Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Cesar Chavez: A Hero For Everyone
Illustrator: Lori Lohstoeter
Nonfiction
For ages 8 to 10
Simon and Schuster, 2003 ISBN: 978-0689859229
Cesar Chavez was just the man for the job. He had first hand experience of what it was like to be a poor migrant farm worker. He knew what it was like to be underpaid, over worked, and how it felt to be treated badly by the companies who owned the large fruit and vegetable growing farms in California. But what made him truly special and perfectly suited to become a labor leader what the fact that he was intelligent, careful, determined, and he refused to resort to violence to get what he wanted. In his mind there were always better ways to get the attention of the world.
Quietly and yet firmly Cesar got his followers to strike, to picket, to march, to ask the public to stop buying products grown by certain companies, and he even when so far as to go on a hunger strike to protest the treatment of ?his' people. When non-Mexican farm laborers had difficulties, Cesar joined their battle. In time Cesar was able to unite farm workers of all ethnicities in the fight for good and fair working conditions.
This well written account of the life of one of America's most famous Mexican-American leaders is moving and insightful. It emphasizes the non-violent ways in which Cesar worked, and it helps the reader see what kind of man Cesar Chavez really was.
This is one of the titles in the "Milestone Books" Series
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