Hunger of Memory

Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez (ISBN 0-553-27293-4) is a 1982 autobiography by Chicano intellectual Richard Rodriguez. The book, written as several separate essays, narrates Rodriguez's educational history.

Overview

The Hunger of Memory autobiography highlights the complexities of Richard Rodriguez's life from his youth to adulthood. He speaks of the distance he felt in American society as a child because he could not speak English. He found socialization difficult because he could not fully speak the language of his community or his society. Therefore, he remained a quiet and reserved child for quite some time. However, with the help of his Catholic school teachers, the cooperation of his siblings and the support of his parents he began to speak English more fluently.

In general, Rodriguez laments that as he furthered his education, eventually finishing a Ph.D. in Literature, he became increasingly alienated from his family. As his interests grew, his family's generally did not, resulting a diverse gap in shared interests. Having become fluent in the language of the intellectual community, he lost touch with the cultural values that he once held in common with his family. His autobiography also includes an instance where he turned down a potentially lucrative job offer due to the implication that it was extended on the basis of his race and not his scholarship. Between these two experiences, Rodriguez warns about the dual kinds of alienation felt in bilingual studies and higher education.