Francisco Jimenez breaks out from The Circuit
Famed author visits NDNU
Michelle Carter
Issue date: 11/17/05 Section: News
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On Nov. 9, Jiménez shared his history with NDNU at the Creative Writers series in Wiegand Gallery, hosted by Dr. Vince Fitzgerald and Dr. Marc Wolterbeek.
Jiménez explained how he immigrated with his family to California from Tlaquepaque, Mexico, and worked in the fields of California from the time he was able to.
Rather than read from his book, Jiménez instead showed pictures that related to the text and explained their significance and further developed the stories that appear in his novels.
Having been a child laborer, his novel, written from the youth's perspective, detailed the tribulations of moving throughout the state, including Santa Maria, the San Joaquin Valley and Fresno which made up the circuit that his family traveled to find work.
He also explained that the "circuit" also referred to the exodus and forced return to Mexico from the novel's beginning to conclusion.
Jiménez came across as a wise and gentle man who had a deep understanding of the trials faced by one of the largest, and as he said, overlooked group of people in California today.
He explained that knowledge and the wealth that education provides was not only a gift he held close to his heart as a child, but also something that as a teacher he loves to bestow and a gift that the students can use to overcome the injustices that still prevail for many who currently reside in the state.
Without exposure to English, Jiménez had a difficult time when he began his schooling because, at that time, speaking a foreign tongue was still punishable.
To overcome this, he told of a notebook he would carry and study from, in which he would record a new word a day and basic information such as multiplication tables. He studied from it in order to not fall behind in the classes he was unable to attend with the need to work on the harvests.
Jiménez spoke of how he would study in his free time from the book until it was ultimately lost in a fire that burnt his home. Distraut, his mother asked him, "Do you remember what was in the notebook?"
"Yes," he replied. "Then all is not lost," comforted his mother. This seemed to be the message Jiménez continued to repeat to the audience.
"All is not lost."
Even when asked about current problems still faced with immigrant workers from students, rather than getting into the politics of the situation, Jiménez stressed the importance of the question having been raised and that the students knowledge of the situation was key. "You are our hope," said Jiménez.
"Prepare yourself well academically so you can make a difference once you leave," said Jiménez. "Follow your heart and you conscience and support the causes you believe in."
According to his biography, Jiménez is "currently the Fay Boyle professor in the department of modern languages and literatures, and director of the ethic studies program at Santa Clara University."
Jiménez received his B.A. from SCU and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Latin American literature from Columbia University under a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship.
He has served on various professional boards and commissions, including the California Council for the Humanities, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities (WASC), the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, Santa Clara University Board of Trustees and the Far West Lab for Educational Research and Development.
He has published and edited several books on Mexican and Mexican American literature, and his stories have been published in over 80 textbooks and anthologies of literature, in several different languages.
For more information or to contact Jiménez visit