Let me start by saying that Matt de la Peña's book Mexican WhiteBoy is a fantastic book. Personally, I have lived in San Diego my entire life. The book did a great job of capturing the the San Diego setting, and it a did a great job of highlighting the cultural diversity that exists here. The book was also given an award for being one of the best books for young adults in 2009, so even critics agree that Pena's book is great.

Unfortunately, Tuscon Unified School District did not agree that the book is a well-written piece of literature. Critical race theory was cited as a reason for banning the book. Critical race theory says that racism is a deeply seated part of American society, and it believes that power and privilege are typically given to white people, which further marginalizes other races.

Tied to the critical race theory was Arizona's house bill 2281. The specific section that applies here is 15–112. This section states that schools shall not have instruction that promotes the overthrow of the US government, promotes resentment toward a race, has content designed for a particular ethnic group, and/or advocates ethnic solidarity.

While Peña's book most certainly doesn't promote the overthrow of the US government, it is possible that a reader might believe it promotes resentment of a particular race. There are times when Hispanics are portrayed as violent and/or gang affiliated; however, the book does a great job of portraying white people as rich, entitled bigots as well. Does Peña's book truly promote resentment toward a race? I don't think so. Does the book accurately portray racial strife and tension? Yes, but the book also portrays characters giving each other mutual respect regardless of race and ethnicity.