Farmworker's Daughter: Growing Up Mexican in America [Hardcover]

Rose Castillo Guilbault (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2005

In this affectionate memoir, Guilbault invites us into her girlhood, revealing what it was like to grow up as a Mexican immigrant in a farming community during the turbulent 1960s. She recalls her early struggles to learn English, to fit in with schoolmates with their Barbie dolls and cupcakes, to win approval, and to bridge the tensions between home life and the public world to which she was drawn.

As her mother dreams of owning a house with her new farmworker husband, Rose perfects her English and writes for the school newspaper, nurturing dreams of her own that will eventually take her far from her life as a farmworker’s daughter.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"(M)oving...I do not know another book that tells us so simply quite so much about Mexico and America." -- Richard Rodriguez, author of Brown: The Last Discovery of America

From the Publisher

A San Francisco Chronicle "Best Books of 2005"

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 164 pages
• Publisher: Heyday Books; First Printing edition (April 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597140066
• ISBN-13: 978-1597140065
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #616,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Will Love This Touching, Personal Story, August 3, 2005

By 

Jill Moore (La Mesa, California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Farmworker's Daughter: Growing Up Mexican in America (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it's beautiful, descriptive passages. It is a very touching personal story, told through the eyes of a young Mexican-American girl, as she struggles to assimilate into a new culture and new life in California. Please read this book to better understand the Mexican-American experience, and to appreciate the sacrifices and struggles made by people trying to assimilate into another culture. I know you will love this book as much as I did!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming srory and beautiful prose, June 14, 2005

By 

Danielle M. Maze (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Farmworker's Daughter: Growing Up Mexican in America (Hardcover)

I read this lovely book in one evening; I could not put it down. Castillo Guilbault writes with obvious affection of her childhood in Mexico and in California, and the book (like Francisco Jimenez's popular "Breaking Through") gave me new insights into the Mexican-American experience, especially in California (very interesting to me as a native Californian and a college instructor who has taught courses in Californian Literature and the California Dream). I am considering ordering this book for my beginning English students to read next semester, as I think many of them will relate to the story and that all of them will enjoy it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A young girl's story - beautifully written, June 30, 2005

By 

A. J. Dirdo (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Farmworker's Daughter: Growing Up Mexican in America (Hardcover)

This book intimately shares the life and observances of a young girl who is growing up in America while straddling two cultures. It's a poignant tribute to the everyday lives of hardworking family members who continue to celebrate their Mexican roots while pursuing the American dream - a compelling read!