Author: Richard Rodriguez

Richard Rodriguez (b. 1944) is a writer and cultural commentator who has worked as a teacher, journalist, and educational consultant. Born into a Mexican immigrant family, Rodriguez spent his youth in Sacramento, California. Rodriguez spoke Spanish until he went to a Catholic school at age six. His books include Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez (1982), a collection of autobiographical essays; Mexico’s Children; Days of Obligation: An Argument With My Mexican Father (1992), which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize; and Brown: The Last Discovery of America (2002). His essays have appeared in Harper’s Magazine, Mother Jones, and Time.

Aria: from Hunger of Memory

Richard Rodriguez

This selection considers the poignant case of children of immigrants, caught between two worlds: public life conducted in English and private intimacy conducted in the language of the home.