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The Circuit and Breaking Through

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I am an ESL teacher who works with 7th and 8th grade, primarily male, Latino and Hmong students. We first read The Circuit which told about Francisco Jimenez's family's first years as migrant farm workers in the United States. This autobiographical account relates the struggles the family encountered during Jimenez's early years in school. The older children and the parents picked fruit, vegetables, and cotton. The family moved according to the agricultural schedule in California. Everytime Francisco would start to feel "at home" in a school, the crop would be harvested and they would have to move to the next farm, hence the name The Circuit. The story ends when La Migra comes to pick up Francisco and his older brother at school. My students were anxious to find out what happened next. Would the family be deported or would they be allowed to stay in the U.S.? To find out we then read the second book, Breaking Through, which we are about half way through now and we're still enjoying every chapter. The books have spawned a multitude of conversations that have bonded us together. The kids can relate to Jimenez's life and he is a role model to them. He shows that hard work and determination lead to success. Personally I think everyone who is interested in immigration questions should read these books.

Breaking Through The Gossip	Customer Rating:
This book gave me a real insight as to how our migrant children really live! Thank You!

wonderful portrayal of a migrant family

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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.

book review on Breaking Through

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Book Review on Breaking Through Hi, this book Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez is a sad book. Why is it a sad book? A boy named Francisco struggles through life trying to keep his family together. He works and goes to school, also trying to keep his grades up. This book is a good book because of the Theme, believable charters, and a nice setting. The theme is, heart breaking. It's heart breaking since a boy and his family have to face many difficult obstacles. The obstacles are not easy for Francisco and his family. They have to pay bills but they don't have any money. So the whole family except mom and the youngest ones have to work. Besides the heart breaking theme there are nice believable charters. The charters sometimes where confused. They where confused because they didn't have money. No one to help them, and struggled to keep food on the table. There also was a very good setting. The setting took place in many different places. Like school, fields, gas company, Twitchel and Twitchel. There are many different places. So that means that the family is all over the places. So this book has a great theme. Wonderful setting that makes you feel like your there watching it all happing. Also nice believable charters that do things that you could relate to. So if you like heart breaking novels then this is the book for you. The End

breaking through

Customer Rating:

ANTHONY JOHNSTON JAN. 11, 2007 "BREAKING THROUGH" BOOK REVIEW The book is "Breaking Through" and the author is Francisco Jimenez. The main person in the book is the author. It is a true story. He has a mom, dad and brother. His brother's name is Roberto. I thought it would be a good book because the first sentence was "I lived in constant fear for ten long years." You shouldn't read this book because there are a lot of Spanish words. The book is very long. It has 195 pages in the book. The Spanish words are very hard to read and you can't understand them. The characters were papa, mama; Roberto and Francisco. They live on a farm or tent. Papa and mama are the mom and dad. Roberto is the brother. Francisco is the author and character in the book. There are pictures of the author in the back of the book. The Jimenez's lived on a farm or tent. They grew up poor in America. They lived in a tent in America. This book is very hard to read and it's long. The whole book is Francisco's life. I'd liked to sum up by saying I still don't like the book because I couldn't understand the words. In less you like reading Spanish you shouldn't read this book.