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Fields of Courage: Remembering Cesar Chavez & the People Whose Labor Feeds Us
Poems eulogize the Mexican American labor activist Câesar Châavez and his work helping organize migrant farm workers.
149 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1999
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June 7, 2013
This is a memoir told through poems of Susan Samuels Drake's time with Cesar Chavez. Susan was Cesar's secretary and the wife of Jim Drake. Her name comes up far less than it should in the many works on Chavez, and it is nice to see her relationship to Chavez and her perspectives highlighted.
I have read enough books on the UFW, including books that cite Fields of Courage , that it would be a lie to say I learned much. The book certainly speaks to the ways Drake saw Chavez as a father figure and also addresses some of Chavez's attitudes toward women. The poetry is not impressive as poetry goes, but it is neither cheesy or unpleasant to read. It is more like prose broken into shorter fragments.
I would be tempted to teach this book to see what students who know little about Chavez and the UFW take from it. I think it might be a nice introduction to the issues the UFW worked on and the humanness of Chavez, who is depicted here neither as saint nor creepy cult leader.
I have read enough books on the UFW, including books that cite Fields of Courage , that it would be a lie to say I learned much. The book certainly speaks to the ways Drake saw Chavez as a father figure and also addresses some of Chavez's attitudes toward women. The poetry is not impressive as poetry goes, but it is neither cheesy or unpleasant to read. It is more like prose broken into shorter fragments.
I would be tempted to teach this book to see what students who know little about Chavez and the UFW take from it. I think it might be a nice introduction to the issues the UFW worked on and the humanness of Chavez, who is depicted here neither as saint nor creepy cult leader.
Displaying 1 of 1 review