Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida

Description: Winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, "Parrot in the Oven, " tells the story of a Mexican-American boy's coming of age in the face of poverty, abuse, and cultural discrimination. "A rare and consummately believable portrait of barrio life."--"Publisher's Weekly."

Brief description:

Victor Martinez was born and raised in Fresno, California, the fourth in a family of twelve children. He attended California State University at Fresno and Stanford University, and has worked as a field laborer, welder, truck driver, firefighter, teacher, and office clerk. His poems, short stories, and essays have appeared in journals and anthologies. Mr. Martinez was awarded the 1996 National Book Award for Young People's Literature for Parrot in the Oven, his first novel. He now makes his home in San Francisco, California.

Review Quotes:

"Martinez writes with clear insight into the Chicano culture. His narrative is poetic." - School Library Journal

"A rare and consummately believable portrait of barrio life." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)