Barrio Boy: The Story of a Boy's Acculturation

by Ernesto Galarza

Barrio Boy is the remarkable story of one boy's journey from a Mexican village so small its main street didn't have a name, to the barrio of Sacramento, California, bustling and thriving in the early decades of the twentieth century.

Galarza's saga begins in Jalcocotán, a mountain village just south of where the Gulf of California joins the Pacific. When the turmoil precipitated by the Mexican Revolution begins to escalate, the family leaves their tiny village in search of safety and work in a nearby city. Subsequent moves introduce the boy to the growing turbulence of the Revolution and the uncertainties of city life. He experiences firsthand the difficulties in finding work in a strife-torn nation, securing an education, and keeping a close-knit family intact. When his family finally settles in Sacramento, young Ernesto encounters new experiences and influences that will forever shape his outlook and broaden his horizons.

With vivid imagery and a rare gift for re-creating a child's sense of time and place, Galarza gives an account of the early experiences of his extraordinary life that will continue to delight readers for decades to come.

"Ernesto Galarza has written a long and vivid memoir of his childhood. The only disappointment in the book is that it does not go on for another couple of volumes to recount its author's rare career in redefining America." —The New York Review of Books

"With its suspense, humor, and occasional sadness, Barrio Boy is splendid reading." —American Anthropologist

"[A] personal document where historical self-explanation, philosophical self-analysis, and poetic self-expression merge to tell with irony and humor a social story: an individual's participation in one of the grandest migrations of modern times—the influx of Mexicans into the American Southwest." —Diacritics

Genres: Nonfiction, School, Biography, History, Latino, Memoir, Latinx

275 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1971

About the author

When Ernesto Galarza was eight, he and his parents migrated to Sacramento, California, where he worked as a farm laborer. Ernesto was an excellent student.
He became one of the first Mexican-Americans from a poor background to complete college. Later he received a M.A. from Stanford in 1929, and a Ph.D. in history from Columbia University in 1944. Galarza came back to California, where he tried to organize unions for farm laborers. While this effort failed, it created the foundation for the United Farm Workers Union of the 1960s. He wrote several books, most notably the 1964 Merchants of Labor, on the exploitation of Mexican contract workers, and the 1971 Barrio Boy, that about his own childhood. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1976.

Reviews

[Bob Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

la senda hasta Sacramento

I liked reading BARRIO BOY 36 years ago, but having forgotten it completely, I recently re-read it and enjoyed it as much the second time. It's a humorous story of a kid growing up in a remote Mexican mountain village, moving to town, then to a city, while Mexico thrashed in the throes of the great revolution that lasted for ten bloody years. Eventually the eight year old Ernesto arrives at the American border, then goes to live with his mother and uncle in the working class section of Sacramento, California. The story leaves off as he is about to enter high school, so the recollections are of early childhood and boyhood only. The detail of everything is fantastic. Galarza must have had an amazing memory, or else he filled in the gaps by talking with his older relatives. The story moves along, never getting boring. More than anything else, this book gives you the feel of life in the Mexico of those times from the point of view of one who lived it, not just observed it. As it is the point of view of a kid, naturally there is little introspection or thinking about deeper meanings, overall trends, or the wider picture. You don't ever find out what happened to him, but if you look into it, you'll find that he was one of the first Chicanos to graduate from Stanford and got a Ph.D from Columbia too, becoming active in the labor movement. This guy was a bright spark all right. Bright colors as in a child's life, animals, sounds, special effects, unusual neighbors----these are marvelously portrayed, as are his observations of the differences between Mexicans and `gringos', not to mention other nationalities he met in California. His uncles, his mother, his feelings about his absent father---these hardly surface at all. His mother re-married, but you don't learn how the author felt in the one sentence he devoted to this event. He had three more siblings, but we learn little about them. His mother and older uncle Gustavo died in the flu epidemic after World War I, but he expresses little sense of loss. In short, you get the action and events, but none of his feeling. He is seldom critical. As the portrayal of a Mexican-Anerican life, or the life of any immigrant who came to the US in the early 20th century, this book cannot be outclassed. It's valuable for its memories, and for its good writing style. I recommend it highly.

[Karisa Austin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was pretty disappointed in this book. I expected an in depth description of his life in Mexico and then his transition to the U.S. I thought his narrative would go a lot deeper over the differences between the two cultures and his experience to understand them both. More than half of the book was only focused on his life in Mexico and he barely touched upon the culture differences between Mexicans and Americans and his experience dealing with the change. In my opinion, he gives a lot of details about things people don't care about and then skips over the stuff that people would care about. His mother dies and he spends about 2 sentences describing that. He is separated from his sisters and he doesn't talk about that at all. No emotions. Nothing. The book also ended in a weird way. The story did not come to a close and it ended with him just entering high school. I would not recommend this book.

[Lizandro Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not my usual read but quite an astonishing story. This novel does get quite moving at some times because i have overcome some obstacles such as Ernesto Galarza has. This overall is a great novel if you like motivating stories I'm sure this will be the one that will motivate just about anyone. As a teen i really liked how Ernesto Galarza has wrote about his childhood and life as a teen striving to be a better him. I really wish he would have wrote about himself receiving his PHD though.

[Léa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is notable for Galarza's ear and eye as he paints the details of village life, the series of moves in Mexico, and the many decisions the Galarza family made as they moved step by step away from physical danger. The last parts of the book about life in a Sacramento barrio interested me less but still kept me reading.

On a lighter note, his account of appearing as a first-grader in a Cinco de Mayo performance was so vivid I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Readers who were bored by this book may have been assigned to read it in school. I think Barrio Boy would be an excellent read before before going to Mexico--it's a pageturner that can deepen the Mexican experience for the imaginative traveler.

[John Paul Jaramillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Galarza’s book Barrio Boy I was amazed at the brilliant memoir of Galarza’s boyhood experience of the Mexican Revolution and segregation in American neighborhoods. I was interested to find a different definition of the term chicano and also I was interested to read about the struggle for work and how that struggle for work drove the family to head north to Sacramento, California. I delighted in the entirety of the literacy narrative and Galarza’s attention to detail and description of his boyhood village and the American colonia he later lived in with his family. I hope to add this book to my proposed Latino Lit course for the Spring 2013 term.

[Christina Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entire time I was reading this, I kept imagining my Grandfather living like this as a child. I pictured him running around his Pueblo, all the families crammed into one house (which still is a thing) and working five jobs to help his family. This book made me laugh and cry. A lot of crying just because it did make me think of Huelo so much. Its sad that the treatment of farm workers still hasn't changed much.

[Esther Dushinsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an interesting story worth telling. But the author shared way too many insignificant details that made the book a long read without so much substance. The minute details of the areas, the homes, and every other aspect made it way too tedious. I wanted to get to the meat of the story, but by the time he arrived in the US, I was done. The details took over the facts of the story.

[Susie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt the book was lopsided. It wasn’t until page 180 that the setting shifted from Mexico to the US, making me feel like I had to wade through 2/3rds of the book just to get past the exposition. I wanted to know what life was like in the US, and then hear about Mexico by way of comparison. I much preferred Of Beetles and Angels or even the fictional account of immigration in Dragonwings.

[Andrew Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

How this book made me laugh (and Almost cry). The journey of an immigrant can be soo difficult but yet colorful.

[Linda Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing that struck me as I read Barrio Boy is how a writer must have a phenomenal memory--or a well-documented journal--to write an autobiography. Galarza describes the village he lived in as a boy and everything else he comes across as he and his family struggle to escape the Mexican Revolution and come to settle in Sacramento, California. But these detailed descriptions are also the problem with this otherwise important book. While the author recreates in great detail the daily life in the villages and later in the barrios where he grew up, there is less emphasis on the emotional significance of his experiences as a refugee and later as an immigrant. In the final chapter, I started to get a feel for Galarza's passion for his life's goals, but it came too late. Nevertheless, Galarza's book should be read for its historical depiction of a young Mexican boy's escape from revolutionary Mexico to his new life in the U.S., and the seeds of his life's passion, fighting for farmworkers' rights.

[emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read an excerpt from this book at school and I wanted to read it SO bad and it was SO disappointing.

Books of this length usually take me 2-3 days to finish--maybe even 1 day if I'm really going at it. I've been reading it for 5 days and I was barely on page 110. I can't bear to actually finish the thing.

It's just... flat out boring. I like when writers add details to their writing, but this is too much. 70% is just describing how things work or how things look without any actual plot development. Barely anything happens, and when it does there's no emotion, so let me remind you that this is a MEMOIR.

It seems weird to me that this is apparently required reading in schools, because what are you going to analyze? It's like eating a bone with a single chunk of meat on it. I'm sure it was an important piece of literature when it was published, but there's so much more books from Mexican authors these days about our experiences. If you have it as assigned reading, you're honestly best off reading something off eNotes.

Final verdict: 2/5

[Benjamin Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had to sum up the main character in one word it would be hardworking because, in the village he lives he works hard does all his chores and takes care of all his pets. When he moves to sacramento with his family, he starts going to school and does well in it.
The climax of the story is that one day the secret police come to the mains character village to draft able body man for the revolution so him and his family fled to sacramento.

[Sam Kiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a history class at college, HST 239 - History of Latinos in the US. I thought it was a spectacular read. It gave the perspective of a child, obviously, with an adult Galarza writing the book. It is chalk full of impactful imagery and insight as to a different reason someone would leave Mexico for the US.
I found this book incredibly interesting and believe it is well worth the read!

[Raúl Mosti · Rating 2 out of 5]

One thing the writer makes me curious about is the little "village" where barrio boy lives. That "village" is basically one street without any name.

Barrio boy is likely to never be timid or shy about his roots. Actually, Ernesto Galarza is very proud about his childhood.

[Yejin Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very tangible and relatable story and detailed autobiography; a highly recommend for students who want to learn more about the Mexican cultures and experiences of immigration and acculturation.

[Nasareya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like it was very drawn out. The story itself is good but I think the author focused on the “boring” bits and neglected the “interesting” parts. I do want to give this book a second try but for now i didn’t enjoy it. I feel bad for giving it a 2.5 bc this is someone’s life story😭🥲

[Jeff S · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat interesting read. Just the story of someone's life.

[Sam Kerr-Vanderslice · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the story of Ernesto's journey is interesting and his descriptive writing well done, the story lacks action or pacing. There are moments that have exciting things happening, but he relays them in the same, slow, descriptive way he relates everything else.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting learning about his early life, but I was expecting to learn of the latter part of his life but 90% of this book was about when he was a child. Disappointed...

[clancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved his humor and ability to keep the narration that of a boy

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read - about a childhood in the mountains of Mexico to a gradual move north during a revolution - eventually moving to Sacramento, CA.

[Anette Deyta · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an okay book

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

By Ernesto Galarza Pages:275

Barrio Boy by Ernesto Galarza is about a young boy who starts off by living in a small village in Mexico and moving to Sacremento California. This is a true story based off of Galarza's life. he talks about how the chaos of the Mexican revolution causes his family to have to gather all their things and leave. Explaining the troubles and hardships that his family dealt with during this time makes up most of the book. He explains the difficulty in finding a job in the new city. he also tells us that he had trouble staying close with his family during this time. Galarza was determined to find a job to support his family financially, he also wanted to have an education to have a sucessfull future. The final place that his family settled on was California. Along the way, they lived in many different small towns and that is the way the book is split up. There are five different sections, each are different places his family settled in for a short period of time.
I would reccommend this book to highschool students. We learn a little bit about the Mexican revolution in school, but this story goes in depth of the conditons and ways people were treated during this time. You are really able to see first hand how Galarza and his brother had to find jobs and do hard labor just so they could survive and help their family out. Galarza begins the story before The revolution had begun and he explains how life was before the revolution and the constant moving and afterwards when he was settled in one place and able to reconnect with his family and have a steady education.

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book ended up being something different from what I expected, but I still enjoyed it. I expected to read a lot on Galarza's life in the U.S. and his civil rights work with migrant workers. The book does not touch that part of his life except for a page's worth of foreshadowing at the very end. 75% of the book takes place in Mexico and follows Galarza from his childhood home in a small village through the several locations he lived before moving to the U.S. His writing style is very descriptive and highly-detailed. There is little dialogue and every major event appears somewhat understated. I read the 40th anniversary edition which includes an introduction. The introduction helped to explain that Galarza wrote this book mostly in reaction to a popular theme in Mexican-American culture at the time which was that Mexican-Americans were sort of lost at sea, adrift on the amnestic waves of American culture, with no sense of identity. If nothing else, this book proves that Galarza had a very defined sense of identity and remained proud of being Mexican even as he became American.

Highlights:
1. Galarza describing ceramic poop being sold in a town square in Mexico.
2. Galarza noting that the Mexican workers thought that the bosses prayed to "San Ofabeechee" and adopting English cusswords like "chet."

[sdw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ernesto Galarza (1905-1984) was a prominent labor leader who worked to publicize the labor conditions of the bracero program. He received his PhD in economics and was dedicated to improving the lives of working class Latinos. Among the positions he held was Director of Research and Education for the National Farm Labor Union. Barrio Boy is his autobiography including his early childhood in a small town in Southern Mexico, his family’s travels North as the Mexican Revolution occurs, and his experiences during his first decade in California. The book ends as he enters his senior year of high school. I was hoping for more from his later days of political activities. I appreciated that the majority of the book was situated in Mexico, and that the book did not read like one long continues ride north where life truly begins in the United States. There are many poignant moments in the book. There is a brief mention of the IWW that wobs may appreciate, and his brief conversation with Simon Lubin may be of note to some.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

I had to read this for school but, while it started out quite slow and I found myself skimming most of the first part-- the middle- to end got quite interesting.

I am first generation American in my family and both my parents migrated from Central America. From the year I was born, every summer, like clockwork, I was taken back to their homeland. I could empathize on a certain level during some of the descriptions he gave. For example, the fact that when leaving the room you were to say, excuse me or when visiting a friend's house you were never to ask for food or accept it. Others like the description of the journey to the United States and his innocence as a kid was something I could relate to coming from parents who are old school like his seemed to be.

Would definitely not reread it but it wasn't a bad read once I got passed the halfway mark.

[Lori McMullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book thinking I might be able to use it in my classroom, but what I found was a story that gave me yet another perspective on immigration. Ernesto Galarza tells his story in such a way that (after almost putting the book down in the first hundred pages) I couldn't wait to see what happened to "barrio boy." I especially liked the scenes of Sacramento and the surrounding areas. He even mentions my hometown, Truckee, where the uncles go to work at the lumber mill. Although the jury is still out on whether or not it is a fit for my classroom, it is definitely a story that I will enjoy sharing with others.

[Victor Batres]

This is a story about the author and his life. He talks about how he started off in a small village in Mexico and how he made his way here to California. He talks about the village where he’s from and what he does everyday in his life. But, pretty soon war starts to break out and his mom fears that they might come and take her son away or that the war might move in closer to thier town. Due to these events, his mom along with her two brothers move out of the town inorder to avoid any trouble. As the story goes on, he keeps on oving for different reasons.

[Cobian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn’t like this book. At first at though it was good but ones you start reading in it it gets boring hearing of the family moves from one place to another. This book starts in Mexico and then it ends in the United States. This book just talk about how this family struggles and that one of the reasons they move from one place to another. This book doesn’t teach you anything, the only thing it may be that you always have obtacles to face and like a human we are, we have to face them

[Reyna Grande · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I liked about this book is that it brought the past back to life. It was wonderful to be able to read about a boy's childhood in that particular place and time. In many ways, it reminded me of my own childhood in Mexico--living in poverty, in a shack, dealing with floods, making my own journey north. Interesting how some things never change. However, in terms of the writing itself, it needed more structure and better pacing and a few more things.