My Migrant Family Story / La Historia de Mi Familia Migrante

by Lily García

Every spring, Lilia Garcia had to leave school early to go north with her family to pick fruits and vegetables. She was too young to work in the fields with the rest of the family, so her mother and teenage brother would sign her up to attend the local school. She was the only Spanish-speaking child at Coloma Elementary, and that, combined with the fact that it was late in the school year, made it difficult to make friends and keep up with the work.

In this bilingual collection of short vignettes, Garcia remembers her family's life as migrant workers in the 1970s. Every year, they packed their red, Ford pick-up and left McAllen, Texas. The children's excitement soon waned during the long drive through Texas, but grew as they passed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and skyscrapers in Chicago. Finally, they arrived at their the Ponderosa in Coloma, Michigan.

The family worked year in and year out for the same patron , who allowed them to live in a house they called the Ponderosa, named for the big house in the TV show Bonanza . It was surrounded by fields full of an apple orchard lay to the east; a peach orchard was on the other side. There were strawberry patches, cherry trees and a grape vineyard.

Garcia's family worked long, back-breaking hours for a pittance, but they were together and their love for each other pulled them through. Garcia was nine when her father found a full-time job in McAllen and their migrant life came to an end. "We missed the adventure of travel and sightseeing, but we didn't miss the hard, back-breaking work." Staying in one place allowed the kids to focus on school, ensuring that they never had to do that back-breaking work again. This is a heartfelt recollection of the life of migrant workers.

Genres: Memoir

22 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2013

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would say about 3rd grade level? Educational story about the lives of the migrant workers, and the front to back, English to Spanish versions together made it easy to check on unfamiliar phrases (especially if part of your vocab is European Spanish and the other half is Mexican Spanish). The writing is very clear and the story is broken down into short chapters only a few pages long, which made this book very accessible.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the true story of the author and her family, told in Spanish and English. For almost 10 years, Lily and her family would travel from Texas to Michigan doing seasonal farm labor. An insightful look at the lifestyle of a migrant family. I was particularly intrigued because I grew up near Coloma, MI where this family spent quite a bit of time. It’s good for what it is, but not great. Only 22 pages for each language, but there are pictures also.