It was a little different when I worked at a group home. But the world set them up as “tough” and “at-risk,” and they learned early on how to play that role to their advantage. And the thing that struck me most was that a lot of these kids who were “bad,” the ones who people were scared of, deep down they were just ordinary kids with ordinary insecurities and moments of dorkiness. When I came out of it, though, I was able to see it better. So I was immersed in that world from 12 to 24. I grew up with some pretty “shady” characters. What makes this such fertile ground for your writing? You’ve also worked in a group home yourself. Protagonists in two of your books, WE WERE HERE and I WILL SAVE YOU, live in group homes. He teaches creative writing at NYU and visits high schools and colleges throughout the country. De la Peña currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. Matt received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific, where he attended school on a full athletic scholarship for basketball. Matt de la Peña is the author of four critically-acclaimed young adult novels (BALL DON'T LIE, MEXICAN WHITEBOY, WE WERE HERE and I WILL SAVE YOU, which was released in paperback earlier this week) and one picture book (A NATION’S HOPE: THE STORY OF BOXING LEGEND JOE LOUIS, illustrated by Kadir Nelson).
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