OVERVIEW

Hunger of Memory is the first in a trio of memoirs (Days of Obligation and his latest, Brown: The Last Discovery of America, are the other two), written by Richard Rodriquez, a descendant of working class, Mexican immigrant parents.

In this book, Richard Rodriquez, a second-generation Mexican, gives a true account of the racism that he encounters as he acculturates into American society. This is a story of racial identity.

Many times the larger society does not understand that the color of a person’s skin could have a detrimental effect on the person. Skin color does not only effect those who are black or white. It also has an effect on those that who are colored—brown, red, etc. Richard openly and honestly shares his feelings from childhood, where he began his education in an Irish Catholic School taught by nuns. The Catholic Church played an extraordinary role in his thinking and succeeding; as an adult, he excelled in the world of academia. Through it all, the brownness of his skin always got more attention than the man himself.

As Richard’s journey into the assimilation of the dominant culture begins, so does his loss of self. On his first day of school, the nun introduced him to his classmates as “Richard” Rodriquez, instead of his birth name, Ricardo. “It was the first time I had heard anyone name me in English...I grew up victim to a disabling confusion. As I grew fluent in English, I no longer could speak Spanish with confidence,” he says.

In chapter two, “The Achievement of Desire,” Richard compares himself to the scholarship boy, found in Richard Hoggart’s The Use of Literacy. Most of chapter three, “Credo,” takes a look at Richard and his relationship with God, the Church, and the role they played in his search for his identity. The next chapter, “Complexion,” gives a detailed description of how men with dark skin are often affiliated with menial jobs and poverty. Richard also discusses in detail the humiliation that came with being a Mexican-American and a darker person. “I was to grow up an ugly child…with the shame and sexual inferiority I was to feel in later years because of my dark complexion. One night when I was 11 or 12 years old, I locked myself in the bathroom...with a bar of soap...I began soaping my arms. I took my father’s straight razor out of the medicine cabinet...I put the blade against my flesh, pressed it as close as I could without cutting, and moved it up and down across my skin to see if I could get out, somehow lessen the dark.” This is perhaps the most provocative portion of the book. Readers will receive a genuine understanding of what a person of darker skin must encounter, daily, from the dominant culture.

The sometimes controversial label “minority” and how it applies to a person of color and the educational system is the main focus of chapter 5. Chapter 6, “Mr. Secrets,” is an overview of how Richard’s life has personally affected his family.

Racial identity is extremely important—not only to young people, but to all people. It fosters a sense of pride. It’s important to remember that in between black and white, there are many other colors and groups of people. It is vital to learn about these other cultures and the everyday issues facing them, so that we can better serve them.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

• How do you treat someone who speaks a different language than yours?
• Have you ever been called names because you are different from someone else? How does that feel?
• What can you do to help someone from another racial, ethnic, or cultural background feel more comfortable with your culture?

IMPLICATIONS

• Bring together young people from different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. Encourage open and honest dialogue about common and unique issues.
• Monthly, have your group celebrate a different racial, ethnic, or cultural event. Involve everyone. Familiarity brings comfortability.
• If your ideas don’t work the first time, try them again a few months later. The time may not be right. Don’t give up.