Reviews

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• I loved this book. It really hit home for me. My family is from south Texas and my father came to Chicago to work to give his family a better life. He did not want us to grow up in the fields like so many of his and my Mom's family had to do. We had relatives who would come up to Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan for the summer picking and canning seasons. Whenever he could my Dad would take us to visit with them on the weekends. It was always fun for us and we always looked forward to seeing them and having a mini vacation from the city, but I know it was a hard life for my cousins and the rest of the family that came up. One year my sister insisted on staying and working with my Uncle in the fields. My Dad was reluctant and told her it was not going to be so easy and fun. Well she stayed for a week and found out how hard it really was. My Dad would also take us to Texas every Christmas school break to visit my Grandparents and the rest of the family. I love Texas and two of my sister's have moved down there now in their later years, but I know our lives would have been very different for us if my Dad had stayed in Texas, and I am grateful that he decided to move up here. This book is being passed along to my sisters, they are all eager to read it. Thank you for writing this.

• I met the author at a fundraiser of an organization that in part advocates for migrants. She asked me where I grew up. I responded Wisconsin. She replied that she "picked beans" there. I had no idea what she was talking about. As the conversation continued I said that I had written a book and was working on my second. She said nothing. When she went inside for some food, her husband informed me that she had written a book. So naturally we got to talking about writing when she returned. That night when I returned home I purchased her book. It was the most amazing journey into the life of migrants in the fifties and sixties. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to know what poverty and struggle in America looks like. A wonderful book that I found hard to put down.

• This is a very competent portrayal of Hispanics growing up in a segregated South Texas town. This is a unique story, because of Elva's unique life. She was able to overcome and this story is more than an ethnic portrayal, it is a nice story about hard work paying off. This would make a decent movie.

• This book is beautifully written yet simple in narration. It would be an easy read for a child who is an independent reader but the authentic voice will keep an adult turning the pages. My mother's family were migrant workers, and she says this book is exactly true in documenting the traditional migrant life. It is especially important in the way it details a child's perspective. A beautiful and important work of art.

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