Francisco Jimenez

Reaching Out is told from the perspective of the young adult Jiménez once was; he describes the difficult challenges he faced in his efforts to continue his education in the final installment of the trilogy that began with the acclaimed novel The Circuit and its sequel Breaking Through. During his college years, the very family solidarity that allowed Jiménez to survive as a child is tested. Not only must he leave his family behind when he goes to Santa Clara University, but while Jiménez is there, his father abandons the family and returns to Mexico. This is the story of how Jiménez coped with poverty, with his guilt over leaving his family financially strapped, with his self-doubt about succeeding academically, and with separation. In this third installment of the trilogy, his telling is once again honest, true, and inspiring. Booklist's starred review relates that Reaching Out is "Never melodramatic or self-important, the spare episodes will draw readers with the quiet daily detail of work, anger, sorrow, and hope." Jimenez immigrated from Tlaquepaque, Mexico, to California, where he worked for many years in the fields with his family. He is chairman of the Modern Languages and Literature Department at Santa ClaraUniversity. Reaching Out, the third book in his autobiographical trilogy, has received several national literary awards and recognitions including the 2009 American Library Association Pura Belpre Honor Book Award; a 2009 Smithsonian Magazine Notable Book; 2009 American Library Services for Children and Young Adults Notable Book; and the 2009 Carter C. Woodson Book Award.

At the Festival: Reaching Out

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