Twelve-year-old Chula Sanchez isnāt thin, isnāt beautiful, and because sheās Mexican, isnāt popular in her south Texas town. And now that a car accident has left her father paralyzed and her plagued with seizures, she is poor. But Chulaās father is determined to pull his family out of debt. He sends for El Jefeāthe most revered prizefighter in Mexico. Chulaās father hopes that with steel-pipe arms and fists like pit bulls, El Jefe will win the local illegal boxing matches and bring home much-needed money. But El Jefeāa man who many see as a monsterāonly brings confusion to a home that is already filled with problems. And now Chula must decide for herself whether good and bad can reside in one person and whether you can have strength in your heart when your fists have none.
Twelve-year-old Chula Sanchez isnāt thin, isnāt beautiful, and because sheās Mexican, isnāt popular in her south Texas town. And now that a car accident has left her father paralyzed and her plagued with seizures, she is poor. But Chulaās father is determined to pull his family out of debt. He sends for El Jefeāthe most revered prizefighter in Mexico. Chulaās father hopes that with steel-pipe arms and fists like pit bulls, El Jefe will win the local illegal boxing matches and bring home much-needed money. But El Jefeāa man who many see as a monsterāonly brings confusion to a home that is already filled with problems. And now Chula must decide for herself whether good and bad can reside in one person and whether you can have strength in your heart when your fists have none.