Villasenor, V. (2004). Burro Genius. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
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| Victor, six years old, on Midnight Duke |
Okay, so book two is pretty much the whole book, but it was jam packed with Villasenor family wisdom. Victor's papa and mama taught him from an early age, how strong and brave the Mexican people were, but when Victor started school, he was told a whole different story. Victor spoke little to no English, but was not allowed to speak Spanish at school. "English Only!" his teachers would yell. In addition, they called them lying, lazy, dirty Mexicans. He was told these horrible, stereotypical things so often that he started believing them. Why it is so easy for kids and adults to believe what other people say about us, and why is it so much easier to believe the bad stuff instead of the good?
Even though Victor ended up going to multiple schools and repeating multiple grades, he learned a lot of life lessons over the years. I have really enjoyed reading the tidbits of wisdom Victor's papa, Salvador, instilled in him. I will most likely pass some of them on to my kids. I have listed my favorites below.
"... a real man didn't get offended if other men ridiculed him for staying close to the women of his familia. That a real hombre was proud of being close and loving with the women of his life." (p 58)
"These are the real heroes of life, men who bring home the bacon." (p 190)
"This is how we learn, by making mistakes. And big ones, too!" (p 87)
"... be very careful to not become a show-off or make fun of people who don't know how to play as well as you... if you get cocky or show off too much, people will turn against you and then you'll have no one to play with." (p 115)
"...there are no bad people on Earth, once we've learned how to open your eyes and really see." (p 182)
"You mean, there were two Bibles back in Eden? Yes of course. That only makes sense. No man and woman could ever agree on just one story." (p 175)
No one is in control, Mundo. We're all just God's guest for a short time." (p 217)
"The more and more that I learn the more and more I realize that God is always with us. It's just that we're too busy to notice." (p 219)
Even though Victor ended up going to multiple schools and repeating multiple grades, he learned a lot of life lessons over the years. I have really enjoyed reading the tidbits of wisdom Victor's papa, Salvador, instilled in him. I will most likely pass some of them on to my kids. I have listed my favorites below.
"... a real man didn't get offended if other men ridiculed him for staying close to the women of his familia. That a real hombre was proud of being close and loving with the women of his life." (p 58)
"These are the real heroes of life, men who bring home the bacon." (p 190)
"This is how we learn, by making mistakes. And big ones, too!" (p 87)
"... be very careful to not become a show-off or make fun of people who don't know how to play as well as you... if you get cocky or show off too much, people will turn against you and then you'll have no one to play with." (p 115)
"...there are no bad people on Earth, once we've learned how to open your eyes and really see." (p 182)
"You mean, there were two Bibles back in Eden? Yes of course. That only makes sense. No man and woman could ever agree on just one story." (p 175)
No one is in control, Mundo. We're all just God's guest for a short time." (p 217)
"The more and more that I learn the more and more I realize that God is always with us. It's just that we're too busy to notice." (p 219)
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