Recommended Reading: Francisco Jimenez

In The Circuit, Francisco Jimenez tells stories from his childhood, starting with his family's crossing the Mexico/U.S. border under cover of night in the 1940s.  He details how they made the loop of farms in central and southern California with the seasons, uprooting every couple of months to find a new job, a new school, and a new place to live.


In Breaking Through, he writes about his high school years, and about the stability his family found with full-time work in Santa Maria, CA.  He includes details about learning to love rock 'n' roll, learning to drive, working full time, dealing with difficult family relationships, dealing with racism, and breaking through the cycle of poverty.

Francisco Jimenez

Francisco Jimenez is currently chairman of the Modern Languages and Literature Dept. at Santa Clara University. In addition to being an prolific writer, Dr. Jimenez is an outstanding advocate for underprivileged, underrepresented people in American society.  His stories are mostly autobiographical, and thus from the perspective of a Mexican immigrant.  But he has pointed out that his experiences are not his alone, but are shared by many, many others.

Jimenez is a role model for me and for the students I work with.  Reading The Circuit and Breaking Through, I see a responsible, empowered individual who does the virtually impossible by succeeding and excelling in spite of terribly heavy oppression.  For my students, he is someone who has lived what they are living and has come through stronger for it.

Jimenez has also written Reaching Out, about his early adulthood and college experience.  I haven't read it yet.  If it's anything like The Circuit or Breaking Through, it's sure to be a beautiful collection of poignant, easily readable stories that speak to the human experience in a way few books can.