Rain of Gold [Paperback]

Víctor E. Villaseñor (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 1, 1992

In Rain of Gold, Victor Villasenor weaves the parallel stories of two families and two countries…bringing us the timeless romance between the volatile bootlegger who would become his father and the beautiful Lupe, his mother–men and women in whose lives the real and the fantastical exist side by side…and in whose hearts the spirit to survive is fueled by a family’s unconditional love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Villasenor recounts the story of three generations of his family in this earthy Mexican American saga, gripping and inspirational despite occasional sentimentality.and cliches. Author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Advertised as the Hispanic-American Roots , Rain of Gold is the story of three generations of the author's family's migration from revolutionary Mexico in the 20th century to California. But Rain of Gold is no Roots and Villasenor is not Alex Haley. His style is naive and disturbing--he ranges back and forth between his family's historical past and a more contemporary setting. Nevertheless, there is good material in this oral history. Villasenor blends family stories and tales handed down through generations into an uneven narrative but a text which is credible social history. The most visible persona is the author's mother Lupe, who grew up among soldiers and moved North from her native La Lluvia de Ora, the Mexican gold mine operated by omnipresent American economic colonial interests. The final episodes concern the family's transformation from rural Mexico to heavily Hispanic-populated California. The result is a narrative which reflects the true social fabric of Mexican Americans. Not all the publishers claim, but still recommended for most libraries. A six-hour Corporation for Public Broadcasting series is planned for 1993.
- Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., Ala.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Delta; Reprint edition (September 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038531177X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385311779
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.3 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (131 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Specific Demographics > Minority Studies
  • #33 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional U.S. > West

More About the Author

Victor Villasenor is the author of the nonfiction books Rain of Gold and Jury: The People vs. Juan Corona, and the novel, Macho! He has written several screenplays, including the award-winning The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez. Villasenor continues to live on the North County San Diego ranch where he grew up.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best I've Read! April 19, 2000

By Nora Razon

Format:Paperback

Rain of Gold is a book written by Victor Villaseñor an author of Mexican Heritage. Villaseñor wrote this book when he felt the urge to pas down to his children the history behind their name. Villaseñor traveled to Mexico and after years of hard work and several conflicts he published "Rain of Gold", the biography of his family. In "Rain of Gold" Villaseñor describes with full detail the lives of his ancestors in Mexico and later in the United States. More than just a story, Villaseñor gives a vivid image of life during the Mexican Revolution {the times of Pancho Villa}. He explains how his family was forced as well as other families to abandon their beloved country because of the violence and danger the Mexican Revolution brought to its citizens. Villaseñor also explains the hardships his family had to got through to adapt and survive prejudice, hunger and unfair work in the states. Not only does Villaseñor capture the struggles of his family but also the exciting and glorious moments his ancestors lived. This book has a vivid message to everybody of Mexican background. Especially to teenagers who usually don't get the chance to be taught their history with out somebody making fun or putting down their culture. This is the first book that I have truly related to, because of my Mexican background and hardships I've faced in this country. This is a book you just can't stop reading because you get so close to the characters. By the end of the book I assure you that not only will you know all of the people in the book but you will also respect and consider them part of your family!... More importantly, I recommend this book to everybody who has parents or somebody who has immigrated to this country in search of opportunities and better life. Read more ›

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rain of Gold January 8, 2008

By John Michael Towle

Format:Turtleback

I am a 57 year old gringo living in Southern Arizona and received this book from a friend of mine who is related to the author. I did not expect much and the beginning had me wondering if I would make it through all 500+ pages of small print. It did not take very long for me to realize that this book was well above ordinary. Prior to reading this book, I personally had gotten the most enjoyment from " East of Eden " and " The Agony and The Ecstacy " and place Mr. Villasenor's novel along side both. I cried and laughed like hell and as a lifelong Catholic, was deeply moved by the incredible faith of both of his grandmothers. Some of the other reviewers were put off by his technique, I was not. I very much agree with those who found great enjoyment from this book, as I had a difficult time putting it down and experienced a real sadness as I read the final words, I did not want it to end. Mr. Victor Villasenor is one heck of a storyteller and I feel blessed to have entered into his family through his written words.

John Towle - Vail, Az.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Powerful book October 9, 2005

By therosen VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

This book started slow. It came as a gift from a friend, and just the size was intimidating. As I started, all the talk of religeon, miracles and spirits was a bit much for a supposedly true family history. The more I read, the better it got. The history of how Mr. Villasenor's grandparents came to America and met is an epic of love, transcendence and overcoming odds. If you can make it past page 20, you won't put it down.

It would have been very easy for this to be a whitewashed view of the world. Instead, the author confronts some of the darker sides of his family history. Many relatives spent time in jail. Grandpa was a bootlegger. Many of his great-aunts and uncles were jealous at the best of times, and awful at the worst. Yet somehow a great story emerges.

I can only imagine the effort required to produce this book. Mr. Villasenor, your effort was well worth it.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An exquisitely told tale! August 21, 2001

By "larar1"

Format:Paperback

When I was an English Literature major in college in the early 1990s, I wrote my senior thesis on the significance of Chicano literature. "Rain of Gold" was included in my study. It is a beautifully written book and a tremendously valuable contribution to American literature.

In Victor Villasenor's "Rain of Gold," the dominant theme or metaphor is the struggle for survival. The mythic structure provides a rich and meaningful context for the characters and their inner struggle for identity and survival. "Rain of Gold" is the story of two parallel lives -- those of Juan Salvador and Lupe Gomez, characters delineated from Villasenor's real-life mother and father, who grow up with their respective families in two distant towns in Mexico and meet as young adults in California.

The novel can be divided into three parts: the families trying to survive in Mexico, but opting to find a better life in the U.S.; their harsh and harrowing journeys through the rough terrain of the Mexican deserts; and finally, their miraculous arrival and struggle in the U.S. The novel challenges the reader to experience the harsh realities of the characters' hardships and triumphs. Their struggle is internal and personal. Villasenor's adherence to myth, religion and a little of the magical paints a vivid image of a people -- survivors not only of physical challenges, but spiritual ones as well. His story is well detailed and well developed. It is truly an epic in every sense of the word.