Like Mexicans

Gary Soto, the author of "Like Mexicans", has said of his work that “as a writer, my duty is not to make people perfect, particularly Mexican Americans. I'm not a cheerleader. I’m the one who provides portraits of people in the rush of life.” 

California highway California highway

On page 76 is such a portrait. Read it, and then work with the tasks in your textbook and below.

Okies

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the immigrant population explodes in California as thousands of people move there to find work and a better life. Those from the Dust Bowl, whether they are from Oklahoma or not, are called “Okies.”