Book Review: Breaking Through and Circuit

Breaking Through and Circuit
By: Carly Flowers
Breaking Through and Circuit, by Francisco Jimenez, is a relatively good book about a young boy, Francisco Jimenez, who describes his life as an illegal immigrant from Mexico living all over California, working in grape, strawberry, and cotton fields for a living. I thought it was a rather intriguing book, so I would recommend it to any that wants to learn about how illegal immigrants and new immigrants live in America. Circuit, the first in the sequence, was more about the family (a family of five at the time) moved up and down California with the different farming seasons. In Breaking Through, the family is separated, and as the children grow up, they go in different paths, especially toward the end, and the family overcomes difficult hurdles.
The books have a certain characteristic, a vibe, that drew me to reading more. The way the author portrayed a young boy, himself, was different than how people usually do it. He got deeper than you'd expect, and it really gave you this connection that you don't really see a lot. I thought that was a key component that was very intriguing for me.
The plot of the book wasn't really present. The only plot was Frankie's life, and in that, there were many, many different mini-stories. I thought that was a little different, and somewhat confusing. Breaking Through was a little confusing for me, just because there were tons of plots and stories and events. It was all overwhelming and crazy. Then, at times, it could get a little dry and boring, when nothing what happening.
One thing I loved about the books were the characters. I thought the characters were very well described and I really felt like I knew the characters myself. For example, Roberto, Frankie's only older brother, was shown to be a caring young man growing up in hard conditions. Also, the younger brothers, Trampita, Ruben, and all the rest of them were very well portrayed. They were always young and fun. Always playing and laughing and having fun. I loved reading about them. Also, Frankie, the main character, was really interesting to me. I thought it was a different point of view, that of a young boy growing up. It was difficult for me to relate to him, as I'm not a boy, but there were parts when I could relate. Like when he was at school, his constant thirst to learn more and be better. Also, he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up, and he stuck to that, even when people told him that he would never get to do that. I do that too. My mom always says that I'll give up on my dream, but I don't think I ever will.
There was a lot about this book that I really liked. However, there were some things that I didn't really like. I think this book teaches you a lot about illegal Mexican immigrants, but not that much about Angel or Ellis Island. If you're looking for a book about Angel or Ellis Island, I would not recommend these books. If you want to learn about illegal Mexican immigrants, I would highly recommend them. I think they're nice books to read, but they're definitely not my favorite. I'm not sure if I recommend or don't recommend these books, but based on my reviews, you can decide for yourself and see if you want to read these books!

Breaking Though- post 6

Quote 1: "He has," Papa answered wearily. "This life is killing us all." His eyes watered. He bit his lower lips and walked away. ~Francisco Jimenez and Papa page 152

Response 1: I thought this related back to one of the questions. The one that talked about their new life in America. I thought this related directly to that because Papa is talking about how their life in America is killing them all, especially Frankie because of all the hard labor that they do to earn a living. It really got me thinking when Papa said this because he had been in constant pain almost the whole book, so for him to say that was really thought-provoking.

I had a personal connection to this because my grandma used to say that all the time. She'd always exaggerate everything, and she'd say things were killing her, or Oh! This life is killing me! I thought it was funny that Papa said this when she says it all the time, too.

Question 1: How has Papa's attitude toward everything effect your outlook on the book? (He's making the book a little more down-to-Earth for me because tons of parents are like him)

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Quote 2: "You look like a priest," Papa said, chuckling." ~Papa page 182

Response 2: This quote really got me going. I thought it was really funny how throughout the whole book, the author has tied in religious things that the family still carries from their old country. Also, when Frankie is so surprised that some people didn't vote for Kennedy because he's Catholic, I thought it was funny. The family being Catholic was a tie from their homeland and it, too, directly correlated with the question about what they held on to from their home country, because they brought their religion from Mexico to America, and still practice it.

If I had immigrated to America, I too would carry out my traditions and religions. I wouldn't assimilate completely to my new country's religions and cultures, I'd want to keep some of the old life in me, like the family did.

Question 2: Did you like the way the book ended?