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    Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez
    Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez
    Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez
    Audiobook6 hours

    Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez

    Written by Richard Rodriguez

    Narrated by Jonathan Davis

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Hunger of Memory is the story of Mexican-American Richard Rodriguez, who begins his schooling in Sacramento, California, knowing just fifty words of English, and concludes his university studies in the stately quiet of the reading room of the British Museum.

    Here is the poignant journey of a "minority student" who pays the cost of his social assimilation and academic success with a painful alienation-from his past, his parents, his culture-and so describes the high price of "making it" in middle-class America.

    Provocative in its positions on affirmative action and bilingual education, Hunger of Memory is a powerful political statement, a profound study of the importance of language . . . and the moving, intimate portrait of a boy struggling to become a man.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 26, 2018
    ISBN9781541488755
    Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez

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    Reviews for Hunger of Memory

    3.5/5

    126 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Many of us are children of immigrants. This is an interesting take on that experience. We all become a part of the wider culture as we grow. Our families are still loved even as we move on. This was a nice audiobook.
    • 5/5
      Such a good book! Repetitive at times, but so insightful!
    • 4/5
      Excellent story of how a man, born Spanish-speaking, excels at education and partly loses his old culture.
    • 4/5
      A beautifully written book by a sad man alienated from his family, his past, and ultimately, himself. The son of immigrants, Rodríguez believes that the only option for minorities is to "assimilate" (that is, live up to the majority's expectations and standards), and he thinks the only way to do that is by turning away from one's past and heritage. He also seems to think that racism (at least towards brown people) is mostly a matter of class and education. I disagree with all of his conclusions, but I admit that I enjoyed his writing and sympathized with his sorrow.
    • 4/5
      An internal memoir, more an explanation of who he is instead of a transformative or redemptive memoir. He relates his thoughts and feelings about external events and the external world, as opposed to following a classic character arc of challenge and change. I disagreed with much of what he said, but agreed with just as much. It is a complex, deeply personal autobiography, and overall recommended as an exemplar of its form.
    • 4/5
      A study of the psychological weaknesses of American culture and possibilities for growth."It was an account of his journey from being a "socially disadvantaged child" to becoming a fully assimilated American, from the Spanish-speaking world of his family to the wider, presumably freer, public world of English. But the journey was not without costs: his American identity was only achieved after a painful separation from his past, his family, and his culture. "Americans like to talk about the importance of family values," says Rodriguez. "But America isn't a country of family values; Mexico is a country of family values. This is a country of people who leave home." From Wikipedia.
    • 5/5
      One of many exceptional aspects of this book is the author's description of his inner life, especially his reading life. His liberation from the private sphere into the public, where he has become a literary light for others, was made possible in part by his reading life. I found I could identify with this part of his life and his superior prose style did the rest. I would highly recommend this for anyone interested in the development of a humane intellectual.
    • 5/5
      Unlike Richard Rodriguez I'm not a Mexican-American, but I did grow up in a Spanish-speaking household since my mother is Puerto Rican. Of all the books about and by Hispanics I've read before or since, this is the one I most identified with, that really resonated and spoke to me. I could see much about my family reflected in his--attitudes towards education, skin color, religion... This book indeed was assigned reading in a Sociology class, because it does fit into that discipline. But it's also known for Rodriguez' positions within it on Affirmative Action and Bilingual Education--which I agreed with--particularly after reading this. He talks about what he lost with the intimacy built by speaking Spanish, yes--but that to function in America what he needed was a public language--which in this country means English first and foremost. And that to gain that public voice and move into the mainstream of American society such a sacrifice is crucial and necessary. It's also a moving, powerful, and beautifully written biography.
    • 5/5
      This is book well worth reading again for a variety of reasons. The author shares his individuality yet speaks on universal themes . Richard Rodriguez reveals his inner life growing up hungry to learn but saddened by the loss of family intimacy when speaking in Spanish is replaced by English only at home at the suggestion of the Catholic sisters who are his elementary school teachers. Richard longs for the close feelings the familly had when they all shared the same language. With English as his his tool he becomes a scholarship boy and advances in his studies. Because of his academic ahievement he comes to speak out on education policies of affirmative actioon and bilingual education. This should be required reading for all involved in education.
    • 3/5
      Overall: I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves words, or who is an educator. Whether or not you agree with his positions on bilingual education or affirmative action, his account of his own experiences, struggles and successes is a strong argument on its own.
    • 5/5
      This is a poignant book about growing up as a first generation immigrant. it has many insights on the balance between culture and education. Many of the insights are dead on. I found myself underlining many lines in the "Credo" section.