Elegy for Cesar Chavez [Paperback]

Rudolfo A. Anaya (Author), Gaspar Enriquez (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

The heroic life of labor and civil rights activist César Chavéz greatly influenced the political and creative thinking of famed Chicano novelist Rudolfo Anaya. After Chavéz’ death in 1992, Anaya wrote this poem eulogizing the man and his life’s work. Echoing Shelley’s elegy on the death of John Keats, the poem expresses the grief of la gente, but closes by calling all peoples together to continue the non-violent struggle for freedom and justice. The book—endorsed by the César Chavéz Foundation—includes an essay by Anaya detailing the effect that Chavéz had on his own vision and a chronology of Chavéz’ life. Powerful super realistic illustrations by Gaspar Enriquez bring home the significance of César Chavéz to the American cultural landscape.

"This elegy captures the love of farm workers and the Latino community, all who yearn for justice, for this irreplaceable hero. César's life is the lucero, the light that provides vision to the path, with the glow of energy generated by the struggle. This elegy invites all to march in César's path, to attain the hope and promise of his legacy—a legacy made simple by César so everyone can participate in the quest for justice. César's lucero spotlighted the attainable victory, the solution to end the suffering of farm workers, a union, "the farm workers' house of justice" where those that feed the world can end their suffering and have a final voice over their lives and destinies." —Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers

Rudolfo Anaya (his classic novel Bless Me, Ultima has 1,000,000-plus in print) has earned international acclaim for his skillful mingling of realism, fantasy and myth while exploring the experiences of Hispanics in the American Southwest. Besides being the author of numerous novels and children’s books, Mr. Anaya has been called "the godfather of Chicano literature" and "un hijo del pueblo" for his work as an activist for the literature of his people and his region. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Artist Gaspar Enriquez is nationally known for his super-realistic, airbrush paintings of young men and women from the barrios of his hometown El Paso. Using the same technique, he collaged images of César Chavéz, farm workers, police, newspaper article, fields of grapes and icons of La Raza and Aztlán to create the ambiance of the life and times of this hero.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Chicano novelist Anaya pens an impassioned poem about the legendary labor leader (1927-1993) that gets bogged down in flowery metaphors. Anaya depicts Ch vez as "a wind of change" whose name is "a soft breeze to cool the campesino's sweat," and describes Ch vez's opponents as "arrogant hounds of hate" living in "a land grown fat with greed." The verses move from grief to hope to a rousing call to action, honoring Ch vez's words in a refrain ("Rise, mi gente, rise!"), and are most effective when rooted in the specific (references to the San Joaqu!n Valley and Sacramento where he organized members of the National Farm Workers Assoc., etc.). The abstract imagery unfortunately detracts from the poem's main thrust ("The future opens itself like the blossom/ That is his soul, the fruit of his labor./ He calls for us to share in the fruit"), and most of the facts are relegated to a note from the author and a chronology at the end. Threaded through with Christ imagery and references to Shakespeare and Shelley, this challenging workAdespite its picture-book formatAmay be best suited for middle and high school-age students. Enriquez's surreal collage illustrations, presented as a series of old snapshots, convey interesting details but lack subtlety: Ch vez marches through oversize heads of lettuce, followed by a crowd of boycotters; the tendrils from a cluster of grapes twine around a policeman's gun as well as his handcuffed captive's wrists. A timeline poster on the back of the dust jacket captures key events in Ch vez's life. Ages 9-12. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-This poetic expression of mourning and hope is a heartfelt commentary on history and greatness. Anaya tells about the life of this crusader for justice and how his ideals shaped his life's work. Ch vez's impact on both the Hispanic community and American society is made manifest by repeated expressions of grief and loss, and by the final conclusion that, despite his death, his work goes on. Skillful use of meter and repetition give the text a mesmerizing formality that imparts the gravity of Ch vez's labor and magnitude of his loss. It is perfectly matched by Enriquez's accomplished mixed-media collages. Photographs and watercolor paintings are skillfully combined with handmade-paper backgrounds to produce arresting images. A page of text faces each illustration; each of these pages is ornamented with a small insert from the facing collage along with one line of the text in enlarged typeface, creating a poem within a poem. Comparable to Alma Flor Ada's Gathering the Sun (Lothrop, 1997) in poetic and artistic power, this fine example of elegiac verse serves both poetry and biography well, while elucidating the struggles of migrant workers in this country.-Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938317806
• ISBN-13: 978-0938317807
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,706,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Americas > Mexico

More About the Author

Rudolfo Anaya is professor emeritus of English at the University of New Mexico. He was one of the first winners of the Premio Quinto Sol National Chicano literary award. Winner of the PEN Center USA West Award for Fiction for his novel Alburquerque, he is best-loved for his classic bestseller Bless Me, Ultima. His other works include Zia Summer, Rio Grande Fall, Jalamanta, Tortuga, Heart of Aztlan , and The Anaya Reader. He has also written numerous short stories, essays, and children's books, including The Farolitos of Christmas and Maya's Children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The spirit of Cesar Chavez, January 11, 2007

By 

Enrique Torres "Rico" (San Diegotitlan, Califas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Elegy for Cesar Chavez (Paperback)

Cesar Chavez was a champion of the people and Rodolfo Anaya tries to convey that with his use of language. Publishers Weekly claims Anaya is "bogged down in flowery metaphors." I would disagree. Rather I see this tribute and the choice of words to describe Chavez and his times as an eloquent use of language. The target audience is young children who have no concept of Chavez and his struggles; if anything the pictures painted with words or concepts might be too difficult to grasp for a young mind. Enter the teacher or parent to supplement the information and simplify. Each page has a theme with Anaya's poetry capturing and puntuating the point. Of particualr interest are the illustrations which are excellent and quite powerful. Each illustration corresponds with the poetry and theme of the page. The book is one that calls for young people to remember the struggles of the civil rights era for Chicanos and to continue the fight for equality and justice. The lessons of Chavez's life are given and a plea for people not to fight each other but rather for each other. At the end of the book there is chronolgy of the life of Cesar Chavez that can be useful for the teacher. Ths book would be a nice addition to the classroom or school library for children of the middle school ages. Recommended for children who are learning English in the primary grades.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful elegy, December 23, 2009

By 

Carol DeChant (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elegy for Cesar Chavez (Paperback)

I ordered two of these by mistake, but was glad I did, as I gave one as a Christmas gift. A moving
elegy for a great American leader who should be remembered for generations to come.