Have You Seen Luis Velez? Kindle Edition

I like this writer very much, but I'm disappointed with this book. It could have been a good story, but it went too far with the range of controversial issues. Spoiler alert... I'll try not to give away too much, but the basic story line is an asexual black boy with body issues, who befriends an old Jewish woman who struggles with survivor's guilt, who together are dealing with issues surrounding an ignorant gun toting white lady's prejudicial fear of the scary Hispanic man who happens to be walking behind her. The crazy white lady is allowed to continue carrying her gun around...because I guess those nutty pro gun people are allowed to do that, even when on trial for murder. Apparenently we should also believe guns are not held for evidence. The all white jury ignores all the evidence and witness testimony because, you know...tribalism. The lady was clearly an idiot. The victim was well on his way to sainthood. But she was white and he was brown so the jury didn't even need time to deliberate. The only hot topic she forgot to include is late term abortion .

Catherine Ryan Hyde, Author of “Have You Seen Luis Velez” has written a unique, enthralling, emotional, intriguing, captivating and heartwarming novel. The Genre for this story is Fiction. This is also a Beautiful Coming of Age Story. I love everything about this wonderful book. Catherine Ryan Hyde is an amazing storyteller, and her vivid and colorful descriptions of her characters and the landscape are so realistic. The story takes place in and around New York City. The author describes her dramatic characters as complex and complicated.Raymond Jaffe, 17 years old feels like an outcast in his family. His best friend is moving away, and his other friend is a kitten that he rescues. He is in his building when an older woman asks him if he or anyone has seen Luis Velez? As Raymond is speaking to Mildred Gutermann, who is 92 years old and blind, he realizes she has no caretaker. Raymond starts helping Mildred and is looking for Luis Velez, who had been helping Mildred. Meanwhile, Raymond and Mildred are becoming good friends.It seems there are a number of Luis Velez’s’ in the phone book. Raymond goes and visits some of them. There are some interesting encounters, but Raymond has yet to find the correct Luis Velez.I appreciate that Catherine Ryan Hyde discusses the importance of kindness and friendship. Also discussed are the different prejudices and biases that are based on wealth and poverty, and religion and race. The author writes about love, acceptance, friendship, family, kindness, love, and hope. I highly recommend this amazing book.

This book was one that really made me stop and think about how I develop impressions of people I see as I go about my normal day. Do I make racial judgments based on the color of someone's skin? Do I feel that other people make judgments about me...based on my physical characteristics, my religious beliefs, etc.?Raymond Jaffe is an amazing young man. His maturity is impressive; his willingness to tackle a project on behalf of one of his neighbor's is admirable. If there were more people like Raymond in the world today, we would be in a much better place.I fell in love with Mildred Guterman. She had a wonderful way of looking at life and the things that go on around her. She is one tough cookie and is a good influence on Raymond.The author does a wonderful job of bringing you into the story and making you care about so many of the characters as you turn the pages and get sucked into the search for Luis Velez. What a wonderful story!Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I first began this book, I thought it would be a very inspirational book about an older lady teaching a teenager life lessons. The further I got into it I felt as if it had taken a turn into a more political soapbox than a good storyline. I don’t need to be preached to. That’s why I read. I find I need to get away from the political drama we hear every day.

I read an ARC of this book and it is truly a masterpiece! It is great on so many levels! The characters are real and extremely likeable. Raymond has so many wonderful qualities, and Mrs. G is a gem. Their relationship is precious, and it is easy to fall in love with the supporting cast. The setting and plot are relevant and they ring true. Catherine Ryan Hyde shares so many valid messages and reasons to feel hopeful during these trying times. Although I have read it once, I have pre-order the e-book, and will listen to the audible version as well. It's that good! My new favorite by this remarkable author!

I have read several of her books and enjoyed them. I ended up returning this book because I detest being beaten over the head with social injustice issues.

I found this book to be extremely heavy handed. The hispanics portrayed in this story were welcoming, good people as a whole, giving, and caring. The black father is portrayed as weak, (afraid to stand-up to his wife for the sake of his son), the white mother is too into her self, white step dad finds his stepson to be a costly bother and whites literally get away with murder. The Jewish old lady suffers from her past but a half-black teen brings her back to life.This story was way over the top with racial characterizations.

My hearts bursts with love for knowing Raymond from the 4th floor even though it was for such a short time. Everyone should have a friend like Raymond. I highly recommend this book!

“Life gives us nothing outright. It only lends. Nothing is ours to keep.”Seventeen year old Raymond Jaffe, feels like he doesn’t belong. Not with his mother’s new family and not as a weekend guest with his father and his father’s wife. An outcast at school, especially now that his best friend has moved away, the only company he has is a feral cat he’s tamed. Then one day he sees an elderly lady who lives in his apartment building who appears to be in distress. She asks Raymond if he’s seen Luis Velez.Mildred Gutermann is blind, housebound and desperate. For the past four years, her friend Luis has accompanied her to the bank and helped her to do her weekly grocery shopping. For some reason however, he hasn’t been to see her in the last couple of weeks and now, because he was her only connection to the outside world, her food supply has slowly dwindled.When Raymond steps in to help Millie with her weekly errands, an unlikely friendship develops between the two. Sensing her fear and anxiety for her absent friend, Raymond takes it upon himself to find out what happened to Luis Velez. But in a city consisting of twenty listings under Luis Velez - some even with different variations, Raymond’s search proves to be no easy task...Powered by adept character development and relentless pacing, this was my third novel from the author about a young man finding his way in life and the unique friendship that develops between him and his elderly blind neighbour.Raymond is a 17 year old African American. His father is black, while his mother, stepdad and siblings are white. Despite visiting his father every other weekend, his father’s new wife resents his presence. Raymond feels unwanted, unloved and alienated as the only black in a white household. In spite of his troubled home life, however, Raymond is an altruistic, fiercely loyal and perceptive individual.Mildred Gutermann is a ninety two year old German Jew who narrowly escaped the Holocaust and suffers from survivors guilt. Raymond finds himself drawn to her because she’s wise, non judgemental and sees him for who he truly is.Once again, I was blown away by how deftly the author managed to push every one of my reading buttons. This was a captivating and emotional novel which pulled on my heartstrings. I found myself deeply invested in the characters from the beginning and when the fate of a certain character was revealed, I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. The secondary characters were equally complex and believable and the plot was engaging enough to keep one reading past two or three in the morning.Having read three books from the author, it’s apparent that life lessons and moral dilemmas are a part of her signature style. Each book has an underlining message. In this novel, she tackles racism, preconceived ideas, white privilege and tribalism. She also demonstrates how class and privilege can affect the outcome of ones life and touches briefly on sexual orientation.Despite its thought provoking themes, this is nevertheless an uplifting and life affirming story about kindness, humility, integrity, acceptance and compassion that is sometimes found in unexpected places. It’s underlining message being that for every evil acted meted out in the world, there is also a mirror image of deep kindness.“The world will still be a place where people do terrible things. But here’s the thing about despair. We fall into despair when the terrible gangs up on us and we forget the world can also be wonderful. We just see terrible everywhere we look. So what you do for your friend is you bring up the wonderful, so both are side-by-side. The world is terrible and wonderful at the same time. One doesn’t negate the other, but the wonderful keeps us in the game. It keeps us moving forward. And I’m sorry to tell you this Raymond but that’s as good as the world is going to get.”Through Millie, Raymond is able to find his place in the world. Thanks to Raymond, Millie is able to see that there is hope as long as one has someone to hold on to. That even though life tests us - sometimes to the point of despair - it can also be beautiful - a precious gift that we should hold on to for however long we can.Friendship, hope, resilience.. This is wonderful life affirming read that will reel you in. Highly Recommended.

I have read quite a few CRH books and although this is not my favourite I did enjoy it although it does take a while to get going. For quite a while I thought that the whole book was going to be Raymond trying to find Luis and I despaired, but eventually the story opens up and changes direction, there is even a court case! I should have known that there would be kind people along the way to counteract the unkind.

One of the most beautiful and human books `I have read. The author writes about human nature and its quirks in a warm and humorous way, and sees goodness emerging in the most unlikely soil. Her plots are engaging and gripping and she keeps the reader's interest right up to the last sentence. `highly, highly recommended.

I really love the books of Catherine Ryan Hyde . Her stories of unusual friendship, personal growth and humans ability to care for others always bring hope in what can seem an ever darkening world.This book does all of that, talking the injustice of our society and balancing it with the relief friendship and understanding can bring.

I don't usually write reviews for the books that I read, but this one is in the top half-dozen that I have read this year, and deserves a recommendation. I reserve five stars for really outstanding books, so 4.5 reflects excellence. Readers of this review will already have an idea of the story so I won't go into it: but it demonstrates the bad and the best in human nature, with homely and wise reflections that I have stored away for future reference. Everyone in this world deserves to be treated properly, whatever their age, colour, sexual preferences, or physical/mental ability, and there are just a few who rise above the ordinary and make it a better place. Read it and enjoy!