Fred Aceves Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Fred Aceves is a reputed American writer of young adult stories. He has written two books in his career so far, both of which are widely popular. Aceves was born to a Mexican father in New York. His mother belonged to the Dominican nationality. However, Aceves was a complete American by birth. Most of the days of his youth were spent in Tampa, Florida and Southern California. Aceves lived a rather poor life in a working-class neighborhood. He has mentioned his neighborhood and way of living in his first book, The Closest I’ve Come. After his 21st birthday, Aceves decided to travel the world. Subsequently, he visited and lived in places such as Chicago, The Czech Republic, Bolivia, New York, France, Mexico, and Argentina. During the course of his travel, he worked in several jobs to earn his living, such as being a car salesman, English teacher, delivery driver, freelance editor, cook, server, etc. His experience living in a tough neighborhood filled with working-class people and single mothers enabled him to come up with the story of his debut novel.

Aceves studied in 5 schools before dropping out and leaving studies completely. Later, he obtained a GED that allowed him to undertake traveling to different excellent locations of the world. Aceves’ first novel ended up becoming immensely successful and reaching out to the masses in different parts of the world. It was declared as the Best Book of the Year by the NY Public Library and Kirkus. Also, the book was selected as a YALSA/ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults. Many noted critics and reviewers have come forward to provide their full support to Aceves’ books. They have praised him for being an author with extraordinary abilities, who thinks differently and comes up with beautiful stories.

Many readers have become his fans in recent years. As a result, Aceves has formed a good fan-following for himself. He wishes to add more number of fans in the list of his followers in the coming years. Until then, he hopes that his books will be read with great enthusiasm and provided love and support. As of now, author Aceves is happily married and resides in Mexico. He is looking forward to publishing the next book of his career and has also started working on another novel. Aceves is hopeful of becoming an established author with his work in the years to come.

The debut book written by author Fred Aceves is entitled ‘The Closest I’ve Come’. It was released in 2017 by the HarperTeen publication. Aceves has set the story in Tampa, Florida and has mentioned the primary characters in the roles of Marcos Rivas, Zach, Amy, and a few others. Initially, Marcos Rivas is introduced as a young Latino man living in central Tampa’s poor neighborhood with his single mom. He is in the sophomore year of high school and has a lot of things to worry about. More than his grades at school, Marcos Rivas worries about the racist, abusive boyfriend of his mother. Marcos wants to overcome poverty badly. He has started falling for a girl named Amy in school. Her blue-streaked hair and no-nonsense attitude attract him. Marcos wants to take Amy on a date.

The community in which Marcos lives is filled with the familiar demons of crime, abuse, and addiction. There is also a widescale presence of racism. As Marcos Rivas deals with his struggles and the complex problems of his life, the narration of the story moves forward. His best friend deals in drugs, while his mother is not able to care for herself, much less for him. She was just 16 years old when she had become pregnant. During his after-school program, Marcos Rivas makes new friends. Through them, he learns that he is not alone. There are many teenagers like him who are trying to shape their destiny and overcome their difficult times. Among his diverse friends, there is Obie, a smart black boy, who begins delivering drugs and shocks Marcos.

The thoughtful, emphatic, and authentic internal voice of Marcos Rivas makes it clear from the story’s beginning that he is stuck between 2 worlds. In one world, he tries to conceal his expression of emotions and in the other, he feels the guilt of pranking his mentors and teachers and fearing dogs. The author has infused the narrative with great insights about ethnicity, class, and the intricacies of power between adults and teens. This novel provides a heart-wrenching, hopeful, and funny story that cannot be missed. It found many takers across the globe and went on to become a huge hit. Its worldwide success motivated Aceves to write and publish the second book of his career.

Another excellent novel written by Aceves in his career is known as ‘The New David Espinoza’. It was also published by HarperTeen in 2020. This book revolves around the life of a man named David Espinoza and examines male body dysmorphia due to steroid abuse. Initially, it is mentioned that David Espinoza keeps getting bullied by others. The bullying activities against him increase so much in the junior year that he becomes tired of it. When someone releases a video online showing a bully knocking him down, he feels ashamed. David decides to use the upcoming summer vacation to bulk up. He vows to do whatever it takes to turn into a man and give it back to the bullies. David Espinoza intends to surprise and shock everyone after the school reopens.

Soon after, David starts spending all his money and time at a nearby gym called Iron Life. He becomes motivated by seeing the numerous bodybuilders at the gym. But, he seems disheartened by the slow rate of his progress and wishes to bulk up faster. David’s frustration turns into a desire to gain muscle as soon as possible. This desire makes him fall for the bodybuilding world’s dark side as he decides to pursue the desired results at all costs. In the end, David ends up consuming steroids. The uncontrolled dosages give him more muscle mass, but bring about dysmorphia. Due to this, he becomes a laughing stock at school.