is something that we don’t see often enough in teen literature. Bait is a solid purchase for that reason alone, and it will appeal to teens who are drawn to stories with heavy subject matter.

A really powerful book that can be difficult--even heartbreaking--at times, but ends on a hopeful note. The characters are multi-dimensional, and their voices are real. However, I'd only recommend it to older students, since it deals with sexual abuse and self-mutilation.

4/5 on here, 8/10 for myself

3.5 stars

I almost forgot that it's 4:00 in the morning as I'm typing this. Anyway, yesterday I finished a book titled Bait. I loved this book even though there were some dull moments. It is a YA book that focuses on as topic that many teens face everyday.

The main character in the book, Diego is dealing with anger issues. REALLY BAD anger issues. He fights a lot and one day his fighting goes to far and he ends up on probation. This story details Diego learning how to let go of his anger and how to forgive with the help of his probation officer.

This book was enjoyable to me because I could relate to Diego. I endured some of the same problems that he did. I even cried while reading this book!

The author used great characterization when writing this book. It was easy for me to feel Diego's pain as the book revealed the situation.

I give this book a 4.5 out of 5. I say a 4.5 because the lesson that Mr. Sanchez was trying to teach with the shark didn't really capture me. I understood it in the beginning so I didn't see a reason for it to keep being repeated. All in all, you should give this book a try if you enjoy books with a purpose.