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At the age of fourteen, Francisco Jiménez, together with his older brother Roberto and his mother, are caught by la migra. Forced to leave their home in California, the entire family travels all night for twenty hours by bus, arriving at the U.S. and Mexican border in Nogales, Arizona. In the months and years that follow during the late 1950s-early 1960s, Francisco, his mother and father, and his seven brothers and sister not only struggle to keep their family together, but also face crushing poverty, long hours of labor, and blatant prejudice. How they sustain their hope, their good-heartedness, and tenacity is revealed in this moving, Pura Belpré Honor-winning sequel to The Circuit. Without bitterness or sentimentality, Francisco Jiménez finishes telling the story of his youth.
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers; unknown edition (October 1, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0618342486
ISBN-13: 978-0618342488
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 7 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #14,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2 in Books > Teens > Historical Fiction > Biographical > United States #8 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > United States #11 in Books > Children's Books > Geography & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > Hispanic & Latino
Age Range: 12 and up
Grade Level: 7 and up
I thought this book was very interesting. It told about the life of a boy who had moved to California from Mexico, where he was born. He had to work everyday after school to help support his poor family. He was very smart and maintained good grades and even got into college, which no one in his family had ever done before. He has to struggle with his father to make decisions financially and about his future. His father does not speak English and gets stressed out a lot. His mother is very understanding and tries to make everything work out for the family.I enjoyed reading this book because it took place not too long ago and the boy was around my age. I could not believe that he had to work to help support his family. I thought it was interesting because whatever money I get, my parents let me keep for myself, but everything he had was given to his parents.I would suggest reading this book because it shows the struggles of people on the other side of my country only a few decades ago. I would have never known what it was like there if I had not read this book.
"Breaking Through" is an excellent follow-up for those of us hungering for more after "The Circuit." It follows Francisco Jimenez's life through high school. Francisco Jimenez goes deeper into depth about all that he faced, including his relationships with his parents. He accurately portrays the challenges so many parents and teens, especially Latinos, face in dealing with issues of love, understanding, and personal struggles that affect their relationships.I think teenagers will especially enjoy and connect with this book. It will inspire and motivate many. Teachers, use it in your classrooms - especially middle and high school!
Book Review of Breaking Through This book tells the story about a boy's life and how his family struggles with money. In this book Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez a boy name Frankie has to manage school, work and his family. The whole book is about the hard time Mexicans had to go through during that time. The Mexicans would go past the gate somehow to get to the U.S. because Mexico was really poor and they got paid just enough to let them live but not enough to go up in life so they had to keep working. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books about hard times and how they overcame challenges. The main themes of this book are courage, bravery, love and friendship. The reason I picked courage was when Frankie's dad gets his finger cut off and he gets through all the pain. I pick bravery from when Frankie made a speech in front of the club roddery club without knowing he had to. I picked love from when Roberto got married and had a little baby named Jackie. I picked friendship because Frankie makes a lot of friends in the different clubs like the school council and Spanish club. The main characters in this book are Papa Mama Frankie Robert. And Frankie's little brother and sister. Frankie is school president and more of a get to know guy. Papa is always in a bad mood and works in the fields. Roberto is a janitor at a high school and worked a little in a restaurant. Mama is always worrying for papa and stays home and cleans with Frankie's little brother and sister. Frankie's little brother helps Frankie at work sometimes. The main themes are home, work and school. Frankie's cleans buildings before and after school as a janitor by places in the country. Mama is home all day cleaning the house sometimes With Frankie's little brother. Robert is the high school janitor and works after school with Frankie when he was young. Roberto also worked at a restaurant for a couple days because he got fired for not working for a while because the boarder patrol caught the family but you'll have to see why. I would recommend this book to everyone who likes excitement friendship and Mexicans going through hard times and how they got passed them. Frankie and Robert both get shut down because they went over to some peoples houses and the parents didn't want them to see them again because there Mexicans. But Roberto gets married without the other dad's permission. But you'll have to see what happens. Frankie makes a lot of friends going through middle school and high school. Couples of boys ask him to put on a dress in front of the whole school with them. Will he do it? You'll have to find out.
I bought *Breaking Through* without realizing that it was a sequel to *The Circuit*. Nonetheless, you aren't lost if you start with *Breaking Through* I loved this memoir because it was one of the best portrayal of a migrant family.This memoir chronicled the life of Francisco Jimenez from the time that him and his family entered America from Mexico to his entrance into college.The Jimenez family saved up some money and entered into Mexico illegally. They were soon caught, after a time, and deported back. However, they were able to get papers and return. Despite living in the land of freedom and opportunities, the family has to work hard in order to survive. They worked in strawberry fields, lettuce patches and cleaned buildings.Francisco is loving school yet struggled to stay on top as he also has to work. His older brother did well in school but worked nearly as much as their often-ill father did. The mother stayed home and took care of the children. However, she often substituted in their work when needed.*Breaking Through* is a story of a family working together. It's also a story of one finding one's own identity in America. It's also a story of one trying to achieve the American dream.You'll laugh. You'll cry. If you don't understand the Mexican culture, you'll find yourself puzzled at some things. Coming from a Hispanic family, I found myself nodding and taking strolls in memory lane.Overall, it's easy reading for a great book.
Just read this with my 7th graders and it touched them very much! They wrote letters to the author - very genuine and heartfelt. A beautiful tribute to the human element in the issues of immigration, Mexican American farm workers in California and the power of prayer and persistence. Everyone - especially California kids- should read this autobiography
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