Taking Hold: From Migrant Childhood to Columbia University

“Simply written but full of beautiful details, this book should inspire every citizen of our diverse and changing world.” —VOYA     In this fourth book in his award-winning memoir series, Francisco Jimenez leaves everything behind in California—a loving family, a devoted girlfriend, and the culture that shaped him—to attend Columbia University in New York City.   A moving account of the Latino experience in America, Francisco Jimenez’s work comes alive with telling details about the warmth and resiliency of family and the quest for identity against seemingly impossible odds.    |

"Simply written but full of beautiful details, this book should inspire every citizen of our diverse and changing world." —VOYA   “From strawberry fields to the Ivory Tower, Santa Clara University professor was a class act.” —San Jose Mercury News   “‘Taking Hold’ is an engaging, inspiring account of a migrant worker turned Ivy League graduate.” —New York Daily News   "There is a humble sincerity and earnest plainspokenness to Jiménez’s prose. His ingratiating storytelling—who else could make these years of adulthood such a compelling read for teens?—make us root for him to succeed." —Horn Book Magazine   "With characteristic grace and insight, [Jimenez] describes his new life in the grit and crush of Manhattan, the initial alienation of being a misfit among peers...and the strain of missing his family and girlfriend in California." —Booklist   "An eloquent work about overcoming poverty to receive an advanced education." —School Library Journal