Hunger of Memory is the story of Mexican-American Richard Rodriguez, who begins his schooling in Sacramento, California, knowing just fifty words of English, and concludes his university studies in the stately quiet of the reading room of the British Museum. Here is the poignant journey of a "minority student" who pays the cost of his social assimilation and academic success with a painful alienation-from his past, his parents, his culture-and so...

In a series of intelligent and candid essays, Rodriguez ranges over five centuries to consider the moral and spiritual landscapes of Mexico and the U.S. and their impact on his soul.

Discusses the themes and characters in Jack London's novel, The call of the wild and includes excerpts from the book and background information on the author.

Readings of excerpts from and critical analysis of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, a novel about a poor family of sharecroppers who are driven from their home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in the agriculture industry during the Great Depression. Includes interviews, commentaries and excerpts from the novel, providing first-hand accounts of why The Grapes of Wrath remains so compelling seven decades after its initial publication....