Gary Soto

1
Gary Soto

• (b. 1952)
• Kevin V.
• Period 7

2
Life and Times

• Gary Soto was born in Fresno, California on April
  12, 1952. He still lives in California to this
  day. He was raised by his mother and he has a
  brother Rick and a sister Debra. He wanted to
  become a priest when he grew up. But, when he
  picked up a poetry book and started reading he
  turned himself into an author and a poet. He
  married in the late 70s, and now has a daughter
  Mariko. (poets.org)

3
Life and Times

• Gary studied at California State University and
  received a degree in 1974. He then received a
  masters degree at the University of California.
  He also occasionally teaches English and Chicano
  studies at the University of California.
• His favorite food is frijoles. He has two cats
  and enjoys the outdoors. (poets.org)

4

• Since Gary Soto has more than twenty books
  published, he has been very popular. For his
  books, he has received the Andrew Carnegie Medal,
  and the United States Award of the International
  Poetry Forum. Many of his books and poems
  describe his life growing up. Some also describe
  his fathers death when he was young. He also
  writes about basic life in America. One thing
  Gary does to encourage kids to read is poems is
  he meets them at parks and plays baseball or
  basketball with them. He says that inspires him
  to become a better writer. (georgetown.edu)

5
Gary Soto Titles(Books, Short Stories, and
Poetry Books)

• 1985 - Living Up the Street
• 1990 - Baseball in April and Other Stories
• 1990 - Summer Life
• 1991 - Taking Sides
• 1991 - Fire in My Hands
• 1992 - Pacific Crossing
• 1992 - Neighborhood Odes
• 1992 - Skirt
• 1993 - Pool Party
• 1993 - To Many Tamales
• 1993 - Pieces of the Heart
• 1994 - Crazy Weekend
• 1994 - Jesse

• 1994 - Local News
• 1995 - Canto Familiar
• 1995 - Cats Meow
• 1996 - Old Man and His Door
• 1996 - Off and Running
• 1996 - Boys at Work
• 1997 - Buried Onions
• 1997 - Novio Boy
• 1997 - Junior College
• 1997 - Snapshots from a Wedding
• 1998 - Petty Crimes
• 1998 - Big Bushy Mustache

6
Awards

• 1985 - American Book Award
• 1993 - Andrew Carnegie Medal
• 1996 - The Pura Belpre Award
• 1998 - The Pura Belpre Award
• 1999 - Literature Award from Hispanic Heritage
• 2002 - The Pura Belpre Award
• Bess Hokin Prize
• Levinson Award
• John and Patricia Beaty Award
• Tomas Rivera Prize

7
Mission Tire Factory

• All through lunch Peter pinched at his crotch,
  And Jesús talked about his tattoos, And I let the
  flies crawl my arm, undisturbed, Thinking it was
  wrong, a buck sixty five, The wash of rubber in
  our lungs, The oven we would enter, squinting
  ---because earlier in the day Manny fell From his
  machine, and when we carried him To the workshed
  (blood from Under his shirt, in his pants) All he
  could manage, in an ignorance Outdone only by
  pain, was to take three dollars From his wallet,
  and say "Buy some sandwiches. You guys saved my
  life."

8
How Things Work

• Today it's going to cost us twenty dollars To
  live. Five for a softball. Four for a book, A
  handful of ones for coffee and two sweet rolls,
  Bus fare, rosin for your mother's violin. We're
  completing our task. The tip I left For the
  waitress filters down Like rain, wetting the new
  roots of a child Perhaps, a belligerent cat that
  won't let go Of a balled sock until there's
  chicken to eat. As far as I can tell, daughter,
  it works like this You buy bread from a
  grocery, a bag of apples From a fruit stand, and
  what coins Are passed on helps others buy
  pencils, glue, Tickets to a movie in which
  laughter Is thrown into their faces. If we buy
  goldfish, someone tries on a hat. If we buy
  crayons, someone walks home with a broom. A tip.
  a small purchase here and there, And things just
  keep going. I guess.

9
Works Cited

• www.poets.org
• www.english.upen.edu
• www.garysoto.com
• www.georgetown.edu