Richard Rodriguez

Richard Rodriguez (born 1944) is an American writer of Mexican immigrant descent who rose from speaking only Spanish at home to academic success at Stanford, Columbia, and UC Berkeley before becoming a prominent essayist and journalist. He gained fame with his memoir Hunger of Memory (1982), which chronicles his assimilation into American culture, and authored subsequent works like Days of Obligation (1992, Pulitzer finalist) and Brown (2002). A contributor to PBS NewsHour, Harper's, and the Los Angeles Times, he has received a Peabody Award and stirred debate on bilingual education and affirmative action.