The Circuit

This wonderful book deserves every one of the four awards it has garnered. Jimenez perfectly portrays an immi-grant child's view of leaving Mexico for California to pursue a better life. The very hard times of the late 1940s are presented without sentiment or melodrama, both by Jimenez and Adrian Vargas. The narrator convincingly takes the listener back in time with a range of accents and ages. He also presents several short musical interludes. The best treat is an afterward presented by the author. Listeners of all ages should enjoy this bittersweet memoir and learn from it. S.G.B. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine