Gary Soto
Author of Too Many Tamales
About the Author
Gary Soto was born April 12, 1952, and raised in Fresno California. He graduated from Roosevelt High School and attended Fresno City College, graduating in 1974 with an English degree. His poems have appeared in many literary magazines, including The Nation, Plouqhshares, The Iowa Review, Ontario show more Review and Poetry, which has honored him with the Bess Hokin Prize and the Levinson Award and by featuring him in Poets in Person. He is one of the youngest poets to appear in The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry. Soto has received the Discovery-The Nation Prize, the U.S. Award of the International Poetry Forum, The California Library Association's John and Patricia Beatty Award twice, a Recogniton of Merit from the Claremont Graduate School for Baseball in April, the Silver Medal from The Commonwealth Club of California, and the Tomás Rivera Prize, in addition to fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts twice, and the California Arts Council. For ITVS, he produced the film The Pool Party, which received the 1993 Andrew Carnegie Medal. Soto wrote the libretto for an opera titled Nerd-landia for the The Los Angeles Opera. In 1999 he received the Literature Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, the Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association, and the PEN Center West Book Award for Petty Crimes. He serves as Young People's Ambassador for the California Rural Legal Assistance and the United Farm Workers of America. Soto is the author of ten poetry collections for adults, with New and Selected Poems a 1995 finalist for both the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the National Book Award. His recollections Living Up the Street received a Before Columbus Foundation 1985 American Book Award. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Gary Soto
The Effects of Knut Hamsun on a Fresno Boy: Recollections and Short Essays (2000) 35 copies, 1 review
You Kiss by th' Book: New Poems from Shakespeare's Line (Gary Soto Poems, Poems for Shakespeare Fans) (2016) 8 copies
What the World Hears : California Poets in the Schools 2009 Statewide Anthology - 45th Anniversary Edition (2009) 4 copies
The Marble Champ 2 copies
The Effects of Knut Hamsun 1 copy
Chatos Kitchen 1 copy
Marisol; American Girl Today 1 copy
To Many Tamales 1 copy
The Afterlife 1 copy
Too Many Tomales 1 copy
Seventh Grade 1 copy
Isolation Ward 1 copy
Como arbustos de niebla 1 copy
Big Bushy Mustache, Unit 1 1 copy
La Bamba 1 copy
Too Many Tamales 1 copy
Associated Works
Teaching with Fire: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Teach (2003) — Contributor — 226 copies, 1 review
Growing Up Ethnic in America: Contemporary Fiction About Learning to Be American (1999) — Contributor — 120 copies
The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement (1997) — Foreword, some editions — 110 copies, 1 review
Coming of Age in America: A Multicultural Anthology (1994) — Foreword; Contributor — 107 copies, 1 review
Ink Knows No Borders: Poems of the Immigrant and Refugee Experience (2019) — Contributor — 90 copies, 1 review
The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Concise Edition (2003) — Contributor — 74 copies, 1 review
Currents from the Dancing River: Contemporary Latino Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry (1994) — Contributor — 55 copies
Las Christmas: Favorite Latino Authors Share Their Holiday Memories (1998) — Contributor — 39 copies, 1 review
You're On!: Seven Plays in English and Spanish (Spanish and English Edition) (1999) — Contributor — 17 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Soto, Gary Anthony
- Birthdate
- 1952-04-12
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Fresno City College
University of California, Irvine (MFA)
California State University, Fresno (BA, English) - Occupations
- poet
Distinguished Professor, University of California
editor
author
novelist - Organizations
- University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Riverside
United Farm Workers of America - Short biography
- [from California State University, Fresno website]
Gary Soto is a native of Fresno. He began writing when he was 20 and discovered an array of contemporary American Poets. He majored in English and graduated from Fresno State in 1974.
Gary is the author of ten poetry collections for adults, most notably New and Selected Poems, a 1995 finalist for both The Los Angeles Times Award and the National Book Award. His poems have appeared in Ploughshares, The Iowa Review, Ontario Review and most frequently, Poetry.
In 1999, Gary was honored with Human and Civil Right Award from the American Education Association, the Literature Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, and the PEN Center West Book Award from his young-adult short story collection Petty Crimes. - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Fresno, California, USA
- Places of residence
- Fresno, California, USA
Berkeley, California, USA - Map Location
- California, USA
Members
Reviews
The Elements of San Joaquin by Gary Soto is a beautiful, haunting collection of poems. Divided into three sections, these poems focus on different aspects. Part one is full of gritty poems illuminating the stark reality of the poor and disenfranchised. One of the most haunting among this section is 'The Morning They Shot Tony Lopez, Barber and Pusher Went Too Far’. For me, this is because, though circumstances may have differed, it brought memories of my cousin's murder. Part Two focuses show more on scenes of nature and agriculture. Yet, even here, there are echoes and shouts speaking to the futility of life. One of the most evocative is near the beginning of the section, and this is 'Weeds’, emphasising both that futility, as of the farmer trying tirelessly to be rid of weeds, and of life’s tenacity, for weeds are notoriously difficult to extinguish. The last part returns to human experience, looking back to a childhood fading. Highly recommended for all who enjoy well-wrought poetry.
***Many thanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. show less
***Many thanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. show less
The children's book Too Many Tamales, written by Gary Soto, displays the theme of responsibility and guilt through the main character Maria, as she struggles with the emotion of guilt after losing her mother's wedding ring while making tamales with her mother. However, as Maria faces her accident, she grows from an anxious child to someone who learns the importance of taking responsibility. Soto's use of symbolism can be displayed through the family tradition of making tamales and how losing show more the ring reflects how she fears disappointing her family. This story highlights that mistakes are a part of every child's life and that honesty is key to healthy relationships. Overall, I was able to connect to this book because it gave me a sense of nostalgia, thinking back to the winter months of making tamales with my own grandmother and sharing those traditions with my family. I feel that this book can offer children a look into a different culture and share the common feeling of being scared to face the consequences of our mistakes. show less
I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer's program.
This re-release of this book of poetry, first published in 1977, is an absolute treasure. I'm a poet born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley, not far from where Soto was raised. While I don't share his experience in a Hispanic upbringing, I related strongly to most every poem because he was talking about my home. My land, my neighbors, the smell of the place, the fog, the joy and the toil of the soil. The Sun-Maid show more Factory that he lived next to was is where I went for a 3rd grade field trip!
Even if I didn't share a home region with the author, I would admire the way he wields language. I can't even count how many times I read a line in this book and thought, 'Wow.' A few of my favorite snippets:
from Piedra:
"The dark water wrinkling
Like the mouth of an old auntie whispering Lord"
from Remedies:
"It won't be long before the pain
Napping inside you
Yawns and blinks awake
And Grandma hums prays hums"
I will be holding on to this book for insight and inspiration, and I now want to read more of Soto's poetry. Quite frankly, I'm in awe of him. He wrote most of these poems when he was quite young, too. I would very much like to see how his voice matured. show less
This re-release of this book of poetry, first published in 1977, is an absolute treasure. I'm a poet born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley, not far from where Soto was raised. While I don't share his experience in a Hispanic upbringing, I related strongly to most every poem because he was talking about my home. My land, my neighbors, the smell of the place, the fog, the joy and the toil of the soil. The Sun-Maid show more Factory that he lived next to was is where I went for a 3rd grade field trip!
Even if I didn't share a home region with the author, I would admire the way he wields language. I can't even count how many times I read a line in this book and thought, 'Wow.' A few of my favorite snippets:
from Piedra:
"The dark water wrinkling
Like the mouth of an old auntie whispering Lord"
from Remedies:
"It won't be long before the pain
Napping inside you
Yawns and blinks awake
And Grandma hums prays hums"
I will be holding on to this book for insight and inspiration, and I now want to read more of Soto's poetry. Quite frankly, I'm in awe of him. He wrote most of these poems when he was quite young, too. I would very much like to see how his voice matured. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Delighted at the opportunity to help her mother make tamales for their Christmas celebration, Maria - dressed up in her mother's apron, and wearing (by special permission!) some lipstick and perfume - is tempted to try on her mother's diamond ring. Caught up in the joy of the holiday, and the pleasure of participating in "adult" things, Maria forgets all about the ring, until she realizes it is missing! Now she and her cousins must eat ALL of the tamales, in the hopes of finding it...
A show more charming holiday tale, full of family warmth and Christmas cheer, Too Many Tamales paints a portrait of a tradition which may be new to many young readers. There is no mention of church, Santa Claus, or gift-giving, but although tamale-making may be an unfamiliar custom to some, the gathering of an obviously loving family is sure to strike a chord. I enjoyed this Christmas story, with its culturally specific Latino themes, and universally relevant story - haven't we all taken something we weren't supposed to, as children? - and was delighted with the beautiful artwork. Ed Martinez really does a wonderful job capturing the humor of the story, with his wonderfully expressive faces. I'm so glad the Picture-Book Club to which I belong, chose this as one of our May selections, in honor of "Latino Books Month!" Highly recommended! show less
A show more charming holiday tale, full of family warmth and Christmas cheer, Too Many Tamales paints a portrait of a tradition which may be new to many young readers. There is no mention of church, Santa Claus, or gift-giving, but although tamale-making may be an unfamiliar custom to some, the gathering of an obviously loving family is sure to strike a chord. I enjoyed this Christmas story, with its culturally specific Latino themes, and universally relevant story - haven't we all taken something we weren't supposed to, as children? - and was delighted with the beautiful artwork. Ed Martinez really does a wonderful job capturing the humor of the story, with his wonderfully expressive faces. I'm so glad the Picture-Book Club to which I belong, chose this as one of our May selections, in honor of "Latino Books Month!" Highly recommended! show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 104
- Also by
- 34
- Members
- 14,566
- Popularity
- #1,577
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 483
- ISBNs
- 591
- Languages
- 3
- Favorited
- 3
