Louie Rodriguez recalls growing up as a Mexican American in southwest Texas in the 1950s and 1960s in this coming-of-age story that highlights the key figures who shaped his life. He grew up in a poor neighborhood with his grandparents, who he called Mom and Dad. His father was a go-getter by trade, working on anything he could. During his younger days, he labored under the burning sun laying out tracks on a railroad. His mother ran the family's little store while his father set tile for the houses of white people. He was good at his trade, which is why he was always employed. When the author dropped out of high school after his freshman year, his mom was disappointed. But the day after he told her, she woke him up and said, "It's time to start looking for a job." Like the thousands of poor people who migrated to the United States from Mexico looking for better lives, the Rodriguez family was poor. Find out how they overcame discrimination, worked hard, and moved forward in Mestizo.