Burro Genius

by Victor Villaseñor

From one of America's most beloved authors comes a raw and unnerving memoir that explores the transformation of an angry young man into the bestselling author we know today.

When Victor Villaseñor stood at the podium and looked at the group of teachers amassed before him, he became enraged. He had never spoken in public before. His mind was flooded with childhood memories filled with humiliation, misunderstanding, and abuse at the hands of his teachers. With his heart pounding, he began to speak of these incidents. To his disbelief, the teachers before him responded to his embittered recollection with a standing ovation. Many could not contain their own tears.

So begins a touching memoir of an extremely angry adolescent. Highly gifted and imaginative, Villaseñor coped with an untreated learning disability (he was finally diagnosed with extreme dyslexia at the age of forty-four) and the frustration he felt growing up Latino in an English-only American school system that had neither the cultural understanding nor the resources to deal with Hispanic students.

Often beaten by his teachers because he could not speak English, Villaseñor was made to feel ashamed about his heritage, and even questioned the core values prioritized by his tight-knit family. Villaseñor's dyslexia, and growing frustration over not fitting in, fueled his dream to one day become a writer. He is now considered one of the premier writers of our time.

With his signature passion, his gift as a storyteller, and his own incredible story, Villaseñor allows readers into the soul of a young life touched by insecurity yet encouraged by a personal sense of artistic destiny. Burro Genius, a complex and inspiring coming-of-age story, is certain to become an American classic.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Latinx, Biography Memoir, Biography, Coming Of Age, Book Club

336 pages, Hardcover

First published June 17, 2004

About the author

Victor Villaseñor is an acclaimed Mexican-American writer, best known for the New York Times bestseller novel Rain of Gold. Villaseñor's works are often taught in American schools. He went on to write Thirteen Senses: A Memoir (2001), a continuation of Rain of Gold. His book Burro Genius: A Memoir (2004) describes his life. The author has received awards and endorsements, including an appointment to serve as the founding Steinbeck Chair at Hartnell College and the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, from February 2003 to March 2004.

Reviews

[Belle₊˚⊹♡ (Book slump💔) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

(no-spoilers)

╰┈➤ ”𝘕𝘰, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺-𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘴. 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.“

Despite this being a book for school this was so thought provoking and written so well!! 😭🙌🏼

This was my first time reading a memoir, and Viktor told his story so beautifully.
There was so many parts where I found myself crying and then HOOKED with the experiences he’d share, good and bad ones.

This will definitely not be my last read from his!
And I 100% recommend this!

⭐️Rating: 5/5
🔥Spice: 0/5 (search trigger warnings!⚠️)
📚Age rating: 15+


✉️📖Pre-read:

I’m reading this book for a report at school 🏫 🐒
Though this story seems interesting as well, so I’m looking forward to it! 🙂‍↕️

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

May 6 ~~ Review asap.

May 7 ~~ This is my third Villasenor book. I read Rain Of Gold pre-GR, and Wild Steps Of Heaven in 2017. He based those books on his family's life in Mexico and California, and I was very impressed with both novels.

So before beginning this memoir I knew much of the family history. But in these pages I met the author as a child, sharing details about his family life, school, his inner struggles with the wide world.

There are some people who have a spirit in them that will simply not be defeated, no matter what life has in store for them. They may suffer and be unsure of how to cope, but they carry on and fight their way through to understanding. Victor Villasenor is one of those people, and this book tells how he learned to become who he was meant to be.

He shares painful memories about torture in school (it is too horrible to be called abuse) and how he struggles to understand the differences between his family's view of themselves and Society's view of them. He was a very confused, angry, and sad little boy much of the time. But he had an inner strength and self-awareness, a willingness to think about things in a different way than most people could. This was his super power and what allowed him to survive.

Thank you, Mr Villasenor, for sharing this story. It must have been beyond difficult to go back and recreate those years so vividly, and I appreciate your willingness to show the world exactly what a burro genius is capable of doing.

Oh, and Happy 80th Birthday coming up May 11, 2020!! May you have many more!!

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victor Villasenor is a writer that I have been following for many years, having loved the first two books in this trilogy about his grandparents and parents, his familia in the beloved Rain of Gold and Thirteen Senses: A Memoir. But this book, Burro Genius, the author began writing in 1962 receiving one rejection after another until his first published book, Macho. And then although he had published many other books it was this memoir that he kept returning to realizing that it took his forty years to be able to tell his story. There were parts of this book that were stunningly beautiful and other sections that I found difficult to read. But at the conclusion of the book I had to realize that much of my discomfort was because of the truth of what Victor Villasenor was telling, in that in vivid language. Burro Genius is a raw and unnerving memoir showing the redemption and transformation of an angry young man in the hands of a very capable writer.

A guest at a literary conference, newly published writer Victor Villasenor, was asked to fill in at the last minute for the keynote speaker. As he stood at the podium and looking down at his audience of the group of teachers, he became enraged as his mind was overcome with memories of a childhood filled with humiliation, misunderstanding, and abuse at the hand of teachers. As he spoke of these frightening incidents he experienced as a child, he was surprised that the teachers before him responded to his words with a standing ovation, many in tears. And so begins the touching memoir of a vulnerable Latino, a highly gifted and imaginative child, coping with an undiagnosed learning disability impairing his ability to read. It was in these American schools that Hispanic students suffered at the hands of a system that was unprepared with any understanding of the culture or the resources to deal with it. This was a fitting final book in the trilogy about the Villasenor family.

“Dreaming, I slept in my large, spacious hotel room. Dreaming of all of the different waters that had gone slipping, sliding under the bridge on which I’d been living mi vida. A bridge bridging my Indian and European roots, a bridge bridging my Mexican and American cultures, a bridge bringing my indigenous beliefs and Catholic-Christian upbringing, a bridge bridging my first few years of life in the barrio and then my life on our rancho grande, then that whole big world outside our gates. I slept. . . .the Pacific Ocean slapping the seashore quietly in the near distance as I dreamed. . .”

[Karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hell, I'm glad that you flunked again, said my dad.
I was shocked. You are? I said.
Hell, yes! My mother always used to say that when the going got tough, this was when we had the real opportunity to do God's work. 'Come on, God,' she'd say in the middle of a disaster, 'give it to me some more! Because I know that together, You and me, God, We can move mountains!'
(PG 253)

I am conflicted on this memoir. I can't argue the man's memories and I wouldn't try but many are when he's like five years old and he must have the memory of an elephant dating back to the womb. So just some questionable, Are these real memories you relived or did someone remind you of that memory?

I didn't grow up in that era or in his affluence but I was appalled at Villasenor getting his ass kicked by any and most teachers that came into contact with him. My heart broke for that little boy. My first language is Spanish and I learned English throughout elementary school. We were a poor immigrant family but my Dad was and still is a hard worker. Villasenor had money the whites and Mexicans envied. (He never said how his father made said money.) While I got taunted by the kids a bit for being born in another country I never knew this kind of treatment. I wonder why his parents weren't contacted or told many things he describes in the memoir. I think my parents would have tried to protect us from getting beat by any stranger that wasn't them. Lots of questions but I also understand it was a different era, a different point in time.

I am familiar with Carlsbad and Oceanside. I am about an hour north. That was fun to see then and now on these towns. The houses there are over $1.2 million now....

My favorite character was his dad. He reminded me of mine and he just seemed like a good guy full of wisdom. I am a very superstitious person so I understood many of the things Victor described in the memoir, looking for signs of God in things or being spoken to by God if you just take a minute to listen, not necessarily spiritualism, but something helping and guiding us, protecting us.

All in all, a good story. I am glad he balanced his hate of teachers with the good ones mixed in there. I am happy he got help for his dyslexia and he is a published author. Everything happens for a reason you just need to have Faith.

I recommend with an element of disbelief. Even if you are not religious this is a good novel of someone's life, as seen through his eyes, obviously.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very often does a book grab you by the throat and challenge your preconceptions. Yet Villasenor’s memoir does just that as he recounts growing up as an “other” in southern California. Born into a successful middle-class family of Mexican decent, Villasenor quickly learned two things when he started school. First, that his teachers and fellow students (gringos, nearly every single one of them) hated Mexicans, and took every opportunity to let him know that. And second, despite an intuitive knack for math, young Victor learned that he couldn’t read. (Later diagnosed as dyslexia as an adult.)

Although the taunts of being a dirty, thieving Mexican become a bit tired after a while, Villasenor manages to balance his narrative by presenting us with a remarkably realistic portrait of his immensely savvy and big-hearted father – who, in another day in age, would have been declared a heretic by the Catholic Church for his Native-based beliefs about love and gender equality. Villasenor also details his unadulterated rage at an education system that, more often that not, beat him down by declaring him an imbecile not even worth his weight in salt. (An imbecile who happens to be a brilliant and published writer these days, I might add.)

At turns shocking, raw, and hilarious (he saves the later when recounting his many misadventures with various family members), Villasenor has cooked up a heady brew of humanism unparalleled by many modern memoirists.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I added magical realism as one of the descriptions for this book because like many of my favorite Latin American authors, Victor Villaseñor incorporates the spiritual into his every day life by which I am truly fascinated. Perhaps because I envy that natural connection to the spiritual and the ordinary relationship the individual has with his or her higher power and the spirit world.

This book takes you through the pain of a boy growing up Mexican in the 1940s and '50s in a country (the US) that institutionally believed Mexicans to be less than human. Though the pain is severe enough to make Villaseñor want to kill his tormentors, he is saved by the freedom of forgiveness.

There is so much wisdom in this book. I particularly love that his father teaches him that "all good men need to be raised like a woman for the first seven years of their life." He explains,

"My father, he never taught me nothing, but hate and anger and how abusive men can be with all their power. It was my mother and her side of the familia, los Indios, who taught me why it is that God made a man's balls so sensitive and easy to hurt...You see, to be a good hombre a las todas is to be--just like a man's balls-soft and tender inside your heart, and yes, easy to be hurt."

Another example of the wisdom in this book comes from his brother quoting their grandmother when Victor uses the word "damn!"

"Don't you use that word again...you don't want to say that word towards anyone, and especially not towards yourself. Our mamagrande Doña Margarita, papa's mama, would never allow us to use that word. Instead she'd have us bless ourselves and bless everyone else, too, explaining to us that this was our power, when we humans all lived in God's blessings."

Lastly for me to mention (though there is so much more), is the wisdom his father teaches him about forgiveness. But I will let you discover that and the rest when you read this blessed book.

Side note: For those of you who know San Diego, the book takes place in Oceanside which adds a special local historical element to the book. I also highly recommend his first book, Rain of Gold which chronicles the life of his paternal grandparents leaving Mexico during the Revolution and ultimately ending up in Carlsbad during the early 1900s. He also wrote Thirteen Senses about his maternal grandparents, but I've not read it yet.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this memoir. As an educator, it really hurt to see how these teachers treated Victor during his school years. In the 40s and 50s, educators didn’t know how to “teach” Mexican and black children. They would seat them in the back of the room and point out their faults to the entire classroom. These kids would also be physically abused by the teachers and principals. Victor hated school and actually wanted to kill some of his previous teachers as he grew older. Luckily he had a strong family and his parents taught him how to rely on God. He was also lucky that he grew up in a family that had money, and didn’t have to have another layer of depression that poverty can add to a child with low self esteem. I think Victor is probably an even better speaker than writer.

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I have chosen for English was “ Praise of Burro Genius” I am going to be listing many things about my book. The book basically starts of with a book publisher by the name victor who has a opportunity at a school board meeting we’re there are many publishers and he hasn’t even sold a book because his books are not out there, a good thing happens to victor because a author/Publisher doesn’t show up and he’s running late so a girl named Karen is looking for a book publisher to read but no one knows how to presentate, so victor gets the courage to presentate keep in mind he’s Mexicano and Karen is like no but but another staff member named sandy says to let him go up to presentate. So victor goes up and he says how he is angry because English teachers all his life got mad at him because he only knows Spanish and didn’t know how to read but when he was mentioning things about his life when he was a child some English teachers got up and left because they felt offended but the rest clapped for him because he was saying we should have kids loving school not hating school because English teachers don’t care. For example he stated how “My English teacher made me pee my pants in front of the whole class and I cried home. Vector mentions how us Mexicans are looked down on. So I’m going to list 4 things I loved about this book and one thing i Hated about this book The first thing I loved about “Praise of Burro Genius” is how it talks about the Mexicans history on how us Mexicanos and Indians came here and how it was a struggle because whites thought us Mexicanos were bad and no good people. The Second thing I loved most about this book was how it has a spiritual connection towards God, For example “I made a sign of the cross over myself and began talking to God. So young vector is praying to God because he feels alone at school because other kids know how to read and speak English and he only understands Spanish. The third thing I Love about this book is how it shows Courage because the author Victor is just a young kid and is telling his life story in this book, Vector in situations like loosing his brother Joseph and not being able to read or thinking us Mexicanos are no good people because on what white kids and teachers get in his head. Even though he is a kid he is slowly turning into a man he was actually courageous even when he brings himself Down because he still figures out the situation and learns something new on the ranch and from his familia. The forth thing I loved about this book is how it talks about familia, how family is always gonna be there for you no matter what, even though Vector doesn’t understand some things at his young age his mom Lupe, Dad Salvador, brother Joseph and his two sisters Tencha and Linda all Love Vector because he’s so kind hearted and loving. His dad and brother are who taught him how to be a man because of them he shot a rifle by himself and took god advice from them. But his mother Lupe and his sisters are who taught him how to love and be patient with himself. One thing I didn’t like about thus book was probably how white people would Judge us Mexicans and treat us at th lowest because we didn’t speak any English for example Vector teacher said “ NO ENGLISH YOU DONT LIVE IN MEXICO”. That made me mad as hell like I don’t like that teacher at all wish she got fired.

[Ivan Arzate · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author of Burro Genius is Victor Villaseñor and struggled when trying to publish the book because it received more than 260 rejections. This book was published on June 29, 2004. Villaseñor is a Mexican-American author who was often made fun of and hurt by teachers due to the fact that he did not know English very well. He unfortunately had to repeat third grade twice and struggled with school life because the lack of friends made it extremely difficult to get through. A very unique thing about Villaseñor is the fact that when he was young, he would draw stars when he felt upset and this stuck with him for the rest of his life. Most of the events in this memoir occur during the 1940’s.

The setting of this book takes place in several different places depending on where one is reading. Many of these places include Victor’s ranch, a stage where Villaseñor presents a motivational speech and impresses a huge crowd of people, and even the school where he is severely mistreated by the teachers themselves. Most of the characters in the story include Victor and his family. His family involves Lupe, Salvador, Joseph, Hortencia and these were protagonists. The plot consists of Victor’s life from when he was a little boy learning about life lessons up to the point where he became a writer and manages to get through many tough situations. Many of the conflicts have to do with discrimination against Mexicans such as when his teachers and some students make fun of Villaseñor for not being able to speak English fluently and a very difficult conflict he went through was the loss of his older brother Joseph at a young age. The theme of this memoir is to be determined and persistent because no conflict is unbeatable and they will come to an end.

Honestly, I did not really enjoy reading Burro Genius. It is a book with great morals and life lessons, but it misses many elements I enjoy in books. At times the book was repetitive and it was not very interesting for most of the time I read it. Secondly, I was not able to connect very well with any of the characters in the book and I highly enjoy being able to relate to a story just like most readers do. The pacing is consistent so it is just right. Not too fast and not too slow.

The target audience for this book would be the Mexican community. This is due to the fact that the main character goes most of the situations Mexicans go through when they are stereotyped. A related book includes The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

This book is important because it teaches all readers that just because you are a certain ethnicity does not mean you are not capable of achieving your dreams. All that is needed is to be persistent and willing to stand up to those who are against you. This book is a great work of
nonfiction, but the lack of certain elements disinterested me.

[Katie Rearden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book assigned for a class I’m taking in grad school. It was such a good read. Anyone that works with children, especially teachers should read this book. Anyone that works with multilingual learners should absolutely read this book. I can’t recommend enough!

[Allison Mickunas · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st book of the year and it is going to be difficult to beat. Villaseñor speaks to the teacher in me, reinforcing the importance of celebrating the importance of each student’s heritage and listening to what they have to say.

[Jane Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely. Should be required reading for all teachers. Heartbreaking treatment by teachers and clergy for any school child even 65 years ago. Beautifully read by Robert Fass.

[Millie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So incredibly good, probably my favorite book. PLEASE READ THIS

[Lupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt like I was listening to my tio telling me about his childhood. I was chuckling from beginning to end and also learned some things about my Mexican heritage. I wish more Hispanic students were required to read this book.

[Erin Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

a compelling memoir that brings in elements of humor and touches of magical realism (given his spiritual upbringing and connection to the ranch he grows up on) while also discussing many gravely intense experiences he endured throughout his childhood especially when at school struggling to move past a third grade reading level in an extremely racist atmosphere - incredible that he didn’t know he had dyslexia until he was married and testing his own children who were struggling with reading

many lessons to be learned and would highly recommend the read

“all good men need to be raised like a woman for the first seven years of their life”

[Julette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I found it interesting to hear the struggles he had growing up in California. Parts of it made me despise how our educational system used to treat students who were different and the rampant racism that was allowed, even in Private schools.

I loved the blending of traditional Indian spirituality with Catholicism. The amazing way his Mammagrande and other Familia helped him deal with tragedy and the focus on becoming a good man despite the racism he continually encountered. This is a must-read for several reasons.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, intense and, at times, simultaneously over and underwritten memoir.

First off, Villasenor is an excellent writer, when he tries. The stories he tells are fascinating. He writes in a heartrending manner about being bullied by teachers and students, particularly over his race. He has great stories, including one about his father taking their horse to a bar and forcing the bartender to serve the horse six beers and several shots of tequilla. The author and his mother go to the bar and try to get the horse and father home.

But often, I felt like Villasenor was descending into histrionics. Sure, he was bullied, but he sometimes presents himself as too perfect to be believable. Was he beaten by his teachers for speaking Spanish and being Mexican: I can believe that. Was he never responsible for any of the things teachers blamed on him: that seems a tougher sell.

Also, the violence he imagined, planned and even began to execute on his tormenters was a bit unnerving. We all want to get back at those who harm us, but planning on dynamiting your bully teacher seemed a bit much, even if he backed away from this initial plan, realizing that he did not want to hurt the teacher's wife and daughter; instead, he went with Plan B, hunt the teacher with a rifle, though he never quite gets around to his murderous rampage.

If he overwrites these things, he underwrites as well. The stories were interesting, but they could have been more cohesive. Things never really connect together. At times, it just seems like a collection of different things that happened in his life, rather than a life story. Sure, life is just a series of events, but (good) books about lives should have arcs and should mean something. The book starts out seeming like it is going to be about his journey through dyslexia, but, by the end, it is just shit that happened to him.

Still, worth the read.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book years ago, and elected to read it again for a class I am taking this semester. I had forgotten how much I LOVE Villaseñor's writing!

Burro Genius is a memoir that tells of the author's family life and schooling in post World War II Oceanside, CA. As the son of Mexican immigrants (whom you can read about in Rain of Gold and Thirteen Senses, two more FANTASTIC books which I may reread) he is raised to love his heritage, family, and self. When he begins kindergarten he learns that the world does not see him in the same way. With undiagnosed dyslexia and often misunderstood motivations he struggles between love and hatred for himself and his family.

My Spanish is much better than it was eleven years ago when I first read this book. While I loved it then, I saw so much more humor in some of the Spanglish Villaseñor uses throughout his work. I think anyone will have a hard time putting this book down, but anyone who teaches or works with children should definitely have to read this book. Our actions, words and attitudes can have profound effects on the people we serve for decades into the future. If we want a better world, we need to be aware of how our explicit and implicit biases can manifest so that we can begin to be the change.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by Villasenor although I've planned on reading Rain of Gold for literally years; I'm glad I started here because I feel I got to know the man (or the boy who would become the man) before reading his fictionalized version of his family's history. But to some degree, this memoir also seems a bit "fictionalized" in that Villasenor incorporates magical realism into his account of growing up in Oceanside, California (where I also live). But it seems clear to me that although my perception of his account of his life might seem "fictionalized" based on my mainstream, northern-European-influenced Christian upbringing, Villasenor is simply recounting the truth of his life based on his Mexican-American-influenced Christian perception of how the cosmos works. I love that this book forced me to look at the world I have always perceived through the very different lens of a writer who lives, not on the other side of the world, but, literally, on the other side of town. I must say that I love this man's voice more than I like his writing, but I am really looking forward, now, to reading Rain of Gold. His love and joy radiate off the page!

[Anna Pardue · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me way too long to finish this book. It wasn't a hard read; I just didn't care that much. I absolutely hated the first chapter, where the author ripped into a bunch of teachers at a conference. It's one thing to hold a grudge against specific teachers, or to even hate them in general. But to go in front of a group of strangers and chastise them for the sins of others was just not acceptable to me. He could have shared his experiences and asked that they do better than their predecessors. Instead, he acted like he was talking to those who did him wrong, and had no filter for appropriateness, given the setting. I just didn't appreciate it, and I was offended on behalf of the teachers in that room. I think that's why I wasn't able to get into the book. I didn't like him from the start. Yes, after reading his story, I can understand why he was so upset. But he aimed that righteous anger at the wrong crowd.

[Thomas Warf · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had sections in it that were really fantastic, but overall ended up disappointing me. Victor Villasenor is writing about his experiences growing up in San Diego during the 1950s, many of those experiences are brutal and heart-breaking. However toward the end of the book there is a disconnect between some of those experiences and the way his character behaves. While he has had a bad time at school, his behavior in the end makes me scratch my head, and then the way the book finishes leaves me empty. The fantastic and mystical conclusion was disappointing after so much emotion throughout the book. That teamed with the fact that Victor doesn't really explain his seemingly dumb determination to kill his teacher kind of made me think he is shallow and simple.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...but I was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, I was some kind of crazy-loco genius, burro genius. I mean, to have been able to hold on to my Spirit for this long had to mean something."

Fantastic memoir. This book is not another criticism of the evils of education and the underappreciation of teachers, rather, Villaseñor sheds some truly unique light on the difference--as stark as night and day--between our ideals and the reality of schooling. I want to think of Victor's maltreatment in isolation, an unfortunate thing of the past, but I also know that the roots of our current troubles may just begin with a kid being made to believe that he does not have anything of value to offer the world.

[Zahreen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been reading too many lukewarm books in a row - I am kind of getting down on the whole thing myself. Anyways - I think the book was a healing process for the author, but for me it was just a frustrating, "can you get to the point", cruel-to-people-in-his-past book, and thus not an enjoyable read.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story although some of the recounting goes on a bit too long. I appreciate the struggles but at certain points I felt like lets move along now.

[Jennifer]

Burro Genius by Victor Villaseñor, it's a book about a man from Oceanside, California who is from Mexican and Indian descent and his first language was Spanish. Throughout his elementary and middle school years, he was made fun of because he couldn't write or speak English very well and nobody and especially his teachers didn't believe in Victor because he was Mexican and he had dyslexia. Finally after all those years of being made fun of, he published his own book and became a well known author. He flux,es third grade twice because he could read and had a terrible time with grammar. Everyone read and loved his book even though nobody knew who he was. He got well known after giving a speech to teachers about writing and teaching students at a convention meeting. I chose this book because I like reading books related to my Mexican culture. My grandma also recommended this book to me because she had read it and she liked it and has read it too many times but in Spanish. This book was more of a light, fun reading because I liked the excitement of how this story was going and enjoyed how this man was a hard working person with a big heart. He struggled so much to be who he is now because he didn't know the language of English and in elementary school, he went to a military school where his older brother that passed away went and everyone knew his brother very well. He had a teacher who didn't believe in him and would give him a D or an F on all his essays because he wouldn't take him serious and thought he was a joke. When he would be upset, he would draw stars and that made him feel better. But he then had a substitute teacher who believed in him and thought he was the best writer in the class even though he wasn't good at writing and gave him an A. That's when he knew he was going to become a good writer. When he would write he would write like nobody was watching and he was being himself. When he first started school, he would get judged by teachers because he was Mexican and would speak Spanish during school. They would also say that Mexicans were bad, dirty people who you can’t trust. He gets ashamed of being Mexican and his family. He would get mistreated and was told to only speak English. He then finds out that he’s dyslexia. That's why he would have trouble with reading English and fitting in with the others. Here’s a quote, “No, I wasn’t very smart, this I knew, but I was beginning to think that maybe,just maybe, I was some kind of crazy-loco genius, burro genius. I mean, to have been able to hold on to my Spirit for this long had to mean something”. I really feel like the audience would enjoy reading this because it can benefit everyone to acknowledge that many people have trouble writing, reading and speaking even though it’s not your first language. You believe in yourself and you will succeed.

[Gabriela Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burro Genius by Victor Villasenor was honest and had many inspiring stories in it. The idea of this book was him writing about how he had trouble in school, he was treated unfair because he was Mexican, and how he has a close connection with nature. The main conflict of this story was that he never liked school and dealt with unfair treatment from classmates and teachers. Since Elementary, teachers picked on him and his friends because they spoke Spanish in the playgrounds and classrooms. They were called on and hit on for speaking Spanish and they simply called them dumb because they spoke a different language and they thought they weren’t smart enough to learn. All through his school years he had a problem with reading because he would mix some words up. His teachers gave up on him and he would do his best to avoid reading out loud and for a test. He was later diagnosed with extreme dyslexia which was till he was 44 years old. Through out the whole reading I made a connection to racism and discrimination. They had a lot of stereotypes for Mexicans in the early times such as in schools, church, and stores. As a young child, Victor, was often told in school that Mexicans were dirty, no good and lying people. They were put in the back of the classroom because teachers simply thought that it would be best to push them away rather than make time for them. Mexican students were slapped, yelled at, and soap would be used to wash their mouth just because they were speaking Spanish. It isn’t fair because in the U.S. were told that we should be treated with respect and given the right to freedom speech regardless of who we are.
What I liked about this book was they way he described the relationship with his grandma and nature. He always had a strong connection with God and knew that his grandma’s and brother were always looking over him no matter where he was. He also had a strong connection with his parents when he was growing up, he was able to confide and them and know that he can go to them when he needed help with something. I disliked that there was times when he would talk about killing his teachers because of all the times they treated him cruelly. Which I understand because he was filled with anger and hate because they seemed to not care. I also didn’t like how the teachers treated these little kids in school simply because they weren’t White. It isn’t fair that they had to go through stuff that can affect them for their whole life as young children. I recommend this book to people that enjoy reading memoirs and want to have a different perspective.

[CTEP]

Burro Genio is the Spanish-language version of author Victor Villaseñor's memoir, Burro Genius. The book begins with Villaseñor, a relatively newly published author who had previously spent years creating drafts and being rejected by publishers, speaking publicly at a teachers' conference for the first time. Seeing the crowd of educators, he became emotional and revealed his years of abuse at the hands of the public school system. The book goes on to detail his upbringing in 1940s Southern California and moving from school to school with teachers and classmates that did not understand him. He spoke extremely limited English and did not get diagnosed with extreme dyslexia until middle age, leading to constant humiliation at the hands of his teachers. For example, he tells the story of being at a new school on his first day, and begging to go to the bathroom, only to keep being told "English only" over and over until he wet his pants. There are some really, really, sad moments in this book, although his family's support and his sense of humor provide some breaks.

This relates to my Americorps experience a lot, just remembering that learning to use computers is in many ways like learning a new language for people, many of whom at our sites already are learning the language of instruction, English. It served as an important reminder of how oppressive school systems can be, and how trauma can carry through generations. People tend to have a view of teachers as saints, as dedicated servants, etc. but talk less about how teachers can also perpetrate racism and violence with students of color. I also attended the Minnesota Literacy Council's ESL tutor training this month, so the topic of English learning students was fresh on the brain.

I think this book is hugely important for any of us to read. I think most of us have English learners at our sites and reading from the perspective of someone who was once an English learner, and who had a learning disability to boot, could be an important angle. I also had a pretty insufficient public education growing up, and even though we were in a state with a high Chicano population, we didn't talk about a lot of the historical racism the group experienced in the 30s-50s in the U.S. Anyone can borrow this book, just know that it's in Spanish.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I begin this review with this quote. "He'd (Villasenor's brother) told me what was needed on Earth wasn't control or money or great new inventions. No, what the world really needed was so simple - patience, love, compassion, forgiveness, and understanding." Villasenor opens up his memoir giving an impromptu lecture at the California Association of Teachers of English conference where he railed against the teachers who abused him and mistreated him as a child. Villasenor, a Mexican-American, experienced a lot of bigoted behavior by the people who were entrusted to educate him, not degrade him. Throughout the book, Villasenor speaks with a powerfully angry voice, and rightfully so. His father, who comes across as very defiant at first, is a proud man who isn't very religious, but full of wisdom, rubs off on Villasenor. Meanwhile, his mother and older brother, who are completely opposite of the father, stresses forgiveness and rationality over defiance. When a family tragedy occurs, the roles are reversed, and it's the father who teaches the family the ultimate lesson in learning how to forgive move on from the anger and hurt.

[Mr. R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second reading of Burro Genius; the first time was back during my teaching credential program. Both times I really enjoyed this memoir of a young boy who combats racism while living in Oceanside, CA. Having my own father live in Oceanside for several years, I never realized how close I was to the places mentioned in the book; in fact, my father lived very close to the Villasenor hacienda/ranch. Perhaps the local aspect of the book gave some rose-colored glasses at times, for the story is not without its criticisms (the whole, "damn--I mean..." grew old; the Villasenor name was a staple in Oceanside, though the acquisition of wealth was never explained..etc.). Sometimes I couldn't stand the narrator (Mr. Villasenor himself), but other times he was endearing and had me on the verge of tears. The extreme desire to kill everyone who bullied him, including teachers, didn't age well--especially with school shootings in America--but I'm glad he found peace. I think this book is very important for people who want to become teachers. It's a difficult world for a youth. Teachers don't need to add to that in harmful ways.

Grade: B

[Marni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has written a memoir of his childhood as a Mexican-American born in California in 1940. His parents were barely literate, but they wanted their children to grown up with opportunities. Victor was bullied and abused by both students and teachers all through elementary school because he couldn't learn to read, and made his way through high school because of his talent at wrestling. His father was of indigenous ancestry and told Victor all the learnings he had from his grandmother. Here's an example from the book - "she didn't let herself get fooled into all this hocus-pocus bullshit of the Church! She told us all...'They cam to teach us with a Holy Book that only talks about life after people lost their way of living in the Grace of God. Why listen to that?...I want to learn from a book that tells us about the millions of years that people lived in the Graces of Papito back in the Holy Garden. To listen to anything less is an insult to our immortal Souls!"
The author was tested as an adult and has severe reading and auditory dyslexia. He finally knew why he couldn't learn to read and yet became an author.