Galarza, Ernesto (2011). Barrio Boy. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press. If I am honest, this book was a difficult read for me. I read all the time and I read a wide variety of genres. The writing was great and the content was interesting, but this book was intense. I found myself rereading sections all the time, especially in the first two sections, because I wanted to make sure I was understanding everything and picturing everything as accurately as possible. To state the obvious, I didn't grow up in a small mountain village in Mexico, so it took some time to wrap my head around the setting of the book. That being said, I greatly enjoyed reading about his life in Mexico and his transition in to life in America. The only negative thing I have to say is completely based on preference. Most of the book was spent on Ernesto's life in Mexico. I understand that part of his life is important and it certainly was essential in l...
Galarza, Ernesto (2011). Barrio Boy. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press. Pages 255-263 The Lincoln School in relation to Ernesto sets a good example for diverse education. Children from various places in the world came to the school and were taught by teachers who encouraged them every step of the way. Throughout the process of enrolling in school, Ernesto notes that everyone they encounter is warm and welcoming. Miss Ryan is Ernesto's first grade teacher. In his first description of his teacher, Ernesto says, "there she was, crouching by my desk, her blond radiant face level with mine, her voice patiently maneuvering me over the awful idiocies of the English Language." He later says something along the lines of him being in love with Miss Ryan. I am by no means suggesting that students should be in love with their teachers, but I think it is remarkable that this teacher could make a child so comfortable after all he had been thr...