The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child

This slim volume packs an extraordinary emotional punch. The stories Jimenez relates are autobiographical, depicting the life he and his family led as migrant workers in 1940s California. Told from the perspective of the second son in a strong, loving family, the stories carry the reader through about eight years of working “the circuit.”

What I particularly like about the book is that while Jimenez doesn’t sugarcoat the difficulties of this life, he doesn’t dwell on the negatives, either. Yes, we suffer with the family when they cannot afford medical care for a seriously ill child, the father is injured on the job, or people take advantage of their circumstances. But what is more memorable to me is the enjoyment in reading show more about the pleasure of exploring a new setting, of inventing games to play, of laughing with your friends or family, of learning new skills, of achieving goals. I think it is an accurate depiction of how children see the world and their place in it. Jimenez was wise to choose this voice for his stories. I could not help but think of my father, or of cousins who “picked cherries every summer.” I cried, I laughed; I loved this family.

The ending is a kick to the stomach and I sat stunned for a few moments … looking at the last two blank pages and the back cover in disbelief that the book had ended. I know there is a sequel and I will definitely read it. show less

The Circuit is a fierce and brutally honest historical fiction chapter book, by Francisco Jimenez, that intertwines the adventures of a migrant family coming from Mexico. After illegally crossing the America/Mexico border, the family escapes poverty and a poor life in Mexico in hopes to find to find a better life in California. Told in the perspective of a young boy, the story portrays the brutal realities included in the immigration camps and farms. Mostly revolving around the young boys experiences in school and learning English, the mood of the story is slightly depressing and melancholy. Once the boy and his family finally begin to adapt to their life working on a farm and going to American schools, they are suddenly deported. While show more the boy is reviewing his notes for an assignment in class, a man from the border patrol shows up and calls him by name. He and his brother are both picked up from school and taken back to Mexico with their family.
The theme of this book could be the concept of immigration or moving from home to home. The title of the book is appropriate because the family is constantly moving homes, sort of like a circuit. The best part of this book is the ending. While my heart absolutely dropped when I read, “This is him,” I felt the total rush of reality, as if I were in the narrators place, being deported in front of all my classmates and teacher at school. As depressing as this book is, it is extremely realistic and explores the immigrants’ lives in our nations history through the eyes of a helpless child. show less

Overall, I think “The Circuit” is a great book. I liked how the book was told from Francisco’s point of view. It was very interesting to see the life of a migrant child, through the child’s eyes. The point of view makes the story more engaging. Francisco does a great job of expressing his emotions throughout the book. There are parts in the book when you can really feel what Francisco is going through. When Francisco was explaining how he felt when his sister stole his pennies, it almost made me cry with him. “When my sister nodded again, my heart dropped to my stomach. I felt my face on fire. Everything blurred. I stormed out of the house, slammed the door behind me, sat on the front steps, and cried.” I could feel how show more upset he was, the only thing that belonged to him was now gone. I also really enjoyed the plot of the story. I was constantly on edge wondering what would happen next. I worried about the family finding shelter, food, or if they would get deported. The book really pushes the reader to think about what some immigrants go through to survive in this country. This book really opened my eyes to just how bad some people have it. I couldn't imagine living life the way they do, yet they manage to push through. The big idea of this story is that with hope and family you can survive anything. show less

A memoir of life as an undocumented child of Mexican migrants picking crops in California in the middle of the 20th century. Very well written, captures the childhood experience of normalcy and excitement and the exhaustion that comes with maturation, crushing poverty, love, and lack of options. I found myself drawn to the implicit indictment of lack of birth control (4 more siblings in just a handful of years, starting from a place of soul-crushing poverty!), an educational system that left the author to coast without any language support and then demanded he repeat the experience the next year, and how chances to get ahead flee with each new slap of poverty and bad luck.

Powerful in its transference of the beloved middle school show more struggle story to the recent present and to a person's lived experience -- this short book seems to be well known in the 10-14 age group, and for cause. show less

I enjoyed this book for a few reasons, such as the writing style and how the book pushes readers to think about broader issues. I enjoyed how the writing style is written in a way that matches the attitude and perceptions of a young boy, like how Panchito is overly excited to get to California and is constantly asking "Is this it?" over and over while the family is on the train. In addition, I like how the story is written over a long period of time and is a book of different events that transpire over a series of years. For example, the book starts when Panchito is young and there are only two kids in the family, up until he is in the eighth grade when there were seven children and involves little bits of information over the years. show more The book follows the family as they complete their rounds around the camps and gives readers a unique perspective about what life was like in each place as Panchito describes the different places they live like Tent City and the various cabins. The family would move from place to place depending on the crop season; "As usual, after the strawberry season was over in Santa Maria, Papa decided to move to the San Joaquin Valley in Central California to pick grapes" (Jimenez 96). I also like how this book pushes readers to think about the broader issues and what some children have to go through in life. Panchito had a difficult life as his family were always having to be careful of the migra, the immigration officers, and had to endure the fear it brought them; "Mama must have noticed the fright in my eyes when I heard the word "migra"..." (Jimenez 144). By being an immigrant in the United States, Panchito and his brothers also had difficulty learning English in school and were not able to attend during the whole year since they had to continually move to harvest crops and find work, which makes becoming educated more difficult. The difficulty Panchito faced in school is illustrated when he says, "Miss Scalapino started speaking to the class and I did not understand a word she was saying" (Jimenez 17). This can make children more thankful of how they are able to be in school year round and can understand what their teacher is saying. The overall message of the story is to work hard for the important things in life, such as family and food. It also shows how when a group of people bond together, like a family, they can get through even the toughest times, but can still be dealt a rough hand. show less

In my opinion, this is wonderful book for children. The story is written in a first person point a view, which can make it more relatable especially for children. When I was reading, I was more engaged in the story than I would have been had it been written from another perspective. Another reason that I really enjoyed this book was the actual writing. The book integrates Spanish words within the story. For example, Jimenez writes, “…we all called him ‘Torito,’ little bull, because he weighed ten pounds at birth.” In a classroom this can expose children to another language if they have not yet been, as well as validate those students who do speak Spanish. Finally, I liked that it challenges its readers to think about tough show more issues and broaden their perspectives. Unless someone has immigrated to the United States, the idea of immigration does not really cross the minds of children. This book is a great tool to expose young readers to what can happen, and is happening, to children their age. show less

The autobiography: "The Circuit" is written and viewed in the eyes of Francisco Jiménez. It tells his story about migrating to Mexico with his family. Throughout the story, Francisco shares his experiences and the constant hardships that him and his family and friends have faced. Fransisco endured many hardships whether it is watching his home get burned down leaving him with nothing or having to leave his friends because he constantly had to move or having to face a teacher who would not let him speak Spanish, when he did nt know english. The reason why this book is just so brilliant and perfect for a classroom is because it makes the reader feel something. Whether or not the reader can directly relate to Francisco or not, the reader show more will experience a plethora of emotions. This book may be shocking for some readers as it was for me because it is such a different outlook and perspective on life. Francisco and the people around him had to deal with so many things that people would not have dared to even think of. I genuinely enjoyed reading this autobiography as i found it extremely interesting and plan on using it for my future classroom. show less