Richard RodriguezRecensioni

Autobiography is probably the touchiest genre of book a writer can attempt to write in. This is most likely due to the fact that most of us are self-conscious enough to already be defensive when we start reading such a book. For some reason probably no better than the inflation of our own egos, we always go in with a latent sense of competition; usually along the lines of whether or not the author "truly deserves" to write about him- or herself, while we humble readers are here living a "real" life of interest without a single word being spoken in its celebration. In other words, judgement comes with the territory, and thus should be accounted for by the author.
Richard Rodriguez, I find, after reading his autobiography Hunger of Memory, has trouble accounting for this selfishness in his readers. His book, which is subtitled "The Education of Richard Rodriguez", basically consists of his musings on race, education, and the various permutations of those two in different contexts. To put it simply, I think Rodriguez's book is a great work in and of itself, but is extremely prone to pretty disastrous misunderstanding on the reader's part.
It presents the reader with truly fascinating insights and ideas, told by the thinker in the context of his life and how he came to realize those ideas. In that respect, it represents, perhaps, a pure example of autobiography, written by a man for the sake of expressing his own thoughts and emotions on his own life. And in that end, it is really done quite beautifully. Rodriguez's prose is very unique: very succinct and almost clipped in its syntax at points, but also very complex. He says a lot in not a lot of words, and what those words say is very abstract - very thought provoking, especially considering that most of his readers will not have experienced anything like what he describes.
And that's where Rodriguez begins to run into trouble. Like I said, this book is very much a story of a man's life, written by himself, and never meant to apply to any other person's life. I don't think Rodriguez intends for anyone to consider his story an allegory or representative for any larger group which he may represent; but, alas, that is pretty much unavoidable with the nature of his story being what it is. He writes his story from the perspective of what he is: a Mexican man, born in America to immigrant parents, who overcame certain obstacles in order to become successful. A premise like that, or one along those lines, has been used before for autobiographies and memoirs; and in almost every instance, the purpose of the writer has been to use his or her story as a representative for those like them, those who may be faced with the same obstacles. Basically, they are usually meant to raise awareness to a perspective not usually seen.
So when Mr. Rodriguez begins his book by describing his early childhood and education, and the struggle with integrating a new language into his life, this old formula immediately applies itself in the head of the reader. And this proves rather destructive, mostly because of one simple fact: his story does not fit the formula. In fact, as the reader goes along, the contradictions (which are, of course, only contradictions when viewed within the parameters of the first-person-socially-disadvantaged-inspirational-memoir lexicon) begin to pile up. And that eats on the mind of the reader; because, as we've established, we all go into autobiographies, looking for validation of the autobiographee's worthiness. Or, more often than not, flaws by which we can claim his invalidity.
Rodriguez's are simple to point out. First of all, he makes it clear that he was not raised in a particularly socially disadvantaged situation: indeed, throughout, he repeatedly remarks that his education and instructors were all extremely beneficial, and all wanted him to succeed. For most reader's, this is not filling the bill for necessary hardship; especially in a book where the subject is primarily education seen through the eyes of a Mexican-American. And then there's the fact that his main revolving argument is that minorities need to stop being singled out as minorities- a righteous minority memoirist? That just doesn't add up! And there are many other little things that honestly (and I hate to admit this) make us less sympathetic with him and his struggles. They just aren't awful enough for us.
But in this fact, we see the brilliance of what Rodriguez is doing. His very point, is that education- no, every aspect of society, should not be viewed as something to be altered or customized according to race or ethnicity. The fact that a boy may not have white skin, and may not speak English fluently, does not mean that his problems should be pointed out incessantly, until they are blown far out of proportion and appear ten times larger than they are. His problems are unique to him, and maybe even to his culture; but that does not mean the problems of others are any less profound, they are just different. And as far as recognizing these problems goes, he argues that singling out the racially-specific issues is as much of the problem, as ignoring them is.
So when we claim that he is not angry enough, or even better, not angry in the "right way", we are disrespecting his intelligence, and his desire to portray a story of struggle that is not self-righteous or self-pitying in nature, but is in essence a fact and a personal experience, that may or may not apply to anyone in particular. His book is called Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez, not Hunger for Justice: The Socially Oppressed Education of Ricardo Rodriguez. He wishes to inform us and share with us the strong emotions and experiences which formed him, alone. And show how those experiences shaped his view on the world and modern education, both in the social and academic sense.
Now there are other things which make this book good or bad. Personally, while I find his prose interesting, I also find it extremely repetetive, and at times, tedious. He also strikes me as fairly pedantic (an effect of years surrounded by a culture of "higher education", my guess); and at times, melodramatic. He severely overuses the word "ghetto", which always makes a person sound kind of ridiculous, and even more so with him, seeing as he went to a Catholic school run by nuns (which he, unfailingly, describes at one point as the "ghetto" Catholic school). And frankly, sometimes his narratives are just not as interesting as they could be. But readablility besides, I would encourage people to read this book, if only to be exposed to a truly fascinating take on the interaction between our modern education system in this country, and its students of the non-white "minority". And the greatest advice I can give towards enjoying it, would be to simply not expect the standard formula. I guess, just keep an open mind.

Excellent story of how a man, born Spanish-speaking, excels at education and partly loses his old culture.

"A poetic, often contrarian meditation on race in modern America.

Borrowing from writer/philosopher William Gass, who deconstructed the meanings of a less socially charged color in On Being Blue, PBS commentator and essayist Rodriguez (Days of Obligation, 1992, etc.) ponders the meaning of Mexicanness, Hispanitude, mestizaje, and all the other forms of being brown in the US. “I write about race in America,” he begins, “in hopes of undermining the notion of race in America.” With many asides on the origins of the notion that Hispanics are an ethnic minority—a recent idea, he suggests, adopted from the African-American struggle for civil rights—Rodriguez offers a few balloon-bursting observations on the tensions that have marked recent politics; the black-white argument, he writes, “is like listening to a bad marriage through a thin partition, a civil war replete with violence, recrimination, mimicry, slamming doors.” That’s not to say that those tensions are not real, and Rodriguez allows that plenty of doors have been slammed in his face as a brown, gay person. Plenty of others have been thrown open, though, affording him a privileged (and deserved) position as cultural commentator that he gratefully acknowledges. Without descending into sloganeering or us-versus-them rhetoric, Rodriguez argues for an inclusive “white freedom” accorded to all citizens; his democratic spirit and the absence of special pleading are both refreshing. In their erudition and irony, these writings recall the essays of the late Mexican poet Octavio Paz, who could easily have written the closing lines: “Truly, one way to appreciate the beauty of the world is to choose one color and to notice its recurrence in rooms, within landscapes. And upon bookshelves.”

Elegant, controversial, and altogether memorable." www.kirkusreviews.com, A Kirkus Starred Review

Oy, one I've wanted to read for such a long time, but not one that deserves to be read in the subway. These essays are beautifully written and masterfully structured, but they are not straight-forward. They require time, thought, and close reading--and, if only, discussion. It's probably a bit telling that it took me about twice as long to finish this slim, large-printed volume than it did for me to read my next two books, each of which was half again as long and with smaller type.

Gave me quite a bit of food for thought. One morsel that stuck out, professionally, was Rodriguez's dislike of being called a "Hispanic" writer--not only because of the odd origins and apparently exceptional unreality of "Hispanic" as a group, but because it then segregates books written by Latinx writers from other writers. As someone on the BISAC subject codes committee, I found this interesting. I wonder if the "Hispanic & Latino" subject heading has been applied to books not because they are about Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx people but because they are by authors who others say fit those categories. (It is notoriously hard to get people to remember that subject categories are for what the book is about, not what the author is or what you want it to be. Sigh.) As Rodriguez points out, India's most famous author (Salman Rushdie) is a British citizen who has lived in the US and Canada for much of his life.

Anyway, just about every third page of my book is dog eared, so no quote roundup this time--there's no way I could narrow that down.

[Not sure of exact read dates. I'm too far behind...]

The history of a bilingual education. An intellectual biography of a Mexican American from a Catholic school kid to a college professor.. Richard Rodriguez's assimilation is distinct. Although his academic achievement amazed himself and others it came with great loss of family closeness. He is opinionated about the affirmative action that others assumed enabled but was not the case for him. Highly recommended for high school seniors and first year college students or anyone wanting a better understanding of how education brings about deeper changes than one would ever expect. Contemplating this autobiography may cause the reader to be more reflective about their own life long learning.

A beautifully written book by a sad man alienated from his family, his past, and ultimately, himself.

The son of immigrants, Rodríguez believes that the only option for minorities is to "assimilate" (that is, live up to the majority's expectations and standards), and he thinks the only way to do that is by turning away from one's past and heritage. He also seems to think that racism (at least towards brown people) is mostly a matter of class and education.

I disagree with all of his conclusions, but I admit that I enjoyed his writing and sympathized with his sorrow.½

nonfiction - these are supposed to be autobiographical essays, but they are more like the author's tangentially connected thoughts splashed across the page in an artful manner. I didn't get a whole lot of out these (maybe if I knew more about Catholicism or the other topics he touches on?) but if you're not looking for cohesiveness, Rodriguez does have a great writing style, and as a gay Catholic American with Hispanic heritage (frequently scrutinized at airports for his darker "Arabic" complexion), he is certainly an interesting person to read about. I suspect he is more brilliant than I could immediately discern (he is definitely a scholar, a thinker, an intelligent dreamer), but I'm not sure it's worth re-reading and studying to find out exactly how brilliant, or in what ways. I would suggest maybe reading his previous books instead.

An internal memoir, more an explanation of who he is instead of a transformative or redemptive memoir. He relates his thoughts and feelings about external events and the external world, as opposed to following a classic character arc of challenge and change. I disagreed with much of what he said, but agreed with just as much. It is a complex, deeply personal autobiography, and overall recommended as an exemplar of its form.

Here is the poignant journey of a “minority student” who pays the cost of his social assimilation and academic success with a painful alienation — from his past, his parents, his culture — and so describes the high price of “making it” in middle-class America.

I read and enjoyed Rodriguez's first book, HUNGER OF MEMORY, several years ago, so thought I'd try DAYS OF OBLIGATION, something of a sequel, all about what it means to be a Mexican-American. Richard Rodriguez is a deep thinker, a philosopher even, so I probably don't "get" all of what he means to convey, but I like his style. The book was written twenty five years ago, so it's interesting what pops out of it now, in 2017, in "Trump time." For example -

"Mexicans have invaded American privacy to babysit or to watch the dying or to wash lipstick off the cocktail glasses. Mexicans have forced Southwestern Americans to speak Spanish whenever they want their eggs fried or their roses pruned."

Or this -

"San Diego may worry about Mexican hordes crawling over the border. Mexico City worries about a cultural spill from the United States."

Rodriguez, already in his forties, when he wrote this book, officially came out in these pages, writing poignantly of friends lost to the AIDS epidemic in the late 1980s in San Francisco, as well as his own struggles with repressed homosexuality.

I was looking for a good memoir, which I got, along with an education in myriad other things - about being gay and brown, and a man trying to make sense of it all, to find peace. And the best chapter was the last one, about his childhood and youth in Sacramento, taught by Irish nuns and Christian Brothers. And about his parents - especially his father, who grew up an orphan in Mexico. That last chapter alone made the trip worth while. Another enjoyable read from Richard Rodriguez. Very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER

Richard Rodriguez's study of his own spiritual growth, lodged within the nature of western American culture.

Richard Rodriguez is a man whose education bifurcated his life into a private life and a public life. In the public sphere he was driven to obtain an education that has led him to become one of the most interesting essayists of our time. His description of his inner life, especially his reading life is one of many exceptional aspects of this book. His liberation from the private sphere into the public, where he has become a literary light for others, was made possible in part by this reading life; a life driven by a compulsion to become part of the "public sphere" that was centered in the culture apart from his family. This was a part of his life that I personally identified with and believe that many individuals who love the reading life will also.

In this memoir he explores his own coming-of-age in an America that challenged him to understand what it is to be a Mexican American and what it is to be a Catholic in America. At the heart of the memoir is Rodríguez’s recognition that his is a position of alienation, a position that he accepts with resignation and regret. As the title of this collection of autobiographical pieces suggests, he remembers his early childhood with nostalgia, while acknowledging that his coming-of-age has resulted in his displacement from that simple, secure life.

Another center for his autobiography is language and the importance of it in his life. He did not speak English until he started to go to school and even then it was difficult for him to learn the language for it was not spoken at home. One exciting moment in his education occurred when three nuns from his grade school visited his home and encouraged his parents to support their children's English language skills. Although they were indifferent speakers of English, his parents from that point forward asked their children, Richard and his brother and sisters, to speak English each evening. Richard, through this practice and his own diligence in reading and writing, would go on to major in English in college eventually doing postgraduate work in Renaissance Studies.

He shares the hard work that all this entailed and his critical reaction to the growth of bi-lingual education. His courage in developing and maintaining an independent voice for his beliefs in this regard also help to make his story unique. In his view bilingual education prevents children from learning the public language that will be their passport to success in the public world, and he uses his own experience—being a bilingual child who was educated without bilingual education as it was introduced into the American school system in the 1960’s—as an example.

Rodríguez offers himself as another example in criticizing affirmative action programs. Turning down offers to teach at various post secondary educational institutions that he believed wanted to hire him simply because he was Latino, Rodríguez began what has been his persistent criticism of affirmative action policies in America. His uncompromising position in this matter led him to leave academia and pursue his writing skills as a journalist and essayist. His devotion to education in language and life helped him develop the voice that he shares in his journalistic and readable prose style.

I first encountered his voice while watching the News Hour on PBS where he was an essayist for many years. The style he demonstrated there is present on every page of his autobiography. I would highly recommend this for anyone interested in the development of a humane intellectual.

Unlike Richard Rodriguez I'm not a Mexican-American, but I did grow up in a Spanish-speaking household since my mother is Puerto Rican. Of all the books about and by Hispanics I've read before or since, this is the one I most identified with, that really resonated and spoke to me. I could see much about my family reflected in his--attitudes towards education, skin color, religion... This book indeed was assigned reading in a Sociology class, because it does fit into that discipline. But it's also known for Rodriguez' positions within it on Affirmative Action and Bilingual Education--which I agreed with--particularly after reading this. He talks about what he lost with the intimacy built by speaking Spanish, yes--but that to function in America what he needed was a public language--which in this country means English first and foremost. And that to gain that public voice and move into the mainstream of American society such a sacrifice is crucial and necessary. It's also a moving, powerful, and beautifully written biography.

I love how this author writes. There is so much he says about so much. I renewed the books numerous times and will do so again.

This is book well worth reading again for a variety of reasons. The author shares his individuality yet speaks on universal themes . Richard Rodriguez reveals his inner life growing up hungry to learn but saddened by the loss of family intimacy when speaking in Spanish is replaced by English only at home at the suggestion of the Catholic sisters who are his elementary school teachers. Richard longs for the close feelings the familly had when they all shared the same language. With English as his his tool he becomes a scholarship boy and advances in his studies. Because of his academic ahievement he comes to speak out on education policies of affirmative actioon and bilingual education. This should be required reading for all involved in education.

[Hunger for Memory] by [[Richard Rodriguez]] is an autobiography of his path to education in the U.S. It is often an essay on the educational challenges facing immigrants and the U.S. policy of bilingual education. Using his own experiences, Rodriguez argues that immersion is the much better method for teaching English. He suggests that rather than losing one’s identity to the new language (as suggested by the bilingual proponents), one gains a new identity from it. He says that when he spoke only Spanish he was aware that he spoke a private language (not understood by gringos), but that he had no access to the much bigger and more useful public language of English. When he mastered English he gained that public language.

Rodriguez also discusses how his parents and the family dynamic were changed when his parents (in order to help their children learn English) began speaking only English in the house. Rodriguez’ father was not as fluent as his wife and as the children became more fluent they laughed at his heavily accented English. In embarrassment he became nearly mute in his own house, allowing his wife to take over his role in leading the children. However, with his Spanish-speaking friends he was a totally different, much more talkative of person. Further, in learning English and trying to fit into the American way of life, Rodriguez in particular (and to a lesser degree his brother and sisters), lost much of their command of Spanish and became separated from their culture.

In the remainder of the book Rodriguez discusses how education and being a “minority” student changed his life and his thoughts on both. I was found the arguments in this book very interesting and thought provoking.½

Traveling exhibit organized by Sandra Philips, SFMOMA Photography Curator, 1996

Traveling exhibit organized by Sandra Philips, SFMOMA Photography Curator, 1996

San Francisco near the beginning of the AIDS crisis. In general, I've had enough real life experience with AIDS that I don't do too much reading on the subject, but this was a stunning essay that just sucked me in. Highly recommended.

Profound! Memorable! Thought provoking! Defining!. Every educator should read. Should be on bound for college reading lists.

Overall: I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves words, or who is an educator. Whether or not you agree with his positions on bilingual education or affirmative action, his account of his own experiences, struggles and successes is a strong argument on its own.

Groundbreaking in its day, the now-predictable story of a latino youth overcoming race, poverty and hardship to gain an education. Straightforward clean writing with honest and clear, nonjudging viewpoint.

This is a poignant book about growing up as a first generation immigrant. it has many insights on the balance between culture and education. Many of the insights are dead on. I found myself underlining many lines in the "Credo" section.

A study of the psychological weaknesses of American culture and possibilities for growth.
"It was an account of his journey from being a "socially disadvantaged child" to becoming a fully assimilated American, from the Spanish-speaking world of his family to the wider, presumably freer, public world of English. But the journey was not without costs: his American identity was only achieved after a painful separation from his past, his family, and his culture. "Americans like to talk about the importance of family values," says Rodriguez. "But America isn't a country of family values; Mexico is a country of family values. This is a country of people who leave home." From Wikipedia.

www.barnesandnoble.com
From the Publisher
Hunger of Memory is the story of Mexican-American Richard Rodriguez, who begins his schooling in Sacramento, California, knowing just 50 words of English, and concludes his university studies in the stately quiet of the reading room of the British Museum.
Here is the poignant journey of a “minority student” who pays the cost of his social assimilation and academic success with a painful alienation — from his past, his parents, his culture — and so describes the high price of “making it” in middle-class America.
Provocative in its positions on affirmative action and bilingual education, Hunger of Memory is a powerful political statement, a profound study of the importance of language ... and the moving, intimate portrait of a boy struggling to become a man.
From the Paperback edition.