1. Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez

2. An Autobiography In my focus on Latin American and the Caribbean, “Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez” provides an autobiographical analysis of Richard Rodriguez, a child of Mexican parents, struggling to develop a sense of self. As we focus on global youths, one group that falls under this category is immigrant youths and those of immigrant parents—who are trying to develop their identities in countries outside their own. “Hunger of Memory…” was written in 1982 by writer and scholar Richard Rodriguez. He is one of four children born to Mexican parents. They migrated to the United States in order to earn and save enough to move to Australia. After years of unskilled employment, his parents, particularly his father’s dream of moving to Australia subsided and they settled in Sacramento California. Born in 1944, Rodriguez attended Catholic school during his primary and secondary years. After years of struggles to develop his identity, Rodriguez excellent academic achievements paved a way for his education at Stanford, Columbia and University of California, Berkeley.

3. Bilingual Child  In the first part of his book, Rodriguez recalls childhood confusion and shame over being bilingual in a predominantly white English speaking school. He describes how his teachers would mispronounce his name and referred to him as shy because he was afraid to speak up.  As the son of working class parents whose first language is Spanish, they spoke English with very strong accents. Rodriguez remembers feelings of embarrassment because of these differences. A major point that he emphasizes throughout the first chapter is private versus public languages. His family’s heritage, traditions and language became private practices while speaking English remains in the public sphere. He started acknowledging Spanish as a public language only after he heard strangers on the radio speaking comfortably in their native language—Spanish.  He criticizes supporters of bilingual education for not acknowledging that a socially disadvantaged child like himself sees Spanish as a private language. He had a public obligation to speak English, but Spanish was an intimate way of communicating with his family.  In the succeeding chapters, he addresses a number of issues that immigrant youths all over the world experience or are challenged with facing. He expresses how his cultural differences (for example, barely speaking English his first years in school) motivated his interest in books. As he got older and his English improved, Rodriguez becomes more assimilated. The embarrassment he felt from his parent’s struggles with a new language and lack of education subsided, and he developed ways of balancing his behaviors inside and outside his home.

4. Religion, Race & Minority Status  Through scholarships, Rodriguez was able to pursue his higher education at prestigious universities. However, before and during these periods in his life, he experiences discrimination, marginalization and he suffered from lack of self-efficacy.  His parents’ religious beliefs (which also became his), governed both his childhood and adult choices. Unlike language, his faith (Catholicism) existed in both his public and private lives. His education was not separated from his religion. His religious credo had strong ties to his family’s heritage. As a child, he noticed the subtle differences between Irish Catholicism [for example] and Mexican Catholicism. His world was consisted of Catholics and non-Catholics.  Another important topic that emerged from Rodriguez’s autobiography is race. A brown skin Mexican boy in a predominantly white neighbor, recalls hearing negative comments from neighbors and others. He remembers his mother scolding him for being out in the sun where he would get darker. He would get compared to los braceros—the men who work with their hands, out in the sun and become darker everyday. His understanding of racial inequality was shaped his early childhood experiences and he began to associate being dark-skinned with being disadvantaged and poor. His understanding changed, as he got older.  Richard Rodriguez was in college during the civil rights era. Where leaders of the movement advocated for the admittance of black youths into universities. The title “minority students” emerged during this time and affirmative action was in full swing. He remembers being called a minority student and what it felt like to be placed in that category; he felt mislabeled.

5. Analysis  This autobiography is one example of the challenges faced by immigrant families and the changes youths encounter as they try to acculturate and develop their identities. Richard Rodriguez grew up and came of age in a time when many changes were taking place in the United States.  When families migrate to different countries where the native language is different than their own, they experience language barriers and difficulties communicating with non-family members.  A key reason many people migrate to more developed countries such as the US is to work toward a better life for themselves and their families. However, people get placed into categories and are marginalized and this has major implications on the development of youths. Even through all the years of cultural struggles, the Rodriguez family (documented/authorized immigrants) was able to help the children achieve success. For unauthorized youths and their families, they experience multiple barriers and have no privileges or opportunities for government scholarships. This autobiography provides a synopsis of the experiences of a child of immigrant parents who grew up bilingual. Rodriguez’s story highlights a number of important topics and challenges affecting youth development.

6. Recommendations  I would recommend this book to professionals in youth development and those with interest in immigration. The author did a fantastic job in articulating how his cultural background influenced his education.  Rodriguez’s story demonstrates some of the many challenges immigrant families encounter. For unauthorized youths and adults, these challenges are magnified. Rights and privileges afforded to authorized immigrants do not extend to those labeled as illegal. This books provides a different but important example.  For researchers and professional interested in Latin America and in Mexico-America relations, Rodriguez’s details of his childhood growing up California is a prime example of some of the concerns of immigrant youths from this region.  It is a fun read! The book is separated into six parts and cover a wide range of topics relevant to global youth development.

7. Additional Book Recommendation Lewis, O. (1961). Children of Sanchez: an autobiography of a Mexican family. New York, NY: Vintage Books, Random House Inc. An anthropological study by Oscar Lewis, Children of Sanchez… is the story of the Sanchez Family living in a slum in Mexico. The book is structured around the personal narratives of family members as they describe generations of living in poverty. This book is a great reference for youth development professionals who are interested in studying Latin America.