Rain of Gold

Rating:
Summary: One family' s history
Review: The first time I read Rain of Gold, I thought to myself, "My God this is my family!" Victor Villasenor has the ability to draw in the reader and make he or she feel that they are living the story. This is particularly true in Rain of Gold.

The book follows two people and their families very different journeys through the hard times of the Mexican Revolution and into the U.S. and the very different life waiting for them there. They meet new challenges in and find each other as they adjust and learn to make a life in this new country.

The book abounds with the mystical love of spirits, nature and God that is so commonplace for us Mexicanos. I believe it is hard for people not of our culture to understand just how real the spirits are to us. This is not magical realism, but daily life to us. Mr. Villasenor shows that aspect of our culture, that old wisdom of our grandmothers so well that it brought tears to my eyes as I remembered my own mystical, wise and wonderful grandmother.


The fact that Victor Villasenor is extremely dyslexic and encountered myriad problems in school at a very young age makes this book all the more astounding. He writes with pathos, humor and his love for his beautiful family shines through it all. His simple style of storytelling makes you feel you're sitting on the floor listening to an uncle or other family member and you are completely enraptured and caught up in his spell.

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME!
Review: This book is marvelously written. I need to personally go to San Diego and meet this V. Villensenor and marvel at the work he did. It's hard to believe that Lupe and Juan are real people. I finished the book in one day- pulled an all nighter. Believe me, it wasn't a small book. No it was a big one full of adventure and fun. I'm a jr. in high school and it was an ap assignment for the summer. I'm so glad my teacher assigned it to us. Buy it! It's a masterpiece and it's underrated. It should be on the shelf of J.D. Salinger, Hemingway and Steinbeck!!

Rating:
Summary: This book is horrible
Review: This is the most biased book I've ever read. I can't believe I have to read it in school - it's a big hogwash of Judeo-Christian bias.

The author forces his religion on the reader. It might as well be the Bible, which is the big reason I can't believe I have to read it. What happened to the seperation of church and state?

ANyway, he goes into too much detail. Who wants to hear about digging through horse manure to find seeds to eat? It's fine when he talks about Socorro giving birth, but when he constantly likens it to 'taking a huge caca,' he's going too far. Someone needs to get better at writing. There are better analogies.

I honestly believe that this book should be outlawed as required reading for high school. It is not great literature. It's horrible Judeo-Christian BS, and it's not even written well. Not to mention it's disgustingly detailed.