I found Victor Villanueva's book, Bootstraps: From an American Academic of Color to be exceedingly accurate in reference to the many things that we as Latinos encounter throughout the course of both our quotidian and academic lives. As a young boy of Puerto Rican descent growing up in the barrios of New York City, Victor Villanueva faced many challenges. The poverty and the almost subhuman conditions that were a part of his every day life in his neighborhood made him want something better for himself. The steps he had to take to get there, notwithstanding, were not easy.
             One of the most interesting parts of the book to me was the time in elementary school where he struggles with teachers that did not effectively teach or communicate. Some of those teachers he had, who were white and were trying to teach them Spanish, could not relate to Villanueva and his peers and seemed rather disparaging towards them. It struck me as an old fashioned case of racism or maybe just plain insensitivity when his teacher told him the following: "Hey, you. You! Little Spanish boy. You better get out of that street when there's a car comin', or your momma gonna come down and whoop them rice and beans right outta' you."
             Villanueva went on to trade school, which was what he was encouraged to do while in grade school, but after that joined the military. Throughout the course of his military career, his experiences led him to believe that he could become much more than what he once thought possible. Upon leaving the military, Victor Villanueva enrolled and graduated from a community college and, ultimately, worked his way up to an academic post at a university. Through his struggles to succeed, Villanueva is able to embrace his cultural identity and maintains it with integrity. He is an example of discipline, determination, and academic genius.
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