Saturday, July 12, 2008

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez

**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**

Book Review: Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Krull, Kathleen. 2003. HARVESTING HOPE: THE STORY OF CESAR CHAVEZ. New York: Scholastic.
ISBN: 0439691087

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Harvesting Hope is a biography written by Kathleen Krull about the life of Cesar Chavez. The story begins with a glimpse into Cesar’s happy childhood growing up on a ranch with his family in Arizona. At the age of ten Cesar and his family is forced to move from their Arizona ranch to the green valleys of California when a drought hits the area. Cesar and his family become migrant workers living and working in the harsh conditions that existed at that time.

Cesar begins to speak out against the hardships migrant workers and their families were forced to endure with low wages, long hours, and horrific living conditions. At first, Cesar had a hard time getting people to pay attention to his cause for change, but with time and effort he was able to gather supporters and come up with a plan of action for change. Cesar organized the National Farm Workers Association, and organized a strike in the San Joaquin valley in 1965. The owners of the vineyards began to suffer financial losses because of the strike. La Causa (The Cause) was officially beginning to make an impact on the lives of the migrant workers.

Chavez and La Causa gained momentum during the march from the San Joaquin valley to the state capitol in Sacramento. Supporters came out in droves during the march and began lending their voices to the plight of migrant workers. The wealthy ranch owners and agricultural companies came to Chavez after losing millions of dollars in crop money after the strike and offered workers a contract guaranteeing fair wages and living conditions for migrant workers. The contract was the first ever for farmworkers in American History.

Cesar Chavez continued to push for change and fair labor laws until his death in 1993.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Award winning author Kathleen Krull brings the story of Cesar Chavez to life in Harvesting Hope. Krull’s descriptive and lyrical writing with the inclusion of personal anecdotes and stories about Chavez’s life will give readers who may not be familiar with Chavez’s story a solid understanding of his leadership, bravery, and dedication to the cause of improving life for migrant workers.

Although Krull does not cite her sources or include documentable dialogue, it is evident that careful consideration was paid to historical accuracy with the inclusion of timelines and an author’s note at the end detailing historical, political, and social events that defined the life of Cesar Chavez.

Krull’s biography is organized nicely for readers beginning with Chavez’s childhood and moving sequentially through his life, struggles, and victories. Krull features the most important events that shaped the life of Cesar Chavez and personalizes the story allowing the reader to really know who Chavez was and why he believed what he did. “Despite his shyness, Cesar showed a knack for solving problems. People trusted him. With workers he was endlessly patient and compassionate. With landowners he was stubborn, demanding, and single-minded. He was learning to be a fighter.”

Krull captures Chavez’s commitment to non-violent resistance including statements that demonstrate his strong views about the topic, “In a fight for justice, he told everyone, truth was a better weapon then violence. Nonviolence, he said, Takes more guts.

The design of the book pairs Krull’s writing with vivid and colorful illustrations that bring Cesar Chavez and the events that shaped his life into a clear and engaging focus. Krull’s passionate writing style will leave readers feeling inspired wanting to read more about the life of Cesar Chavez and the history of the migrant workers he championed for.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal: “The dramatic story of Chavez's 340-mile march to protest the working conditions of migrant farmworkers in California is the centerpiece of this well-told biography.”

Kirkus Reviews: “She portrays Chavez as a quiet, patient, strong-willed man who believed implicitly in his "causa" and worked tirelessly for his people.”

5. CONNECTIONS:
*This book can be used as a companion to a study of American History during the time of Chavez’s life.
*Students can pair this biography of Chavez with narrative texts written about the life of migrant workers in California such as Esparanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan and A Day’s Work by Eve Bunting
*Students can read this biography and the biography of other historic figures that worked for non-violent social change during their lives such as Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King.

AWARDS:
ALA Pura Belpre Honor Book
ALA Notable Children's Book

Web Resources:
http://www.kathleenkrull.com/
www.yuyimorales.com/guide.pdf

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