Reference Reviews

Doug’s Student Reference Room

César Chávez: UFW Labor Leader, by Kevin Hile. 104 pp. Farmington Hills, MI. Lucent Books, 2008. ISBN: 978-1-4205-0094-3. $32.45.

This volume, from The 20^th Century’s Most Influential Hispanics series, presents a compelling narrative about César Chávez, the labor leader whose devotion to nonviolent, grassroots organization called attention to the plight of migrant Hispanic American farmworkers. The introduction creates a framework for the rest of the story, touching on various aspects of his background that influenced his lifetime of activism; we are reminded that Chavéz spent time working the fields himself, both as a young man and as an adult; we learn of his devotion to Catholicism and pacifism and that a lifetime of personal sacrifice in support of the cause may have led to an early death; we read about failures that accompanied successes as Chavéz worked toward his goal of eliminating rural poverty in America. The first chapter reveals more about Chavéz’s early influences: the loss of the family farm, exposure to racism in school and the military, a father who believed in supporting those who were not being treated fairly. “We were among the families who always honored somebody else’s grievance,” Chavéz recalled. “So we’d lose the job and we’d go elsewhere.” The middle chapters, the heart of this volume, vividly portray Chavéz’s steadfast leadership and single-mindedness as his early work as a community organizer led to his founding of the National Farm Workers Association and the use of nonviolent strikes and boycotts to achieve change. Primary and secondary source quotes, scattered throughout the text, further enhance the story. The final chapters chronicle both the accomplishments and frustrations of Chavéz’s career, from the UFW’s five-year fight with grape growers that eventually resulted in better salaries for workers, to the eventual deteriorating living conditions at migrant camps, declining union membership and Chavéz’s own weakened health as a result of his many hunger strikes. An epilogue describes the UFW’s struggles with a new set of issues, such as illegal immigration, and lists the many posthumous honors awarded to the union leader; the volume also includes a chronology of important dates, suggestions for further reading, organizations to contact and a general index. A mix of black-and-white and color photos add life to the text—the portrait of a weakened Chavéz during a 1972 hunger strike is particularly wrenching. This volume provides a succinct account of one American leader’s life and legacy. Recommended for middle school, high school and public libraries.