Cesar Chavez

On My Own Biography

by Ginger Wadsworth, Mark Schroder (Illustrator)

During the Great Depression, many people had to work long hours and were barely paid enough to survive. Cesar Chavez felt this treatment was unfair and worked to secure more rights. He formed a Union and led strikes and marches that forced landowners to increase wages and improve working conditions. This account shows how Chavez inspired others, proving that it was not necessary to resort to violence to produce change.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Rachel Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cesar Chaves is an honorable hard working man who formed a farm workers union and fought against work conditions and wages. This book is a layout of Cesar Chavez's life and how he led strikes and rebellions in order to help his fellow farm workers. I gave this book four stars because some of the book was not based off facts, however, the story was great and kid appropriate! I would use this story when I teach about conflict and workers rights; this story shows that with determination, people can fight for what they believe in and what they deserve.

[Becka Ramaglia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this with my reading group. A good basic informational text on Cesar Chavez’s life and achievements.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A hagiography written on the cheap. I guess the artist tried to mimic the rudimentary drawings in the border areas in order to identify stronger with the target audience.

[Elizabeth Carrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

(the Spanish translation of this book)
Why this book? Biography of important Latino labor rights organizer, can be read by teacher to class/chapter book

Theme/Keywords: history, immigrant/labor rights, Cesar Chavez

Characteristics of quality: easy to tell the story gradually (not necessary to tell all at once; or certain sections), portrayal of social injustice and peaceful community organization as successful response

Special Features: chronology of events perhaps helpful/appropriate for older grades

Gender of primary character: male

Race/ethnicity of primary character: Mexican-American, Latino

Cultural considerations: celebration of important leader in Latino community

Language considerations: Spanish translation of English text

Open Ended Question: What was it about Cesar that he was able to convince so many people about changing how the workers were treated?

[RLL22016_Sandra Trujillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives a detailed version of Cesar Chavez life. It can help older children appreciate what they have in life. Cesar Chavez was a hard working man that lived in Arizona with his family as harvest farmers until there was a drought and forced them to leave to California. He suffered a lot living in farm camps under farm conditions. He then decided to stand up for himself and his people leading a union and going on strike. His efforts made a difference for the future of farmers. I think this book is a great inspiration to young readers.

[Andrea Labonte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book.

[Jayleen Earley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me a better insight to Cesar Chavez's life. His real name is Cesario but when he started school, his teacher shortened it to Cesar because it sounded less Mexican. His family moved to Arizona where his father met his mother and spent their days near yuma. The book talks about the great depression and how eventually his family had to sell their land and move somewhere new, where they tried their best to make a living. This story goes through a timeline of his whole life. It is a small chapter book with illustrations and captions. This story sounds accurate to what actually happened in his life. This is not a fictional biography. The timeline leads to an end of what happened after the strike and his last moments in life. This book was a great representation of this passionate historical figure. His family had a farm where everyone worked. If a grade school student would like to learn about Chavez this would be an easy authentic read.