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Rows of Memory: Journeys of a Migrant Sugar-Beet Worker
Every year from April to October, the Sánchez family traveled—crowded in the back of trucks, camping in converted barns, tending and harvesting crops across the breadth of the United States. Although hoeing sugar beets with a short hoe was their specialty, they also picked oranges in California, apples in Washington, cucumbers in Michigan, onions and potatoes in Wisconsin, and tomatoes in Iowa. Winters they returned home to the Winter Garden region of South Texas. In 1951, Saúl Sánchez began to contribute to his family’s survival by helping to weed onions in Wind Lake, Wisconsin. He was eight years old.
Rows of Memory tells his story and the story of his family and other migrant farm laborers like them, people who endured dangerous, dirty conditions and low pay, surviving because they took care of each other. Facing racism both on the road and at home, they lived a largely segregated life only occasionally breached by friendly employers.
Despite starting school late and leaving early every year and having to learn English on the fly, young Saúl succeeded academically. At the same time that Mexican Americans in South Texas upended the Anglo-dominated social order by voting their own leaders into local government, he upended his family’s order by deciding to go to college. Like many migrant children, he knew that his decision to pursue an education meant he would no longer be able to help feed and clothe the rest of his family. Nevertheless, with his parents’ support, he went to college, graduating in 1967 and, after a final display of his skill with a short hoe for his new friends, abandoned migrant labor for teaching.
In looking back at his youth, Sánchez invites us to appreciate the largely unrecognized and poorly rewarded strength and skill of the laborers who harvest the fruits and vegetables we eat. A first-person portrait of life on the bottom rung of the food system, this coming-of-age tale illuminates both the history of Latinos in the United States and the human consequences of industrial agriculture.
Rows of Memory tells his story and the story of his family and other migrant farm laborers like them, people who endured dangerous, dirty conditions and low pay, surviving because they took care of each other. Facing racism both on the road and at home, they lived a largely segregated life only occasionally breached by friendly employers.
Despite starting school late and leaving early every year and having to learn English on the fly, young Saúl succeeded academically. At the same time that Mexican Americans in South Texas upended the Anglo-dominated social order by voting their own leaders into local government, he upended his family’s order by deciding to go to college. Like many migrant children, he knew that his decision to pursue an education meant he would no longer be able to help feed and clothe the rest of his family. Nevertheless, with his parents’ support, he went to college, graduating in 1967 and, after a final display of his skill with a short hoe for his new friends, abandoned migrant labor for teaching.
In looking back at his youth, Sánchez invites us to appreciate the largely unrecognized and poorly rewarded strength and skill of the laborers who harvest the fruits and vegetables we eat. A first-person portrait of life on the bottom rung of the food system, this coming-of-age tale illuminates both the history of Latinos in the United States and the human consequences of industrial agriculture.
222 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 8, 2024
had to read for class but it was a good read!!
October 8, 2020
Rows of Memory:Journeys of a Migrant Sugar-Beet Worker is the memoir of Saul Sanchez, a boy who grew up as a migrant laborer in the 1950s and 1960s. He begins with journeys from Texas and moving north with the harvests. Rows of Memory covers the author’s life from his grandparents until his graduation from college and leaving the fields.
Rows of Memory provides a unique look into life as a migrant worker. Sanchez provides a level headed telling of his life without the bitterness I expected. He worked for good people and bad people and isn’t hesitant to tell the reader. He gives a detailed account of the work that had to be done and the tools used. The short hoe in one hand to thin and weed and the other hand to push aside the sugar beet. I was a bit surprised to learn about sugar beet production in the US. I had known that it was a European and Russian crop. What I did not realize is that more than half of the US sugar production is from sugar beets.
Sanchez does tell the highs and lows of the life. Education is particularly difficult. Every year children had to leave school before the summer break to harvest and stayed out until well into the next school year. There were problems in non-segregated schools with race and also in poor segregated schools also. One segregated school was known as “The Camp.” The fun sounding name, however, came from the schools previous use as a Japanese internment camp.
Pay evolved too for the workers and not for the better. In fact, it started to spiral downward. In his early years he remembers the new cars some workers drove and having pocket money. In his later years he tells of returning his father’s car back to the dealership because he could not afford the payments. There are political struggles and political growth among the workers as they grow and become part of society.
Sanchez’s journey is not an easy one and it is also not an easy victory. Some of it is luck, but most of it is hard work. There is little doubt that he came from a hard working family and that has a very positive effect on him. His father is another important factor, in allowing Sanchez to attend college rather than work the fields. He does get some scoffs for saving his money for college from some family members.
Rows of Memory is a very well written look back on one man's life who rose above his station and become a university professor. It is a balanced look and seems to be a very fair assessment of his life and the world about him. It is filled with both good and bad memories and good times and struggles. For every victory there are setbacks and at times great frustration and stress. Rows of Memory provides both a history of migrant workers in the US and a biography well worth reading. Omar Valerio-Jimenez provides a lengthy and informative introduction to the memoir.
Rows of Memory provides a unique look into life as a migrant worker. Sanchez provides a level headed telling of his life without the bitterness I expected. He worked for good people and bad people and isn’t hesitant to tell the reader. He gives a detailed account of the work that had to be done and the tools used. The short hoe in one hand to thin and weed and the other hand to push aside the sugar beet. I was a bit surprised to learn about sugar beet production in the US. I had known that it was a European and Russian crop. What I did not realize is that more than half of the US sugar production is from sugar beets.
Sanchez does tell the highs and lows of the life. Education is particularly difficult. Every year children had to leave school before the summer break to harvest and stayed out until well into the next school year. There were problems in non-segregated schools with race and also in poor segregated schools also. One segregated school was known as “The Camp.” The fun sounding name, however, came from the schools previous use as a Japanese internment camp.
Pay evolved too for the workers and not for the better. In fact, it started to spiral downward. In his early years he remembers the new cars some workers drove and having pocket money. In his later years he tells of returning his father’s car back to the dealership because he could not afford the payments. There are political struggles and political growth among the workers as they grow and become part of society.
Sanchez’s journey is not an easy one and it is also not an easy victory. Some of it is luck, but most of it is hard work. There is little doubt that he came from a hard working family and that has a very positive effect on him. His father is another important factor, in allowing Sanchez to attend college rather than work the fields. He does get some scoffs for saving his money for college from some family members.
Rows of Memory is a very well written look back on one man's life who rose above his station and become a university professor. It is a balanced look and seems to be a very fair assessment of his life and the world about him. It is filled with both good and bad memories and good times and struggles. For every victory there are setbacks and at times great frustration and stress. Rows of Memory provides both a history of migrant workers in the US and a biography well worth reading. Omar Valerio-Jimenez provides a lengthy and informative introduction to the memoir.
April 29, 2014
Rows of Memory: Journeys of a Migrant Sugar-Beet Worker
By Saúl Sánchez
University of Iowa Press
http://www.uiowapress.org/
ISBN: 9781609382339
Copyright 2013
Paperback, 222 pages, $21.00
Nonfiction
Reviewed by Andrew Welk
Are you interested in a memoir that examines a lifestyle that is inaccessible to most members of American society? Rows of Memory is an inspiring and courageous memoir that follows Saúl Sánchez, a first-time memoirist and retired professor from Texas Lutheran University, and his family through the dangerous conditions of fieldworkers in the 1940’s and 50’s. Through these journeys, which take place in the western half of the U.S.A, Sánchez explores the effects of alienation and racism that accompanied his family on the fields and in their hometown.
Each chapter of the memoir serves as a segment of the author’s childhood and young adult life. Sánchez uses a life-writing style to tell the history of his family, the history of Mexican migrant workers, and a narrative of his journey throughout the academic world. When the two lifestyles (being a migrant worker and a student) clash, Sánchez is forced to reevaluate his views and values to figure out who he is. Rows of Memory is a coming of age story that includes memories of: first loves, friendships, and periods of extreme anxiety. The main conflict of the memoir is the author’s struggle to move out of the migrant-worker world and into the academic world, but he is constrained by a loyalty to his family and a lack of knowledge about the English language.
Rows of Memory’s fast-paced style leaves the reader wondering about some of his familial past but adequately portrays the collectivistic societies that the migrant-worker’s culture valued. Sánchez does this by including narratives about how the families took care of each other while they traveled across the United States in tightly packed caravans and when they lived in crowded barns that were converted into housing for migrant workers. In the middle of the memoir, Sánchez begins discussing the adventures he has had that take place in an educational setting. In a new setting, the impact that being a migrant-worker has had on the author becomes apparent. He highlights the ability to persevere through physical pain by becoming mentally strong. On page 78, Sánchez says, “Hoeing row after row, dirt and sweat and the back pain growing ever more intense, meant we had to learn mental tricks to fool our brains and bodies so we could take the strain.” This learned mechanism continually helps the author develop throughout the piece as an academic and as a worker.
Sánchez uses a first-person narration to share his memories. This allows the audience to feel like they are experiencing the trials and tribulations along-side the narrator. He also masterfully represents the collectivistic culture that the migrant-workers have through the repetition of words like “our” and “we.” Sánchez’s memories illuminate his other character’s strengths and flaws allowing them to be vibrant and dynamic. While Sánchez’s writing style feels rushed and lacking in description at some points and overly descriptive when telling the audience about the process of cultivating crops, it is easily forgivable because of the eloquence and wisdom portrayed by most of the passages. On page 185, Sánchez’s theme establishes itself when he says, “…being a migrant is not important. What is important is to live out the migrant experience, and the only way to do that is to be a member of a group, to be part of a family.” It is also important to note that there is the use of multiple Spanish words throughout the memoir, and while most of them are translated into English, some are not, which is important because it solidifies Sánchez’s character as an outsider.
Rows of Memory creates a lasting impact on the reader who is interested a coming of age story where the protagonist starts on the bottom of the food chain and through determination, works his way to success.
By Saúl Sánchez
University of Iowa Press
http://www.uiowapress.org/
ISBN: 9781609382339
Copyright 2013
Paperback, 222 pages, $21.00
Nonfiction
Reviewed by Andrew Welk
Are you interested in a memoir that examines a lifestyle that is inaccessible to most members of American society? Rows of Memory is an inspiring and courageous memoir that follows Saúl Sánchez, a first-time memoirist and retired professor from Texas Lutheran University, and his family through the dangerous conditions of fieldworkers in the 1940’s and 50’s. Through these journeys, which take place in the western half of the U.S.A, Sánchez explores the effects of alienation and racism that accompanied his family on the fields and in their hometown.
Each chapter of the memoir serves as a segment of the author’s childhood and young adult life. Sánchez uses a life-writing style to tell the history of his family, the history of Mexican migrant workers, and a narrative of his journey throughout the academic world. When the two lifestyles (being a migrant worker and a student) clash, Sánchez is forced to reevaluate his views and values to figure out who he is. Rows of Memory is a coming of age story that includes memories of: first loves, friendships, and periods of extreme anxiety. The main conflict of the memoir is the author’s struggle to move out of the migrant-worker world and into the academic world, but he is constrained by a loyalty to his family and a lack of knowledge about the English language.
Rows of Memory’s fast-paced style leaves the reader wondering about some of his familial past but adequately portrays the collectivistic societies that the migrant-worker’s culture valued. Sánchez does this by including narratives about how the families took care of each other while they traveled across the United States in tightly packed caravans and when they lived in crowded barns that were converted into housing for migrant workers. In the middle of the memoir, Sánchez begins discussing the adventures he has had that take place in an educational setting. In a new setting, the impact that being a migrant-worker has had on the author becomes apparent. He highlights the ability to persevere through physical pain by becoming mentally strong. On page 78, Sánchez says, “Hoeing row after row, dirt and sweat and the back pain growing ever more intense, meant we had to learn mental tricks to fool our brains and bodies so we could take the strain.” This learned mechanism continually helps the author develop throughout the piece as an academic and as a worker.
Sánchez uses a first-person narration to share his memories. This allows the audience to feel like they are experiencing the trials and tribulations along-side the narrator. He also masterfully represents the collectivistic culture that the migrant-workers have through the repetition of words like “our” and “we.” Sánchez’s memories illuminate his other character’s strengths and flaws allowing them to be vibrant and dynamic. While Sánchez’s writing style feels rushed and lacking in description at some points and overly descriptive when telling the audience about the process of cultivating crops, it is easily forgivable because of the eloquence and wisdom portrayed by most of the passages. On page 185, Sánchez’s theme establishes itself when he says, “…being a migrant is not important. What is important is to live out the migrant experience, and the only way to do that is to be a member of a group, to be part of a family.” It is also important to note that there is the use of multiple Spanish words throughout the memoir, and while most of them are translated into English, some are not, which is important because it solidifies Sánchez’s character as an outsider.
Rows of Memory creates a lasting impact on the reader who is interested a coming of age story where the protagonist starts on the bottom of the food chain and through determination, works his way to success.
April 13, 2015
Given To Me For An Honest Review
Rows of Memory: Journeys of a Migrant Sugar Beet Worker by Saul Sanchez is really a MUST read. Once you open this book you'll not be able to put it down until you get to the last page. You'll watch the pages turn theirselves page after page after page. This is the author's memoirs of growing up in a migrant family. He shares how his family balanced education with family responsibilities, harsh labor conditions, low wages and employers reluctant to improve living and working conditions. This book touched me. I can truly relate to it. My husband's family were migrant workers. After we were married, I moved to where they lived. Culture shock! I couldn't believe what they endured. Those who thought they were better than the workers, I would have liked to see them work in the fields. Of course they never would because it was work. I never have worked in the fields, neither have my children ... my husband never let or had us do so. That was where it stopped, at least for us. For other members of the family it continued. One sister in law worked up until she went to the hospital to have her baby. When she was released, she went back out to the fields to work. This book is one that is a must read for all. Until you know you will not understand the why. I gave this book 5 stars but it truly deserves many, many more. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially those who enjoy reading about coming of age and about the migrant field workers. I look for more from Saul Sanchez ..... he hit it out of the all park.
Rows of Memory: Journeys of a Migrant Sugar Beet Worker by Saul Sanchez is really a MUST read. Once you open this book you'll not be able to put it down until you get to the last page. You'll watch the pages turn theirselves page after page after page. This is the author's memoirs of growing up in a migrant family. He shares how his family balanced education with family responsibilities, harsh labor conditions, low wages and employers reluctant to improve living and working conditions. This book touched me. I can truly relate to it. My husband's family were migrant workers. After we were married, I moved to where they lived. Culture shock! I couldn't believe what they endured. Those who thought they were better than the workers, I would have liked to see them work in the fields. Of course they never would because it was work. I never have worked in the fields, neither have my children ... my husband never let or had us do so. That was where it stopped, at least for us. For other members of the family it continued. One sister in law worked up until she went to the hospital to have her baby. When she was released, she went back out to the fields to work. This book is one that is a must read for all. Until you know you will not understand the why. I gave this book 5 stars but it truly deserves many, many more. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially those who enjoy reading about coming of age and about the migrant field workers. I look for more from Saul Sanchez ..... he hit it out of the all park.
March 19, 2014
Rows of Memory. By Saul Sanchez.
Read 16th March 2014
This is a very well written historical memoir, which looks back on one man’s life as a migrant worker. It is about the life of Saul Sanchez, during a time when Mexican workers picked sugar beet and tomatoes, amongst other crops, for the American market. I was surprised to learn about sugar beet production in the US. I had known that it was a European crop. What I did not realize is that more than half of the US sugar production is from sugar beets.
Every year the family moved via crowded trucks across the breadth of the US returning to the Winter Garden region of South Texas for the winter. The book is filled with good and bad memories and his personal struggle to get to school, college and later to university. There is a very lengthy and informative introduction to this memoir. It is a moving account of migrant farm labourers who endured filthy conditions and low pay; survival was due to family loyalties. Their lives were blighted with racism and they lived a largely segregated life. This book illuminates the history of the Mexican workers in the US. An excellent book for High School students and for those interested in historical and social difficulties before modern farming methods. I enjoyed this book and could not put it down.
I award this book 4 stars.
Read 16th March 2014
This is a very well written historical memoir, which looks back on one man’s life as a migrant worker. It is about the life of Saul Sanchez, during a time when Mexican workers picked sugar beet and tomatoes, amongst other crops, for the American market. I was surprised to learn about sugar beet production in the US. I had known that it was a European crop. What I did not realize is that more than half of the US sugar production is from sugar beets.
Every year the family moved via crowded trucks across the breadth of the US returning to the Winter Garden region of South Texas for the winter. The book is filled with good and bad memories and his personal struggle to get to school, college and later to university. There is a very lengthy and informative introduction to this memoir. It is a moving account of migrant farm labourers who endured filthy conditions and low pay; survival was due to family loyalties. Their lives were blighted with racism and they lived a largely segregated life. This book illuminates the history of the Mexican workers in the US. An excellent book for High School students and for those interested in historical and social difficulties before modern farming methods. I enjoyed this book and could not put it down.
I award this book 4 stars.
April 25, 2014
This is a most enlightening book , I like the way the writer shares both his memories and those of his family centuries ago, what migrant life was like, how border patrols would target workers employers and what the working conditions were like, struggles, highs and low, yet families would still stay together. Gives insight into how dangerous working conditions led to an exodus of people who survived years under horrendous conditions.
August 17, 2014
Great Muscatine, Iowa story.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews