Challenges Give Meaning to Our Lives: Francisco Jiménez and Social Justice

ALAN Review, Fall 2004 by Carlile, Susan

Jiménez's children's books also acknowledge a complex world. La Mariposa ends in a truce, with Francisco offering the bully, Curtis, his prize-winning drawing. The Christmas Gift/El Régala de Navidad closes with little Panchito's "deep breath" (27). He has not received the ball he so desperately hoped for, but he has learned about generosity and his parents' profound love. Instead of a happy ending, Jiménez offers a reality laced with an abiding sense that something better is on the horizon.

Although in some ways he laments that he didn't have time earlier in his life to tell these stories, he acknowledges, "I don't think I would have had some of these reflections twenty or thirty years ago. I suppose as we get older, we get wiser; therefore, the reflections that I have now give a different meaning to the experience." His career has been rewarding, and he has come to understand that his work is particularly timely.

Now since Breaking Through has come out I am much more in tune with younger people and their reaction to the book. I get many, many letters and emails from young people, and their teachers-not only Mexican-Americans, but also Vietnamese-Americans and people from other ethnic groups. Their reaction to the book is really rewarding to me. They will say, This is my story,' or 'My parents went through this,' or 'I don't feel alone now knowing that somebody else has gone through the same experience.' Many people relate to the story "Inside Out"-going to school, not knowing a word of English, and then struggling to learn English. From Breaking Through many readers relate to the struggle of trying to reconcile two cultures, a native culture and a new American one. I tried to blend the two as I was growing up, taking the best from each.

College clearly fed Jiménez's love for learning, and his academic success won him a fellowship to Columbia University, where he earned a Ph.D. in Latin American literature. He returned to his alma mater, Santa Clara University, where he became a full professor and later Associate Academic Vice President. Rather than drive him away from his roots, this trajectory fostered in him a deep gratitude. In fact, he believes that the person he is today is a direct result of the wisdom and sacrifices of his parents. "It's a matter of respect," he explains. "They gave me life and they taught me very important lessons. My father used to say that every person must be respected." Jiménez has certainly lived a life that demonstrates the depth to which he has learned this important lesson. He wisely surmises, "A well-educated person can relate to all different kinds of people. "

Jiménez has not only applied a lucid understanding of the value of an attitude of respect to the people in his life, but also to his experiences. The popular Nietzsche quote, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger," could easily be applied to his outlook on life. He sees the obstacles that have faced him as the very foundation for his present success. "I compare my situation to a man who is drowning. A man who is drowning uses the water, the very substance that threatens his life, to save himself. So 1 used poverty and those experiences that initially pulled me down to boost myself up. Whenever I felt discouraged, I would write about my childhood" (1998 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award acceptance speech).