THE CIRCUIT

Rating:
Summary: A Story of Democratic Justice Though the Eyes of a Child
Review: Author - Jimenez, Francisco. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child.

Publisher - University of New Mexico Press, 1997

Short Summary - A small book with huge heart, broken and mended over and over again, Jimenez voices the common "stories of many migrant children of yesterday and today", but not before asking "their forgiveness for taking the liberty to write about them." Many of the experiences shared bite like a bitter wind at the reader's heart. In his stories, tangible truths about what it is to live life in America rise out of the mists of these many invisible lives. Surviving some of the loneliest childhood moments, the boy teaches even more about life than he learns. Transformation of the spirit, like the delicate beauty of a butterfly's colors, belongs equally to all people. The poorest migrant boy who has nothing shows one who has everything how anything of value can only be kept by giving it away. When the boy, Francisco, learns to say, "It's yours," in English, the reader believes in miracles, and that miracles speak in all languages to all classes and races. 134 pages

Brief Evaluation - While green may not be a popular color for readers of this book, the stories receive the "green light" for readers to move forward, through the pages and beyond. Rates highly for poignancy and for shedding light on the on-going debates about the democracy and the development of social justice in the United States. Recommendations using VOYA evaluation codes: 5 for Quality/ 3 for popularity. A superior book for readers from late elementary into adulthood.

Read Aloud - pages 112-134, a deeply moving introduction to study of the Declaration of Independence
Literary Principle - Irony

Titles of similar interest For other interesting reading experiences, see:
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan; Crossing Over: a Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail by Ruben Martinez; Baseball in April, and Other Stories by Gary Soto; Lost Garden by Laurence Yep; A Girl From Yamhill by Beverly Cleary; Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes and Louis Slobodkin; Istanbul Boy: the Autobiography of Aziz Nesin, Part I, translated by Joseph S Jacobson; The Beet Fields: Memories of a Sixteenth Summer by Gary Paulsen; For advanced readers, try The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck or, something a little shorter, In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck. Others books by Francisco Jimenez are Breaking Through, La Mariposa, and The Christmas Gift/El Regalo de Navidad.

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Rating:
Summary: A must read for all ages
Review: Francisco Jimenez brilliantly captures the voice of the young Panchito and the struggles and triumphs of his migrant family. The issue of Mexican immigration has become become hotly bebated, causing us to sometimes lose sight of the human vioce of those about which we so passionately talk. Jimenez's stories transform our understanding of Mexican sojourners, moving us from an abstract understanding of Mexican immigrantion to a more humane frame of mind. In essence, these twelve short-stories enable us to bear witness so that we may make a compassionate connection with those people who are represented by Jimenez's stories. What is more, the style with which Jimenez writes makes this book enjoyable for all ages. The Circuit should propel Jimenez into an arena with the great Chicano authors of our time.

Rating:
Summary: The Pope vs The Circuit
Review: If you want to forget your troubles and focus on someone else's, then read this book "The Circuit" by Francisco Jimenez. If you are looking for a book which is entertaining, enlightening, informative, inspirational, or even slightly interesting, look elsewhere. I would give this book a two out of ten for interest, five out of ten for content, and ten out of ten for realism, and I can safely say I will not read this book again.

The story is about Francisco Jimenez, whose parents sneak across the border with him into California in the hopes of a better life. While his parents work at various farms around the country, Francisco struggles with life as a poor illiterate Latino child growing up in America. Hardly the plot for much excitement or adventure. I honestly believe a biography about the Pope written by an eighty year old blind priest would be more interesting.

This book was alright in context, but it completely lacked sense of exploration or depth. I would say this book is best for a young child, someone still amused by Powderpuff girls and Pokemon, but not someone looking for an entertaining, enlightening, informative, or inspirational autobiography. If I am going to read a book about someone else's life, I would hope it would be something I can relate to, which is exciting, insightful, and most importantly, being interesting enough to be worthy of my time. This book however, was not.

(...)

Rating:
Summary: This book is a "must read."
Review: The short stories in this collection bear
compelling witness to the strength and
vitality of the human spirit under the most
inhumane circumstances. This inspiring
tribute to the humanity of poor migrant
workers tells the right story at the right
time in this country, when immigrants,
documented or not, are shamelessly
scapegoated by politicians of every stripe.

The powerful impact of these deceptively
simple stories may be credited to their
autobiographical character, the purity of
the prose, and the strength of the images.

In reading this book you will experience the
untapped wealth of humanity that works our
fields, sews our clothes, waits our tables.
You will also be completely engaged by twelve
wonderful stories.

For me, Dr. Jimenez' "Christmas Gift" tops
O. Henry's "Gift of the Magi" for the best
Christmas story ever -- and it's the perfect
size for a stocking stuffer!

Steve Privett,S.J.[[e-mail]] Santa Clara, California