Description
This collection contains a personal letter written by Richard Rodriguez to the branch supervisor of the McKinley branch of
the Sacramento Public Library. In the letter, Rodriguez reminisces on the role the McKinley Library played in his early education.
Also included is a copy of the 40th Anniversary edition of "Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez (2022)."
Background
Richard Rodriguez is an award-winning American author and public intellectual. He was born in San Francisco, California on
July 31, 1944, the third of four children, to Mexican immigrant parents, and grew up in Sacramento, California. Despite barely
speaking English when he started elementary school, Rodriguez grew up to earn a B.A. in English from Stanford University in
1967, an M.A. from Columbia University in 1969, and concluded his formal education as a PhD candidate at the University of
California, Berkeley, that included a stint studying at the Warburg Institute in London. Rodriguez's books include "Hunger
of Memory: The Education of previous hit Richard Rodriguez (1982)"; "Days of Obligation: An Argument with My Mexican Father
(1992)," which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist; "Brown: The Last Discovery of America (2002)"; and "Darling: A Spiritual Autobiography
(2013)." In addition to his autobiographical books, Rodriguez has contributed essays to newspapers, journals and magazines,
including Harpers and the Los Angeles Times, and appeared frequently on the PBS NewsHour television show where he won a Peabody
Award for his video essays.
Restrictions
All requests to publish or quote from private collections held by the Sacramento Public Library must be submitted in writing
to sacroom@saclibrary.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Sacramento Public Library as the owner of
the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained
by the patron. No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.