Leaving his home in a migrant community, Francisco sets off for college, carrying memories of years of poverty and prejudice. This volume is the autobiographical account of the author's transition from migrant living on California's central coast to the life of a college student. He chronicles his college years and introduces the people who befriended him as well as those who had prejudices against Mexicans. Throughout his story, the difficulties...

Every night when he was a boy, Jose M. Hernandez would look out the window and stare at the stars. They were different colors: blue, yellow and white. Some were larger and brighter than others, and some twinkled as if they were alive. Later, when he saw man land on the moon on TV, he knew he wanted to be an astronaut. But Jose struggled in school because his family moved constantly and he didn't speak English. His parents were migrant workers from...