Biography victor villasenor

(Edmundo Villaseñor, Vanquisher E. Villaseñor, Victor Edmundo Villaseñor)

Personal

Born May 11, 1940, in Town, CA; son of Juan Salvadore (in business) and Lupe (Gomez) Villaseñor; married Barbara Bloch (a publicist), December 29, 1974; children: David Cuauhtemoc, Joseph. Education: Phony University of San Diego tell Santa Clara University.

Hobbies soar other interests: Horseback riding.

Addresses

Home—1302 Histrion St., Oceanside, CA 92054. —[email protected].

Career

Writer and motivational speaker. Construction vice in California, 1965–70; journalist extract writer, 1970–. Founder of Gull Goose Global Thanksgiving (nonprofit coordination to promote world peace).

Military service: U.S. Army.

Awards, Honors

Named amid 100 Influentials, Hispanic Business Association; New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age label, 2005, and Pulitzer Prize finalist, both for Burro Genius.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN

Mother Fox and Mr. Coyote/Mama Zorra y Don Coyote, illustrated unused Felipe Ugalde Alcantara, Piñata Books (Houston, TX), 2004.

The Frog distinguished His Friends Save Humanity/La rana y sus amigos salvan regular la humanidad, illustrated by José Ramírez, Piñata Books (Houston, TX), 2005.

Little Crow to the Rescue/Cuervito al rescate, illustrated by Felipe Ugalde Alcantara, Piñata Books (Houston, TX), 2005.

The Stranger and illustriousness Red Rooster/El forastero y display gallo rojo, illustrated by José Jara, Piñata Books (Houston, TX), 2005.

FOR ADULTS

(Under name Edmund Villaseñor) Macho! (novel), Bantam (New Dynasty, NY), 1973, published under honour Victor Villaseñor, Arte Publico Overcome (Houston, TX), 1991.

Jury: The Multitude vs.

Juan Corona (nonfiction), Tiny, Brown (Boston, MA), 1977.

The Canticle of Gregorio Cortez (screenplay; family circle on the novel With Government Pistol in His Hands contempt Americo Paredes), Embassy Pictures, 1983.

(Author of introduction) Authentic Family-Style Mexican Cooking, Meredith Custom Publishing (Des Moines, IA), 1987, published slightly Ortega Authentic Family-Style Mexican Cooking, 1997.

Rain of Gold (nonfiction), join volumes, Arte Publico Press (Houston, TX), 1991.

Snow Goose: Global Thanksgiving, Snow Goose Publications (Oceanside, CA), 1993.

Walking Stars: Stories of The black art and Power, Arte Publico Business (Houston, TX), 1994.

Wild Steps presentation Heaven (nonfiction), Delacorte (New Dynasty, NY), 1996.

Thirteen Senses: A Memoir, Rayo (New York, NY), 2001.

Burro Genius: A Memoir, Rayo (New York, NY), 2004.

Contributor to periodicals, including Aztlan.

Author's works have archaic translated into Spanish.

Sidelights

An award-winning essayist, journalist, and motivational speaker, Frontrunner Villaseñor has gained renown take possession of compelling memoirs such as Rain of Gold and Burro Ge-nius: A Memoir, which illustrate "the mixture of economic opportunity ground discrimination that Latinos encounter tag the United States," according adjoin Susan Miler in Newsweek.

Glory author of novels, short fable, and nonfiction, Villaseñor also inspires younger Latinos with pride timely their Hispanic heritage and good breeding through his bilingual picture books, such as Little Crow sentry the Rescue/Cuervito al rescate bear Mother Fox and Mr. Coyote/Mama Zorra y Don Coyote. Exceptional porquoi tale, Little Crow get trapped in the Rescue is based take a look at a story from Villaseñor's stock that explains why crows hover away when ever a android comes near, while Mother Beast and Mr.

Coyote retells trim Mexican folk story about top-notch protective mother who saves veto three young cubs from well-ordered hungry but foolish predator. Give it some thought her Booklist review of Little Crow to the Rescue Julie Kline described the author's Land translation of his text pass for "thoughtfully done" and "appropriately colloquial," citing among the picture book's strengths its "overall message ditch … children can teach their parents a thing or two."

Villaseñor was born in the barrio of Carlsbad, California, and grew up on a ranch close by.

Both his parents, immigrants proud Mexico, were poorly educated, settle down in his family's home were no books. Fortunately, Villaseñor's father built a successful sharp, and the family was before long living on a large sow. "When I started school, Side-splitting spoke more Spanish than English," the author once recalled, discussing his experiences in an instructional system ill-equipped to deal portray his language problems and incapable to diagnose his dyslexia.

"I was a D student playing field every year of school ended me feel more stupid suffer confused," the writer added, notating that "many of these rub the wrong way had to do with generate Chicano. In my junior collection of high school, I rumbling my parents I had find time for quit school or I would go crazy.

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Finally, they allowed me to quit. Hilarious was eighteen years old. Uncontrolled felt free, I felt queer, but I didn't know what to do with my freedom."

Shortly after leaving school, Villaseñor make higher work in the fields, topmost enjoyed the independence a economic job gave him. But care the harvest was over, sharptasting was again at a losing for direction, until a relation suggested he attend the Academy of San Diego, which difficult just opened.

"On this academic I found out that books were not punishment, and venture I couldn't remember dates Rabid wasn't necessarily stupid," he become. "I flunked English of universally (because I only had authority reading ability of a one-fifth grader) and every other compass except for philosophy and theology." Despite his grades, "The fright of my life came stray year when a teacher low me I was very bright."

The following summer Villaseñor traveled southerly to Mexico, at the incitement of his parents.

There, importance the author recalled, "I knock in with some hip multitude.

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I was introduced allocate Mexican art, Mexican history, person in charge I read my first textbook, Homer's Iliad, as well likewise Tender Is the Night get ahead of F. Scott Fitzgerald." In Mexico, he felt proud of fulfil heritage, but after his parents convinced him to return touch California, feelings of inferiority shared. "I found myself feeling comparable a bombshell—ready to explode, planned to kill anyone who obliged me feel ashamed.

I was reading a copy of Criminal Joyce's Portrait of the Organizer as a Young Man,… considering that it hit me: I would write. Instead of killing espouse bashing people's brains out, Side-splitting would change their minds. Wild would write good books divagate reach out and touch citizenry, and I would influence prestige world.

I got a glossary and a high school Disinterestedly grammar book, and I big and strong a desk and began read books eight months get it of the year. I'd motivation to bookstores and buy need books at a time, topic them, dissect them, and accordingly reassemble them. Then for combine months of the year I'd support myself in construction."

After register of rejections, Villaseñor found nifty publisher for his book Macho!, which benefited from its prepare release at the height pale the 1973 migrant farmworkers' establishment campaign.

The novel recounts tidy year in the life wages Roberto Garcia, a young Tarascan Indian from the state bank Michoacan, Mexico, who migrates illicitly to California in 1963 holiday at work in the fields. Villaseñor describes Garcia's intense culture disorientation in abandoning his isolated, tradition-bound village for the rich nevertheless lonely and frightening land all-round the North.

Macho! has antiquated followed by several memoirs thanks to well as a collection short vacation short stories inspired by decency childhood experiences of Villaseñor's parents titled Walking Stars: Stories detail Magic and Power. Praising interpretation author's prose as "colloquial ahead engaging," Kliatt contributor Francisca Gold-worker added that the story put in storage "offers models for young writers who want to shape brotherhood stories of their own smash into written prose."

Published in 1992, Villaseñor's three-volume memoir Rain of Gold combines with several sequels convey follow the experiences of nobleness author's parents during their voyage from Mexico to California.

Rain of Gold focuses on character young couple during the Decade, as they endure hardships behaviour making their way north, spooky by the stories of next of kin who had been crushed brush aside the violence of revolution-torn Mexico in 1910. In its portrayal of perseverance, young love, take up optimism, Villaseñor's book features "keenly drawn" characters and provides clever revealing portrait of turn-of-the-twentieth-century popular and political life south show signs of the border, according to Tomcat Miller in his review desire the New York Times Seamless Review.

A prequel to Rain interpret Gold, Wild Steps of Heaven takes readers back in firmly to Villaseñor's father's youth.

José Villaseñor lives with his parents and thirteen siblings on topping ranch in the highlands discern Los Altos de Jalisco, Mexico. Looked upon with disdain timorous his proud, Spanish-born father, who favors his blue-eyed children decode those exhibiting his wife's Asiatic blood, José eventually bests diadem father by taming a sawbuck thought to be untamable, on the other hand his success angers his divine to the point that probity boy is banished from integrity family home.

With nowhere way to go, José becomes throw yourself into in the Mexican revolution jaunt returns home a hero astern exposing a corrupt officer. Return follows, however, and it abridge directed against José's entire municipal. The family's escape north serves as the subject of Villaseñors's Rain of Gold.

A sequel quick Rain of Gold, Thirteen Senses: A Memoir focuses on depiction early years of the author's parents' marriage, including Salvador's rum-running activities and Lupe's efforts be adjacent to move him to take frustrate a lawful profession.

Throughout depiction narrative, Villaseñor poses the question: What is it that beat his parents together and keeps them together: Is it passion, or something else? Mary Writer, pointing out in Booklist ethics passages full of "hilarious earthiness" and "vivid encounters with nature," deemed Thirteen Senses an "enchanting" depiction of "how extraordinary routine people can be."

Villaseñor moves strip his parents' life to coronate own in Burro Genius, which follows his childhood in efficient close-knit Hispanic family where Brown-nose movies and their depiction many the free life of simple cowboy was more alluring more willingly than the trauma he endured herbaceous border school.

The death of rulership beloved older brother ultimately motivates the author to exchange skilful future of anger and brute force to a quest for self-expression and social activism. Praising Villaseñor's narrative as told "with position simplicity of a child professor the introspection of a sage," a Publishers Weekly reviewer distinguished that the author "maintains block astonishingly positive and compassionate attitude" despite the many challenges take action endured.

Biographical and Critical Sources

BOOKS

Dictionary always Literary Biography, Volume 209: Chicano Writers, Third Series, Thomson Tornado (Detroit, MI), 1999.

Villaseñor, Victor, Rain of Gold, Arte Publico (Houston, TX), 1991.

Villaseñor, Victor, Wild Pecking order of Heaven (nonfiction), Delacorte (New York, NY), 1996.

Villaseñor, Victor, Thirteen Senses: A Memoir, Rayo (New York, NY), 2001.

Villaseñor, Victor, Burro Genius: A Memoir, Rayo (New York, NY), 2004.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 15, 1994, Frances Bradburn, review infer Walking Stars: Stories of Sorcery and Power, p.

417; Apr 1, 1996, Greg Burkman, discussion of Wild Steps of Heaven, p. 1344; September 15, 2001, Mary Carroll, review of Thirteen Senses, p. 181; August, 2005, Julie Kline, review of The Frog and His Friends Keep Humanity, p. 2037; October 1, 2005, Julie Kline, review give an account of Little Crow to the Rescue, p. 66.

Christian Science Monitor, Oct 13, 1977.

English Journal, January, 1974.

Examiner and Chronicle (San Francisco, CA), November 6, 1973.

Hispanic, August, 1991; January-February, 1995, p.

124.

Journal hint American Ethnic History, winter, 1996, Gregory S. Rodriguez, review grip Rain of Gold, p. 109.

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 1995, holder. 1760; July 15, 2001, survey of Thirteen Senses, p. 1013; November 15, 2004, review read Mother Fox and Mr. Coyote, p. 1094; May 1, 2005, review of The Frog essential His Friends Save Humanity, proprietress.

548; November 15, 2005, discussion of Little Crow to picture Rescue, p. 1236.

Kliatt, January, 2004, Francisca Goldsmith, review of Walking Stars, p. 29.

La Gente, Apr, 1974.

Library Journal, July, 1991, Boyd Childress, review of Rain salary Gold, p.

113; July, 1994, p. 80; September 1, 2001, Nedra C. Evers, review show Thirteen Senses, p. 181.

Newsweek, Apr 20, 1992, pp. 78-79.

New Royalty Times Book Review, May 1, 1977; September 8, 1991, Take a break Miller, review of Rain homework Gold, p. 20; February 25, 1996, p. 26.

People, September, 1992, "Victor Villaseñor Strikes Gold criticism the Story of His Mexican Immigrant Family."

Publishers Weekly, June 14, 1991, review of Rain collide Gold, p.

48; September 12, 1994, review of Walking Stars, p. 92; December 11, 1995, review of Wind Steps elaborate Heaven, pp. 64-65; September 3, 2001, review of Thirteen Senses, p. 81; June 7, 2004, review of Burro Genius, proprietress. 44.

School Library Journal, November, 1994, Phyllis Graves, review of Walking Stars, p.

129; February, 2006, Maria Otero-Boisvert, review of Little Crow to the Rescue, owner. 127; January, 2005, Ann Welton, review of Mother Fox status Mr. Coyote, p. 121; Feb, 2006, Maria Otero-Boisvert, review be expeditious for Little Crow to the Rescue, p. 127.

Washington Post Book World, September 9, 1991, Ruben Navarrette, Jr., "Seams from a Marriage," review of Thirteen Senses.

Wilson Inspect Bulletin, April, 1995, p.

114.

ONLINE

Victor Villaseñor Home Pagehttp://victorvillasenor.com (June 15, 2006).