The Circuit (edition 1997)

These short stories illustrating events in the life of the child of migrant farm laborers in California is quite moving. I grew up on a farm in California's San Joaquin Valley, and share many of the author's experiences. During my youth my parents transitioned from farm laborers, to farm managers, and finally to farm owners. Many of my classmates, playmates, and closest friends were migrant farm laborers, both documented and undocumented. The stories were quite familiar to me and consistent with my personal experience. ( )

Summary: This story is an auto biography of Francisco Jimenez and how his family immigrated from Mexico to California in search of work and wealth. When his father realized they could not survive living in Mexico he says that there are many job options in California that will help them thrive. When they get there though they realize how difficult it really will be and how hard it is for them to get work. Its a constant struggle of the kids working, starting to attend school, but also avoiding the border patrol agents.
Genre Critique: This story is an auto biography because its a story written by the main character in the story.
Character critique: Francisco has to go through much change in the story proving him to be a very dynamic character. He has to learn to help provide for the family, work, go to an english speaking school, and try to avoid being take away from his family.

Summary: This book is about a young Mexican American boy named Panchito who immigrates to California from Mexico illegally with his family, in search of work and a better life. The story follows Panchito and his family as they go through a circuit of moving from place to place to picking cotton and strawberries, to topping carrots, and back again over a number of years. The family struggles with extreme poverty, language barriers, and even an illness that almost takes the life of one of Panchito's brothers. Panchito works hard in school to receive the best education possible, even though his schooling gets disrupted by continuous moving. In the end, Panchito and brother are found and deported back to Mexico. This is definitely a story of triumph over hardships.

Genre Critique: This is a great example of an autobiography. The author writes segmented stories about his own life experiences as a child growing up in a migrant family. The author's writing style is excellent, keeping the reader intrigued and interested in continuing to discover more about his life journey. The author paints an authentic and vivid picture of important events he experienced as a child, leaving the reader to gain a clear sense of what it would have been like to grow up the way he did.

Media: none ( )

This book follows migrant families through their circuit, from picking cotton and strawberries to topping carrots and back again over a number of years. The little family of four grows into ten, and poverty defines their lives. The family endures because of faith hope and back-breaking work. This is the story of the American dream and is an excellent read to show diversity in America. This book is a novel and would be appropriate for 5th grade students. I enjoyed it quite a bit, because I was not very familiar with Hispanic Culture, and this book was very enlightening to see how other's view our country as a place of opportunity and do not take it for granted. ( )

Review: This book is about a boy who immigrates from Mexico to California with his family illegally. The main character, Panchito, lives with his dad and mom and many brothers and one sister. His family lives in different migrant camps and moves frequently as they look for work at the different harvesting seasons. Panchito struggles to learn English at school and often feels as though he has very few friends. Panchito loves his family despite the hardships that he lives with. As Panchito gets older he starts to like school and want to get an education. He knows that by being educated in English will help him later in life. At the end of the book Panchito and his brother are discovered and deported back to Mexico.

Genre: Autobiography
Genre Critique: This book is a good example of an autobiography because Francisco writes this book and tells stories that have taken place in his life. In this book a clear picture is painted about Francisco's life and you get a sense of what it would have been like to be Francisco. The stories in this book are true and the wording used in this book helps you get a better sense of the life lived by Francisco. ( )