. . . And the Earth Did Not Devour Him, Tomás Rivera

The strength of a community of migrant workers in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s is the unifying theme of . . . And the Earth Did Not Devour Him. This compilation of short stories and vignettes follows the painful events of one year in the life of a young boy from this community. Written to expose the abuses and horrors faced by migrant workers, the book recounts some disturbing events through which the boy finds strength in himself and realizes the importance of his community.

Related Readings

from Voices From the Fields: Children of Migrant Farmworkers Tell Their Stories—interviews by S. Beth Atkin

Children for Hire—newspaper article by Verena Dobnik and Ted Anthony

Christmas—short story by Langston Hughes

First Confession—short story by Frank O'Connor

from Aria: a Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood—autobiography by Richard Rodriguez

Study Guide (PDF)