Pocho [Paperback]

Jose Antonio Villarreal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 1970

Villarreal illuminates here the world of "pochos," Americans whose parents come to the United States from Mexico. Set in Depression-era California, the novel focuses on Richard, a young pocho who experiences the intense conflict between loyalty to the traditions of his family's past and attraction to new ideas. Richard's struggle to achieve adulthood as a young man influenced by two worlds reveals both the uniqueness of the Mexican-American experiences and its common ties with the struggles of all Americans -- whatever their past.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Villarreal illuminates here the world of "pochos," Americans whose parents come to the United States from Mexico. Set in Depression-era California, the novel focuses on Richard, a young pocho who experiences the intense conflict between loyalty to the traditions of his family's past and attraction to new ideas. Richard's struggle to achieve adulthood as a young man influenced by two worlds reveals both the uniqueness of the Mexican-American experiences and its common ties with the struggles of all Americans -- whatever their past.

From the Inside Flap

Villarreal illuminates here the world of "pochos," Americans whose parents come to the United States from Mexico. Set in Depression-era California, the novel focuses on Richard, a young pocho who experiences the intense conflict between loyalty to the traditions of his family's past and attraction to new ideas. Richard's struggle to achieve adulthood as a young man influenced by two worlds reveals both the uniqueness of the Mexican-American experiences and its common ties with the struggles of all Americans -- whatever their past.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; First Edition edition (November 4, 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385061188
• ISBN-13: 978-0385061186
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #163,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Can Never Go Home!, March 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Pocho (Paperback)

This is a wonderful story of an immigrant family from Mexico. The father has the hopes of one day returning to the Mexico of his past, but with each passing day in his new land his dream of returning fades away. As the family grows up and changes the realities of Life show that you can never return to your past or in other words "You can never go Home."

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Story full of adventures one after another., June 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Pocho (Paperback)

This book takes you back in time to the era of Pancho Villa and Pachucos. Its a great way for Mexican Americans to find about their history and the past. Its mainly about the struggle a boy goes through to fit in with the prejudice "Anglos"but he does not want to forget his Mexican roots . Also another major conflict his father's manhood and Machismo. It always got in the way of things and had a drastic affect on him.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Authentic Read, September 10, 2008

By 

Rene M. Moncada (Dinuba, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pocho (Paperback)

Pocho is the perpetual story of becoming an American while retaining a Mexican ethnic identity. It's the struggle of defining what it means to be true to oneself. The cultural history combined with the elements of what constitutes the Mexican culture are true and authentic and at times a painful reminder of the reality of change. Truly an authentic snapshot of the Mexican-American experience.