Hunger Of Memory Book Review

Hunger of Memory is an autobiographical piece of literature that highlights a bilingual’s inner struggle to find his place in society. In the book, author Richard Rodriguez has an open discussion, debating and evaluating different perspectives while also sharing his opinions on individuality and separateness. Torn between two cultures, bilingual speakers struggle to find their place within the education system and the local American english-speaking community. In Hunger of Memory, Richard Rodriguez expresses the difficulty of being educated in his second language and the how it caused him to be an outlier amongst a white, english-speaking community. Rodriguez grew up in the 1950’s, an era where the growth of suburbs was a trend amongst many middle to upper class white families in America. The growth in the number of people moving out of the inner city was due to “racial fears, affordable housing, and the desire to leave decaying cities.” Essentially, the suburban community became a quintessential part of American culture, dominated by white people. Because of this, as Rodriguez was Mexican-American (his parents were immigrants) it was hard for him to find his place in society. Rodriguez notes the lack of acceptance from neighbors in the community, leaving he and his family feeling rather isolated, “My mother and father were more annoyed than intimidated by those two or three neighbors who tried …show more content…
Rodriguez discusses the challenges the norms of society, setting himself apart from the majority of immigrants that overly promote separateness and individuality. However, at the same time, Rodriguez displays the struggle that bilingual speakers face to find their place within the education system and the American english-speaking