Breaking Through

Book Description

At the age of fourteen, Francisco Jimnez, together with his older brother Roberto and his mother, are caught by la migra. Forced to leave their home, the entire family travels all night for twenty hours by bus, arriving at the U.S. and Mexican border in Nogales, Arizona. In the months and years that follow, Francisco, his mother and father, and his seven brothers and sister not only struggle to keep their family together, but also face crushing poverty, long hours of labor, and blatant prejudice. How they sustain their hope, their goodheartedness, and tenacity is revealed in this moving sequel to The Circuit. Without bitterness or sentimentality, Francisco Jimnez finishes telling the story of his youth.

Customer Reviews:

wonderful portrayal of a migrant family.......2007-02-16

I bought *Breaking Through* without realizing that it was a sequel to *The Circuit*. Nonetheless, you aren't lost if you start with *Breaking Through* I loved this memoir because it was one of the best portrayal of a migrant family.

This memoir chronicled the life of Francisco Jimenez from the time that him and his family entered America from Mexico to his entrance into college.

The Jimenez family saved up some money and entered into Mexico illegally. They were soon caught, after a time, and deported back. However, they were able to get papers and return. Despite living in the land of freedom and opportunities, the family has to work hard in order to survive. They worked in strawberry fields, lettuce patches and cleaned buildings.

Francisco is loving school yet struggled to stay on top as he also has to work. His older brother did well in school but worked nearly as much as their often-ill father did. The mother stayed home and took care of the children. However, she often substituted in their work when needed.

*Breaking Through* is a story of a family working together. It's also a story of one finding one's own identity in America. It's also a story of one trying to achieve the American dream.

You'll laugh. You'll cry. If you don't understand the Mexican culture, you'll find yourself puzzled at some things. Coming from a Hispanic family, I found myself nodding and taking strolls in memory lane.

Overall, it's easy reading for a great book.

book review on Breaking Through.......2007-01-16

Book Review on Breaking Through

Hi, this book Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez is a sad book. Why is it a sad book? A boy named Francisco struggles through life trying to keep his family together. He works and goes to school, also trying to keep his grades up. This book is a good book because of the Theme, believable charters, and a nice setting.

The theme is, heart breaking. It's heart breaking since a boy and his family have to face many difficult obstacles. The obstacles are not easy for Francisco and his family. They have to pay bills but they don't have any money. So the whole family except mom and the youngest ones have to work.

Besides the heart breaking theme there are nice believable charters. The charters sometimes where confused. They where confused because they didn't have money. No one to help them, and struggled to keep food on the table.

There also was a very good setting. The setting took place in many different places. Like school, fields, gas company, Twitchel and Twitchel. There are many different places. So that means that the family is all over the places.

So this book has a great theme. Wonderful setting that makes you feel like your there watching it all happing. Also nice believable charters that do things that you could relate to. So if you like heart breaking novels then this is the book for you.

The End

breaking through.......2007-01-15

ANTHONY JOHNSTON
JAN. 11, 2007

"BREAKING THROUGH" BOOK REVIEW

The book is "Breaking Through" and the author is Francisco Jimenez. The main person in the book is the author. It is a true story. He has a mom, dad and brother. His brother's name is Roberto. I thought it would be a good book because the first sentence was "I lived in constant fear for ten long years."

You shouldn't read this book because there are a lot of Spanish words. The book is very long. It has 195 pages in the book. The Spanish words are very hard to read and you can't understand them.

The characters were papa, mama; Roberto and Francisco. They live on a farm or tent. Papa and mama are the mom and dad. Roberto is the brother. Francisco is the author and character in the book.

There are pictures of the author in the back of the book. The Jimenez's lived on a farm or tent. They grew up poor in America. They lived in a tent in America.

This book is very hard to read and it's long. The whole book is Francisco's life. I'd liked to sum up by saying I still don't like the book because I couldn't understand the words. In less you like reading Spanish you shouldn't read this book.

An Inspiring story for all readers.......2006-11-10

This is a wonderful book. It draws you into Francisco's life and really makes you think about how easy most of us had it as a child! A MUST READ!!

Good Stories and Good Message.......2006-10-01

I bought this book after I'd read The Circuit because I needed to find out what happened to the family. I was intrigued by both books, found them fairly easy reading, and believe that they open up opportunities for discussion with teens. Thought provoking, well-written, very descriptive, somewhat depressing although I found the characters' spirit amazing and inspiring, and all together a very good read. Great for young adults as well as adults...highly recommended.

Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.

Average customer rating:

Almost too realistic, yet a must read.
The Definitive Account of Barrio Life.
best book ever
Poorly written
Always Running

Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.
Luis J. Rodriguez
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Republic of East LA : Stories
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ASIN: 0743276914

Book Description

By age twelve, Luis Rodriguez was a veteran of East L.A. gang warfare. Lured by a seemingly invincible gang culture, he witnessed countless shootings, beatings, and arrests, then watched with increasing fear as drugs, murder, suicide, and senseless acts of street crime claimed friends and family members.

Before long, Rodriguez saw a way out of the barrio through education and the power of words and successfully broke free from years of violence and desperation. Achieving success as an award-winning Chicano poet, he was sure the streets would haunt him no more -- until his son joined a gang. Rodriguez fought for his child by telling his own story in Always Running, a vivid memoir that explores the motivations of gang life and cautions against the death and destruction that inevitably claim its participants. At times heartbreakingly sad and brutal, Always Running is ultimately an uplifting true story, filled with hope, insight, and a hard-learned lesson for the next generation.

Customer Reviews:

Almost too realistic, yet a must read. .......2007-03-20

I heard this book was good, but didn't know how good it actually was until I read it. There isn't a dull page.

What's most alarming about the book is not necessarily the events that take place, as many movies about this lifestyle have been made since the book's first publishing, sort of numbing the harsh realities of gang life to even outsiders who grew up in secluded suburbs, but the age that Luis Rodriguez actually is when the events are taking place. Some of the day to day drama described in the book is so adult like that you can only picture the subjects of these tales being 18 to 25 years old, yet the reader is often reminded that the author was as young as 14 when some of them took place.

What may also separate the stories told in this book from the stories told in typical 1990s west coast gang folklore, from hip hop to film to books like 'Monster', is the sexual situations Mr. Rodriguez describes that he took part in and witnesses, again, in some cases as young as 14. Some are romantic, and almost remind the reader of a time when romance was first discovered in their lives, yet there are some that are so disturbing that the reader is quickly brought down to earth, reminded that love and romance in a violent, drug infested environment is far different from the kind most Americans have grown to know, that is dictated by Hollywood fairy tales.

Luis Rodriguez finding his outlet from the gang life through art and writing could give hope to any current gang member who happens upon this book. It's one thing for a suburban high school teacher to tell a 'homeboy' that he can express his views through art, it's another for an older 'homeboy' himself to tell him.

A must read for everyone, from suburbanites with little knowledge of the gang life who would like another version than that given by media outlets and law enforcement agencies, where the knowledge tends to be limited to crime reporting and identification of territories and monikers, to kids and adults wrapped up in the gang life, and just looking for any story that can inspire them or give them some kind of direction to a better life.

The Definitive Account of Barrio Life........2007-02-19

What more is needed to say about this memoir? This is singlehandedly one of the most powerful memoirs I have ever read and that goes without saying. I was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley, the same one that Rodriguez builds and describes and I can honestly say he is completely spot on. About? Everything. The racial, identity, and sexual struggle that Rodriguez weaves in this story is compelling and really grabbed me and immersed me into his life. This memoir says what there is to be said, and it says a lot.

best book ever.......2007-02-09

this os the best book i have ever read next to tommyland very different but bolth very good books

Poorly written.......2006-12-13

I suppose one of the editorial reviews summed it up nicely.

"...Mexican funerals, rapes and arrests, but his writing style renders much of that rich material forgettable."
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

I was very much interested in the topic, yet the rambling, writing style of Luis Rodriguez
made for a disappointing experience.

Always Running.......2006-12-07

We believe that every teen should be given the opportunity to read Always Running. Luis J. Rodriguez grew up in East L.A in the 60's and 70's. This book is his life story describing all the situations he went thru as a cholo; the sex, drugs, violence, and parties. His style of writing is hypnotizing due to the vivid descriptions that create an amazing picture in your mind. As a result, you won't want to put the book down. However, readers beware; Always Running contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find as inappropriate.

Average customer rating:

Best book I have read in a while
engrossing
Wonderful
This is a Masterpiece
Rain of Gold

Rain of Gold
Víctor E. Villaseñor
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Thirteen Senses : A Memoir
Wild Steps of Heaven
Burro Genius : A Memoir
Macho!
Lluvia de oro

ASIN: 038531177X
Release Date: 1992-09-01

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Best book I have read in a while.......2007-08-24

"Rain of Gold" was an absolutely brilliant novel! Once you start reading, you will stay up many nights to finish this book. The way Villasenor depicts every-day life, from the religious to the illegal aspects, is just amazing. Before I picked up this book, I did not know what I would be getting into. At first I thought that the idea of reading about a family that just immigrated from a war-torn Mexico into the United States would be dull. The book depicts what a movie or television could never depict; it expresses every thought and feeling of the main character, and the drama fails to disappoint. You will be filled with emotions along every chapter. READ THIS BOOK!

engrossing.......2007-07-11

For such a thick book, Rain of Gold moves amazingly fast. The characters are likeable, mostly, and the book presents the story of Mexico, Mexican families, and being a US immigrant from Mexico early in this century. I haven't had a chance to read many books that share this particular story, and this one was refreshing.

The author is proud of his family, and it shows. Rain of Gold fell short of making me cry or reconsider how I live, but it was thought-provoking. It's worth a read.

Wonderful.......2007-06-27

This book has been my favorite book for over ten years, since I read it in high school. The writing is so easy to read, yet rich and complex at the same time. Villasenor brings to life every member of his family so that the reader feels like a member as well. He also excels at making the extraordinary seem possible.

This is a Masterpiece.......2007-03-26

I read this book at least five years ago and at the time I thought it was one of the best books I ever read. I still do. I wrote a review of it then but somehow it has disappeared. Why did I love this book? First of all it is beautifully written, the language is lyrical, almost spellbinding. The images are stunning, almost hypnotic. And the characters are memorable. This book celebrates the extraordinary and irrepressible power of life at one's humblest level, gratitude in one's darkest hour, and forgiveness as the very heart of love.

Rain of Gold.......2007-03-13

What a wonderful book, I enjoyed it very much. Once I started reading Rain of Gold I couldn't put the book down. Highly recommed all books by this author.

Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail

Average customer rating:

We moved to Mexico ...
Brilliant
A must read
Poignant but Flawed
Crossing Over

Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail
Ruben Martinez
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Emigration & Immigration | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Coyotes: A Journey Through the Secret World of America's Illegal Aliens
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ASIN: 0312421230

Amazon.com

Not since Ted Conover's Coyotes has a book revealed the underground culture of illegal immigration from Mexico as well as Crossing Over by Rubén Martínez. This up-and-coming author writes of what he calls "a Mexican Manifest Destiny" that continually pierces the southern borderline of the United States--a "line [that] is still more an idea than a reality." Martínez begins with the awful story of the three Chávez brothers, all killed when a truck carrying them and some two dozen other illegal aliens tried to outrace border patrol agents and flipped. Martínez learns of their fate and travels to their peasant hometown in southern Mexico to distil the motives of migrants. Then he follows the rest of the family north as they fan into the United States. Crossing Over is written in the first person and is highly anecdotal, but Martínez constantly makes observations that break free from these narrow confines. "Mexicans have always had an uncanny instinct for finding the soft spots of the American labor economy," he notes at one point, explaining how it is that millions of poor people who barely speak English can thrive, in their way, north of the border. Crossing Over is an outstanding book, and required reading for anyone interested in Hispanics and the new America. --John Miller

Book Description

The U.S.-Mexican border is one of the most permeable boundaries in the world, breached daily by Mexicans in search of work. Thousands die crossing the line and those who reach the other side are branded illegals, undocumented and unprotected. Crossing Over puts a human face on the phenomenon, following the exodus of the Chvez clan, an extended Mexican family who lost three sons in a tragic border accident. Martnez follows the migrants progress from their small southern Mexican town of Chern to California, Wisconsin, and Missouri where far from joining the melting pot, Martnez argues, the seven million migrants in the U.S. are creating a new culture that will alter both Mexico and the United States as the two countries come increasingly to resemble each other.

Customer Reviews:

We moved to Mexico ..........2007-08-09

We got sick to death of Bush et all and left. Moved to Mexico and are having a house built here. Will never live back in the US again. So we were wondering why people of Mexico would want to risk death getting there - it's for the money. The earlier book "Coyote" is also very good.

Brilliant.......2006-12-20

As the U.S. Congress pushes forward with their plans to create a three layered fence across the entire length of the U.S.-Mexican Border, thousands of illegal migrants cross over each day through the porous border. Ruben Martinez's work, "Crossing Over", begins with a devastating account of the last moments of life for the Chavez brothers and other hopeful migrants. As he travels to the hometown of those migrants, Cheran, Michoacan, Martinez imagines his own family's immigration to the United States. With the skill of a master composer, Martinez weaves together a picture of life in Cheran after the tragic accident by living among the people and sharing their stories. He recounts time spent with the Chavez family and the local people of Cheran. Martinez uses this personal touch to bring the reader along on his journey that leaves him in St. Louis with the reuniting of a Cheran family.

Martinez picks up the second half of the book at the border, where he spends an evening with the Border Patrol. He continues this journey through Texas to Warren, Arkansas to visit another family from Cheran, who have "hurtled into the middle class." From here his trail leads to Norwalk, Wisconsin, the site of a slaughterhouse where migrant laborers often put in 70 hours a week, day in and day out without seeing the sun. Then back to St. Louis where the stark difference between life in Mexico versus life stateside becomes as clear as day. Finally, Martinez ends up in Watsonville, California, where the Chavez brothers were traveling when tragedy struck, and the location of the two remaining Chavez brothers. Here in Watsonville the seeds of a new Chavez family are planted.

"Crossing Over" shows us the real face of immigration: not criminals illegally crossing the border to steal American's jobs, but mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters crossing over to secure a better future for themselves and their families. As America's fear of immigration grows ever larger each year, this book reminds us that America was founded on immigration; and Mexico and America's future will depend on immigration and the migrant worker's story for many years to come.

I read this book for a Latin American History class and I found it to be extremely relevant, even five years after it was published. Martinez's writing style is clear and descriptive; he makes you feel as if you are with him on his journey. After reading this book it is easy to see why, and how, many migrants risk their lives crossing the border each year. It would make an excellent source for studying the social, political, and economic aspects of migration, a certain hot topic among today's ongoing events. I would recommend this book to anyone who has sympathized with recent immigrants, but especially so for those who have not. This book should be required reading for policy makers along border states as well as for the U.S. Congress. "Crossing Over" will open your eyes and with clarity show you both sides of the battleground that is the U.S.-Mexican Border.

A must read.......2006-07-28

For anyone curious about the Mexican immigrant mentality, this is definately a book to read. I live near where the 3 brothers were killed, and have been to this spot on several occasions. For those who wonder why so many people are coming to this country to work, this book will answer many of those questions. It brings an understanding and a respect for those who risk their lives for a chance at the American dream, a dream that many of us take for granted.

Poignant but Flawed.......2006-07-12

A deeply empathetic portrayal of individual Mexican and Central American migrants chasing a livelihood in El Norte. Martinez suceeeds in his primary and most basic goal of humanizing the faceless tide of illegal immigrants to a fairly high degree and commendably does not seek to idealize them: the implusively destructive behavior of one character in particular rings true. Where he is less successful is his analysis of the larger macroeconomic and cultural consequences of this immigration (whether in this case illegal or legal). Martinez injects some Chicano pride-based politics fairly uncritically, and caricatures the 'Minuteman' groups on the border, even seeming to dismiss the concerns of property owners who are forced to contend with a de facto invasion. Much of his uncritical political perspective likely stems from Martinez's Southern California roots, where there is far more tension between the Latin American community (or better, communities) and others, than say in Texas, which is a model of peaceful cultural integration, or at least the closest thing we have to it now.

Martinez does succeed in showing especially the Mexican experience and economic relationship to the United States from the impoverished southern Mexican states, to and across the border, and to a lesser extent the conditons and context of the typically menial labor and uneasy and lacking cultural integration once in the United States. I suspect that Martinez has attempted to mute his political agenda so to focus more exclusively on the immigrant experience itself, and rightly so. But still it bleeds out, increasingly shrilly in his book's concluding chapters. Given this tendency, his credibility is compromised, transforming a book that most Americans could benefit from reading into one that will probably only find a limited audience of those who already agree with him, or those who are forced in a course to read it. I would still recommend it, with a rather large grain of salt.

Crossing Over.......2006-07-09

Fabulous account of legal and illegal Mexican immigrants to the US. Clearly written. Easy to read. Extremely insightful and very timely given the current political debate. It gave me an understanding and sympathy for what Mexicans are looking for in the US and the hardships they are willing to endure to get it.
Eve/Boise

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez

Average customer rating:

A beautiful children's book with an illustrated personal story and a larger message
The story of a lesser known American Hero
Si Se Puede
Beautiful, educational, brought tears to my eyes!
Harvesting Hope is Hopeful

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez
Kathleen Krull
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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First Day in Grapes (Pura Belpre Honor Book. Illustrator (Awards))
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Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet In Spanish And English
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

ASIN: 0152014373

Book Description

Cesar Chavez is known as one of America's greatest civil rights leaders. When he led a 340-mile peaceful protest march through California, he ignited a cause and improved the lives of thousands of migrant farmworkers. But Cesar wasn't always a leader. As a boy, he was shy and teased at school. His family slaved in the fields for barely enough money to survive.

Cesar knew things had to change, and he thought that--maybe--he could help change them. So he took charge. He spoke up. And an entire country listened.

An author's note provides historical context for the story of Cesar Chavez's life.

Customer Reviews:

A beautiful children's book with an illustrated personal story and a larger message.......2006-09-09

Harvesting Hope tells the tale of Cesar Chavez, but more than that, it reveals the power of collective bargaining and fighting for what is just in the world. As a children's book, it has appeal as a well-illustrated biography, an important history lesson, a story of family and personal triumph, and a book with a message. Chavez's crusade took place several decades ago, but the plight of migrant farm workers remains, despite the tremendous inroads Chavez made with La Causa. The story of Chavez's childhood, hard days of labor, and fight for worker's rights is timeless, and Kathleen Krull's award-nominated book deserves a place on every child's bookshelf.

The story of a lesser known American Hero.......2006-02-22

This is a great picture book for all ages. The heroic story of Cesar Chavez is left out of most U.S. history classrooms, save those in California. This book would be an enlightening addition to any classroom or children's library.

Si Se Puede.......2005-06-08

Let's begin by saying that the drawings are super and captivating. Yuyi Morales creates characters that show emotion and the result is a drawing of emotion from the young reader. As the title implies this is the story of Cesar Chavez who many adults came to know about from his work with the farmworkers in California. This story humanizes the man by beginning in his childhood. The roots of the farmworker leader are explored as a young person traveling from crop to crop , from state to state. A drought in Arizona began the family oddyssey that would result in Caser Chavez becoming familiar first hand with the troubles of the farmworkers. Life on the road became a harsh reality. The treatment he encountered in school forced him to drop out in eighth grade but the treatment in the fields wasn't much better, at times it was much worse. This is simple story about a complex problem that one man was determined to overcome. He wanted justice for farmworkers and organized. He became to Mexicans what MLK was for civil rights, for Mexicans it was an extension of civil rights. This is a beautiful book for young readers or those not so young that are learning to read in English if they have a reading foundation in another language. Although it is recommended for children ages 6-9, middle school students, ages 9-12, especially those with limited English proficiency can benefit from this story well told. For the teacher or parent this book can help instill pride and understanding as to how determination, perseverance and hard work can overcome even the greatest odds.

Beautiful, educational, brought tears to my eyes!.......2004-11-25

I recommend this book for anyone 4 and up (adults included!) Beautiful illustrations and a wonderful telling of an important part of history.

Harvesting Hope is Hopeful.......2004-08-02

This story is a wonderful way to teach children about the people who have made a difference in our world. People like Cesar Chavez. The story beautifully illustrates how Cesar did not use violence to solve problems but rather he used his mind, as his mother had taught him. The illustartions are vivid and real. The story is well written and teaches an important part of California history in a wonderful way. It reaches the heart of all ages. This is a great book for any elementary school classroom library, even High School.

Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez

Average customer rating:

Among the Educated
Whine, whine, whine
not exactly a great autobiographical read
I was born in Mexico and faced similar issues. This is awful.
I hate this book.

Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez
Richard Rodriguez
Manufacturer: Dial Press Trade Paperback
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0553382519
Release Date: 2004-02-03

Book Description

Hunger of Memory is the story of Mexican-American Richard Rodriguez, who begins his schooling in Sacramento, California, knowing just 50 words of English, and concludes his university studies in the stately quiet of the reading room of the British Museum.

Here is the poignant journey of a “minority student” who pays the cost of his social assimilation and academic success with a painful alienation — from his past, his parents, his culture — and so describes the high price of “making it” in middle-class America.

Provocative in its positions on affirmative action and bilingual education, Hunger of Memory is a powerful political statement, a profound study of the importance of language ... and the moving, intimate portrait of a boy struggling to become a man.

From the Paperback edition.

Download Description

Hunger of Memory is the story of Mexican-American Richard Rodriguez, who begins his schooling in Sacramento, California, knowing just 50 words of English, and concludes his university studies in the stately quiet of the reading room of the British Museum.

Here is the poignant journey of a "minority student" who pays the cost of his social assimilation and academic success with a painful alienation -- from his past, his parents, his culture -- and so describes the high price of "making it" in middle-class America.

Provocative in its positions on affirmative action and bilingual education, Hunger of Memory is a powerful political statement, a profound study of the importance of language... and the moving, intimate portrait of a boy struggling to become a man.

"Arresting... Splendidly written intellectual autobiography."
   THE BOSTON GLOBE

"Superb autobiographical essay... Mr. Rodriguez offers himself as an example of the long labor of change: its costs, about which he is movingly frank, its loneliness, but also its triumph."
   THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Customer Reviews:

Among the Educated.......2007-07-18

Esteemed a classic, this work has the merit, upon first reading, of making the reader feel he has been initiated into the long lost tribe of truth tellers, something akin to the book readers of Fahrenheit 451. We meet somebody for whom education is a real thing, something that is life changing, enlightening, and it estranges him from his family, and of course from all people, because the sophistication he gains from his education makes him an enemy to the ignorant. Much is lost, but what is gained far outweighs that loss. He knows it, and we get the message. Bravo, Richard Rodriguez.

Whine, whine, whine.......2007-04-09

I read this book as a part of a college class on marginalized/minority writers. Out of a class of eight, I and another girl both thought this fellow was an unmitigated whiner and the book was terrible. The rest of the class thought it was compelling and thought provoking (or else they just wanted a good grade that week.) It seems to me that it is almost forbidden to express dislike of a minority writer in a classroom environment these days for fear of being branded a racist. I did not like this book. I was in the minority--read it and decide for yourself.

not exactly a great autobiographical read.......2007-02-28

*Hunger of Memory* was an ok read. There was nothing unforgettable in the book. So, that left me somewhat disappointed. Rodriguez provided his personal accounts on some topics, such as assimilation, language, bi-bi education, Catholicism, affirmative action, etc.

I enjoyed reading about his views and experiences with assimilating with American values and whatnots. For those of us who are minorities, I believe that we can relate to that. His personal accounts kind of became reminders of my childhood and helped me re-evaluate how I was assimilated.

The other thing I enjoyed reading was about his college education and "moving up" as a minority in regards to scholarships and job offers. As a minority, you never really know if you're being sought after due to your minority status or your expertise/specialty. Rodriguez was honest about his feelings and views on such things.

His portrayal of his mother reminded me so much of my mother. I had to laugh and groan in memory. It is interesting to see how he portrays a separation between him and his family due to his being an academician. It as if his family expect him to know everything because he's educated. Yet, when he gives answers, those answers are "over the top" for them. They just dismiss him and move on. At the same time, they still encourage him for further achievements...as long as he leaves out the family because it is a private matter.

What I didn't like about the book was that he droned on and on about language (Spanish & English). I'm guess I was bored with this as I had just finished reading *Breaking Through* and *Growing Up Latino*. Both of these books mentioned this. I realize it is a common experience by Hispanics in regards to Spanish and English. But in Rodriguez, he dwells on language forever.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked half of it and hated the other half. It was like he wrote about himself but at the same time, he didn't. This book was more of his views on things rather than getting to know him.

I was born in Mexico and faced similar issues. This is awful........2006-08-03

Richard Rodriguez whines and complains in his book. I have similar experiences. I was born in Mexico. I was reared in America and went to Catholic schools. I have a darker than average complexion. People often ask me what country I was born in just by looking at me, but that did not warp my wife like it seemed to for Rodriguez. I have a friend who went to Stanford, like Rodriguez, on scholarship, but he did not whine about it. I googled Rodriguez and found a published speech where he continues to show weak character. Here is a quote from one of his speeches: "... if you really want to scare the United States of America, all you would have to say to the United States of America is "I'm going to marry you. I'm going to start dating your son." " This is pretty sad and tasteless. Besides showing weak character, Rodriguez is a poor writer. I have never seen so many sentence fragments. At one point in his book he admits he never liked writing when he was in school. It shows. This book is an insult to the Latin-American community from a condescending publisher. We deserve better.

Going beyond his weakness as a writer and as a person, I would say Rodriguez realized his life was inauthentic (re: Heidegger). He was thrown into his life and rebelled at the life he was given (a degree from Stanford, many job offers in spite of incomplete and inferior creditials). He rejected the life for which he was prepared, but he sunk into an unending cycle of complaining instead of creating an authentic life for himself. He needed to find some way of creating a meaningful life for himself. There are many ways to create for yourself a meaningful life. "Achieve Lasting Happiness" by Robert Canright is good book based on the principals of self-cultivation. If Rodriguez had success in creating for himself an authentic life, this book might have had some merit. As it is, it is just sad.

I hate this book........2006-06-16

This is one of the worst books I have ever read. I understand that is fine writing, but the book is tasteless. I find Rodriguez arrogant and lonely. Is he trying to say that the turning point of his life was when the nun's came to his parents home. I hate this book it is one of my worst reads ever.

Sal Si Puedes (Escape If You Can): Cesar Chavez and the New American Revolution

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Do you really want to escape?
Sal Si Puedes means Escape If You Can

Sal Si Puedes (Escape If You Can): Cesar Chavez and the New American Revolution
Peter Matthiessen
Manufacturer: University of California Press
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Binding: Paperback

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The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement
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ASIN: 0520225848

Book Description

In the summer of 1968 Peter Matthiessen met Cesar Chavez for the first time. They were the same age: forty-one. Matthiessen lived in New York City while Chavez lived in Sal Si Puedes, the San Jose barrio where his career as a union organizer took off. This book is Matthiessen's panoramic yet finely detailed account of the three years he spent traveling and working with Chavez. In it, Matthiessen provides a candid look into the many sides of this enigmatic and charismatic leader who lived by the laws of nonviolence.
More than thirty years later, Sal Si Puedes is less reportage than living history. A whole era comes alive in its pages: the Chicano, Black Power, and antiwar movements; the browning of the labor movement; Chavez's series of hunger strikes; the nationwide boycott of California grapes. When Chavez died in 1993, thousands gathered at his funeral. It was a clear sign of how beloved he was, how important his life had been.
A new postscript by the author brings the reader up to date as to the events that have unfolded since the writing of Sal Si Puedes. Ilan Stavans's insightful foreword considers the significance of Chavez's legacy for our time. As well as serving as an indispensable guide to the 1960s, this book rejuvenates the extraordinary vitality of Chavez's life and spirit, giving his message a renewed and much-needed urgency.

Customer Reviews:

Do you really want to escape?.......2004-06-02

Sal Si Puedes, by Peter Matthiessen, is an excellent chronicle of the adult life of the farm workers' revolutionary, Cesar Chavez. This Biography written by Matthiessen is from the day he meets Chavez to the time he passed away in 1992. Chavez was a activist for the rights of all farm workers, and believed that union representation was not only a privilege, but a right of all workers. With the installment of the Bracero program, non American people brought into the united states were allowed to work in the fields, because Lobbyists in Washington were successfully able to determine that no American was willing to do the back breaking manual labor of picking and harvesting the fields in California. This book was simply put, is the best book that I have read in my young adult life.
One thing that I enjoyed in this biography is the use of language. I found the linguistics easy to understand. With the easy language and prose writing, this made the biography an easy read. Because I spent a short time of my later childhood in Delano, Where the book took place, I knew exactly where everything was, and with his descriptive, powerful words, I felt like I was back in Delano. Stepping out of my own skin and looking at the book from a non-Californian's perspective, the description and detail is awesome.
Another thing I liked about the book was the accuracy of the historical fact. Family members of mine lived in the time of the farm workers movement, and after having discussed the biography with them, they, too, agree that the accuracy and detail of events that took place are superior. The chronicling of not only the personal life, but also business life of Chavez was easily understood, and Matthiessen did an excellent job with this Biography.

Sal Si Puedes means Escape If You Can.......2001-06-21

Am forever indebted to my mentor Bea Brickey for getting me involved with the United Farm Worker union locally, and for instilling in me the importance of getting involved and living by Christ's motto that what you do to the least of them you do to Christ.

The book begins with a reminder form Cesar Chavez himself, who said in 1992 two years before his death that "The rich have money, the poor have time". The reader is reminded that patience was his tool of success.

The book is just shy of 400 pages and is a humbling as well as an energizing read. The title Sal Si Puedes is from the San Jose barrio where Chavez' farm workers union work was birthed. The book was begun with a three year stint the author had in the late 70's with Chavez with much appreciated postscript that brings the reader up to date with the events that incurred since the 60's and 70's.

Bea would spend hours passing on the wisdom that Chavez and the other UFW activists had taught her. How she and her husband were often taunted by San Joaquin farmers and called commies and pinkos and how Chavez and the other UFW workers who simply wanted decent working conditions and a living wage were taunted like this as well. How migrant workers were/are exposed to high pesticide levels and that in one breath the farmers denounce the "slave" labour workers for wanting decent housing and wages, while bemoaning the fact that they can't find American who will do the damn stoop labour for slave wages.

This is a book I am passing on to a lot of people, since I believe it is so important that we as citizens, stand up for what is right and that sometimes people have to have their comfort levels challenged.

The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement
Average customer rating:

read and learn

Cesar Chavez Merits a National Holiday !

a must read book

A great historical review of the "other" civil rights movement

Fight in the Fields

The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement
Susan Ferriss , Ricardo Sandoval , and Diana Hembree
Manufacturer: Harvest/HBJ Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Words of Cesar Chavez

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Sal Si Puedes (Escape If You Can): Cesar Chavez and the New American Revolution Sal Si Puedes (Escape If You Can): Cesar Chavez and the New American Revolution

Voices from the Fields : Children of Migrant Farmworkers Tell Their Stories

With These Hands: The Hidden World of Migrant Farmworkers Today

ASIN: 0156005980

Customer Reviews:

read and learn.......2007-01-04

"the fight in the fields" is an excellent biographical account of cesar chavez and the farmworkers movement. it's a must read for anyone interested in making a difference.

Cesar Chavez Merits a National Holiday !.......2006-11-24

"The Fight in the Fields" compelled me to recognize that Cesar Chavez is arguably the greatest humanitarian in US history. He tirelessly and peacefully campaigned on behalf of underpaid and overworked farmworkers and migrants who were forced to toil amidst toxic insecticides and pesticides. Chavez was profoundly influenced by Gandhi, Martin Luther King and St. Francis of Assisi. He was an environmentalist, a vegetarian and animal welfare advocate who denounced dogfighting, bullfighting, cockfighting, slaughterhouses and rodeos because they are all rooted in inhumane violence. Cesar Chavez had reverence for all life and was a paragon of compassion. He was known as America's Catholic Ghandi of the Fields. The United States should have a national Holiday for Cesar Chavez's birthday, specifically, March 31.

a must read book.......2006-11-04

This is a well written book and is fun to read.

A great historical review of the "other" civil rights movement.......2006-07-06

The authors did a great job of detailing the early childhood that shaped the future leader of the farm workers movement. They also do a great job of highlighting the trails, ups and downs of Cesar Chavez and the farm workers movement. One gets a good idea of just how bad conditions were before the movement and how much improvement has been made since the inception of the movement. It also touches the heart with the human aspect of the lives that were shackled in the old system and changed for the good with the reforms that were won. Cesar Chavez is a true humanitarian that should be mentioned with the likes of Martin Luther King and Gandhi. This is truly a must read.

Fight in the Fields.......2005-07-21

This is a book based upon the successful PBS/Sundance Film of the same name. While it has several wonderful attributes (some excellent and rare pictures), it does not stand up to the earlier work of London and Anderson in So Shall Ye Reap. In reality, this is more of a biography of Cesar Chavez than a careful review of agricultural labor history. In the end, I would buy it again/

The Reaper's Line: Life and Death on the Mexican Border

Average customer rating:

Lee Morgan's Line
A Great Read
told the way it happened
Scary Reading
Awesome Book!

The Reaper's Line: Life and Death on the Mexican Border
Lee Morgan
Manufacturer: Rio Nuevo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 188789697X

Book Description

A true story of violence, drugs, human smuggling and dirty politicians along the Mexican/American border.

When he was 14, Lee Morgan learned to shoot a rifle from a young Marine who later became the "Texas Tower Sniper." Four years later, Lee was conducting CIA assassination missions in Vietnam. Then he spent the next 31 years on the U.S.-Mexico border as a federal agent, where the struggle against smugglers of drugs and starving human beings is as harrowing as anything Lee encountered in Vietnam.

The Reaper's Line is a non-fiction account of unparalleled official corruption, mass murders, gunfights, treason, betrayal, and government wrongdoing.

Customer Reviews:

Lee Morgan's Line.......2007-09-06

Reading this book is like having Lee Morgan II in your face. It's like listening to a monologue from some guy in a blue-collar bar. After two or three beers, he's throwing bottles and banging his fist on the table, and you're nodding and smiling and eyeing the door. Only you don't leave because you've just got to hear where the story's going.

This collection of war stories and rants from Morgan's years as a federal agent on the Mexican border is served up in the finest southern good ol' boy style. Redman is the chew to calm your nerves before the stuff hits the fan, and the stuff is said to hit the fan too many times to count. But if the raunchy style doesn't put you off, the book offers a unique inside look at our undeclared border war with Mexico and the people who are fighting it.

There is bitterness in this book, and it's no big surprise when Morgan reveals that he was forced into retirement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was "put out to pasture" for outspokenly opposing cooperation with the Border Patrol, which he claims is "one of the most corrupt law enforcement agencies in existence."

But it's not just his former bosses who are the targets of Morgan's wrath. He rails at the REMFs (Rear-Echelon so-and-so's) who deprive field agents of the weapons and equipment they need and impose asinine rules that hamstring field operations. He sneers at the cynicism of national politicians who certify the Mexican government as a partner in the war on drugs and require the border services to provide Mexican officials with the names of confidential informants in Mexico. But he reserves his heaviest artillery for the Mexican government, dope smugglers, human traffickers, corrupt agents, and redneck border vigilantes.

Morgan names names, accusing scores of people, including mayors, judges, governors, and presidents, of everything from ineptness to outright corruption. About the only people that escape his flames are migrant workers, with whom he sympathizes, and his fellow field agents - the honest ones, that is.

The war stories are mostly rip-roaring action tales. There are enough gun, knife, and fist fights, wild car chases and crashes to make a Steven Seagal movie. There are tortured bodies cropping up in shallow graves, psycho killers, smuggled AK-47's, booby-trapped tunnels, and buried explosives. Reader discretion advised: content might not be suitable for intellectuals and wimps.

Some of the stories dealing with migrant workers are sad. A few stories are eccentrically funny, like the time Morgan drew down on Jimmy Stewart with a shotgun, and then apologized in a self-mocking parody of a southern drawl. You get the feeling the stories are embellished to make good tales, but that's all right. That's how it is with war stories.

There are no maps in this book. Also, there are no footnotes, no list of sources, bibliograpy, index, photos, or acknowledgements. If you're looking for the kind of balanced, well-researched and documented reportage Bob Woodward or Mark Bowden would do, you won't find it here. What you got here is Lee Morgan, in your face, the man telling you how he sees it, banging on the table. You smile and nod and stay in your seat because you want to see where he's going with it.

A Great Read.......2007-06-08

What an incredible real life adventure story. I couldn't put it down.

told the way it happened.......2007-01-25

As a 19 year veteran of the Border Patrol, with my first 10 years in Douglas, AZ I can say for a fact that the book is completely true. I was there! For the Record I do know Mr. Morgan very well. These events actually happened, occasionaly I was involved also. Other reviewers may doubt the authencity I don't. As for putting the USBP in a bad light, maybe maybe not. We get what we deserve. I find no fault with Lee on this. He did not portray all BP agents as inept nor did he portray all Customs agents saintly. The truth is the truth.
Great Book

Scary Reading.......2007-01-14

I am retired from the California Department of Corrections and could write my own book about the flow of illegal aliens. I can attest that there are prison gangs that require that the potential member is illegal. As a nurse, I can also attest to where California Tax dollars are spent on illegals. I enjoyed the humourous and factual content. This book should be required reading for all law enforcement that will be dealing with the illegal alien problems.

Awesome Book!.......2007-01-11

Very real to life from a man who spent many years trying to make our country safe. He has very good and true notions about drugs and immigration. As a law enforcement officer, everything he says about the administration is true of every government agency. Seems the ones in the carpeted office who have never been there (or havent in so long they forgot how it was) can make all the decisions about what is best for you and how best to do your job. I admire the author for his many years of dedication and service, and the care and concern he shows for his "kids". Too bad that instead of being pushed out, he wasn't pushed up, could have made a world of difference for our future, our country, and our agents. I am sure that the REMF's see it as "sour grapes", but believe me, the attitude and beliefs are TRUE! Thank you Lee Morgan!

Average customer rating:

Kansas
Correction
First Impressions
Sex, Drugs, and Politics
An awareness that should be taught to todays young Chicanos

The Revolt of the Cockroach People
Oscar Zeta Acosta
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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...y no se lo tragó la tierra / ...And the Earth Did Not Devour Him

ASIN: 0679722122
Release Date: 1989-08-28

Book Description

The further adventures of "Dr. Gonzo" as he defends the "cucarachas" -- the Chicanos of East Los Angeles.

Before his mysterious disappearance and probable death in 1971, Oscar Zeta Acosta was famous as a Robin Hood Chicano lawyer and notorious as the real-life model for Hunter S. Thompson's "Dr. Gonzo" a fat, pugnacious attorney with a gargantuan appetite for food, drugs, and life on the edge.

In this exhilarating sequel to The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo, Acosta takes us behind the front lines of the militant Chicano movement of the late sixties and early seventies, a movement he served both in the courtroom and on the barricades. Here are the brazen games of "chicken" Acosta played against the Anglo legal establishment; battles fought with bombs as well as writs; and a reluctant hero who faces danger not only from the police but from the vatos locos he champions. What emerges is at once an important political document of a genuine popular uprising and a revealing, hilarious, and moving personal saga.

Customer Reviews:

Kansas.......2003-03-01

Re-Saturday Review of Literature
Oscar Acosta disappeared in Mexico in 1974, not 1971 (the year of his trip to Las Vegas with Dr. Thompson).

Correction.......2003-03-01

Re-Saturday Review of Literature
Oscar Acosta disappeared in Mexico in 1974, not 1971 (the year of his trip to Las Vegas with Dr. Thompson).

First Impressions.......2001-12-05

This is the most realistic book I have ever seen about Mexican American hippies in Aztlan, the Chicanos of the 1960's neo-freedom movements. It will surely become a collector's item worth saving in this era of gung-ho Americanism which does not know the kind of objectivity Acosta displays with regard to how we think and why we believe as we do. Hunter S. Thompson described the author better than I can in his introduction to the book, highlighting his uniqueness while lamenting his untimely passing. I will write more after I give the book a more thorough second reading.

Sex, Drugs, and Politics.......1999-06-17

I read this book after finding out that Oscar Zeta Acosta was the fat Samoan lawyer from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Acosta's style is similar, with a lot of drugs and sex with minors. The differences are that Acosta isn't tripping the whole time and he has time to incite political rallies. I love when they protest the Catholic church, or when he pleasures himself with some nubile young high schoolers under a blanket during a sit-in.... For those interested in the turbulent times that was the 60s, this is a must-read.

An awareness that should be taught to todays young Chicanos.......1999-04-12

After reading this book, and actually living through those turbulent times of the 60's and 70' s , it was refreshing to read and feel the burning frustration and love that this man was experiencing and the way he expressed his anger against the machine. This type of awareness has been lost , due to us the forefathers of the Chicano Movement, to teach our own and other's children of how important those actions were, so that we may emphasize education, political power and family values. We have implemented a course in Chicano Studies in schools, we now have political representation in our governments, and many more success stories that are due to the work of such people as Cesar Chavez, Ruben Salazar and Corky Gonzales. Oscar Zeta was a man amongst his own that was afraid of nothing and no one.My thanks to him for fighting the powers that be and for creating an example for all of us, regardless of race. You have to stand up for what you believe and Acosta is atrue testament to that.

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