Actual Barrio Boy Review
Galarza, Ernesto (2011). Barrio Boy. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
My last post will be an actual review of the book Barrio Boy as a whole, as the previous three entries were dedicated to specific sections of the book and how Galarza's experiences relate to us as educators. I enjoyed reading the book, but I would only give it three out of five stars. While Galarza's recollections of his childhood in Jalco were interesting and remarkable in their depth and detail, this section spanned 70 pages of the book. I wanted more of a balance with his later childhood, which received short shrift. The book ends abruptly after he organizes his first labor union at an incredibly young age. It ends before he begins high school, as he is considering the debate team and Mr. Everett's words. As I know that he goes on to become an activist and labor organizer, I imagine he did well on his high school debate team, but I would have been very interested to hear more about his later childhood and early adult years. His life is a fascinating one, and his experiences are unique, interesting, and ripe for discussion. However, Barrio Boy does not deliver the kind of information that I would find most interesting - his work with labor unions and organization.
In order to learn about Galarza's life and work, I looked for a few other resources. Occidental College (where he began his post-secondary education) has a good timeline of his life. This site is where I retrieved many of the images I have used in my blogs, including this map showing where Galarza lived:
Galarza's New York Times obituary provides information about his life's work; it is where I learned that he served the National Farm Labor Union and the National Agricultural Workers Union. Knowing this lends more dimension to his youth working on fields outside of Sacramento and seeing his uncles work as laborers from a very early age. These experiences shaped his later life, as he fought for workers' rights. Barrio Boy is an excellent book for learning about diverse experiences and backgrounds, and I am glad that I read it. I would like to read from Galarza's other works, such as Man of Fire, as it should give a better picture of his later life and work.
My last post will be an actual review of the book Barrio Boy as a whole, as the previous three entries were dedicated to specific sections of the book and how Galarza's experiences relate to us as educators. I enjoyed reading the book, but I would only give it three out of five stars. While Galarza's recollections of his childhood in Jalco were interesting and remarkable in their depth and detail, this section spanned 70 pages of the book. I wanted more of a balance with his later childhood, which received short shrift. The book ends abruptly after he organizes his first labor union at an incredibly young age. It ends before he begins high school, as he is considering the debate team and Mr. Everett's words. As I know that he goes on to become an activist and labor organizer, I imagine he did well on his high school debate team, but I would have been very interested to hear more about his later childhood and early adult years. His life is a fascinating one, and his experiences are unique, interesting, and ripe for discussion. However, Barrio Boy does not deliver the kind of information that I would find most interesting - his work with labor unions and organization.
In order to learn about Galarza's life and work, I looked for a few other resources. Occidental College (where he began his post-secondary education) has a good timeline of his life. This site is where I retrieved many of the images I have used in my blogs, including this map showing where Galarza lived:
Galarza's New York Times obituary provides information about his life's work; it is where I learned that he served the National Farm Labor Union and the National Agricultural Workers Union. Knowing this lends more dimension to his youth working on fields outside of Sacramento and seeing his uncles work as laborers from a very early age. These experiences shaped his later life, as he fought for workers' rights. Barrio Boy is an excellent book for learning about diverse experiences and backgrounds, and I am glad that I read it. I would like to read from Galarza's other works, such as Man of Fire, as it should give a better picture of his later life and work.
Hi Stacey-
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to hear that you were not privy to Mr. Galarza's later secondary education years in this memoir. If I had read the memoir, I'm sure I would have felt your frustration. With that said, it sounds as though his informal education and work as a child in Mexico had such a profound impact on him that it inspired his later work. The fact that his teachers in school recognized and developed what he learned from his earlier experiences led him to have the opportunity to succeed in his high school career on the debate team and elsewhere. It sounds like he went on to live an extraordinary life fighting for those less fortunate and who deserved to have their voices heard. I'm glad that he was able to successfully fight for these important causes.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI realized I had the same problem in my memoir Hunger of Memory. It seems both people focus heavy on one part of their life and do not provide other information where we would like. I think if I read this book I would want to find more information on the labor union also. But, it sounds as though the book was good for learning about diverse educations and backgrounds so that we can be better prepared as educators.
Hi Stacey,
ReplyDeleteI understand your frustration. I am going to play devil's advocate and say that your author, like mine, focuses more on his youth because those the traumatizing years. As well, I think that is the reason they were chosen. I think they are meant to help us understand what students experience in the early years and how the child in secondary school has been molded.