Luis

Also known as Grillo, or Cricket, the name given him by his father at birth, Luis became known as Chin while in a gang because of the prominence of the chin caused by a broken jaw as part of a gang initiation. Luis's talents are writing and painting, but he has trouble with formal education from an early age. He recalls the understanding that his first teacher doesn't want him and that his second doesn't know what to do with him. He soon joins a gang, seemingly both for companionship and protection. He moves into another, larger gang as his small clique falls by the wayside. He's involved in gang activity, including the firebombing of the house of a rival gang member.

When he's given a new chance at education, recognized for his writing and painting, and put in a leadership role among his peers, he excels. He...