02+-+Gary+Soto+Biography

= **Gary Soto ** =

====**Biography:** Gary Soto was born in Fresno, California in 1952. His Mexican American family worked as laborers in the agriculture industry. Soto's father was killed in an accident where he worked at the Sunmaid Raisin Company. Since his death had severe economic as well as emotional effects on the family, they had to move to a dangerous neighborhood in Fresno. He and his siblings also had to join the work force to help the family meet their economic needs. ====

====Soto did very poorly in school due to several factors. First, his working hours cut into time for school or studying. Secondly, the loss of Soto's father left him emotionally devastated and his did not apply himself to his studies. Finally, education was not an important part of Soto's family's culture therefore he didn't receive encouragement from home regarding his studies. ====

====Although his studies at school were not a priority, Soto did explore books on his own through the school library. While he preferred poetry, he also enjoyed authors such as Ernest Hemingway. ====

====In 1974, Soto graduated from Cal State with a bachelor's degree in English. He began working on a master's degree in creative writing soon after that at the University of California, Irvine. He married a woman with Japanese American heritage, Carolyn Oda. The following year he began working on a master's degree in creative writing at the University of California, Irvine. When he finished his master's, Soto began teaching Chicano studies at the University of California at Berkeley. He remained at the university until 1993, as an associate professor of both Chicano studies and English. ====

====Soto focused on writing poetry during the years he was teaching. When he left the teaching field he began writing children's literature in earnest. He claimed that he began writing children's literature because he wanted to provide books for Chicanos that reflected their heritage and culture. ==== ====Gary Soto writes from his experiences growing up in the barrios of Fresno. These poor Mexican American neighborhoods provide the setting and theme of many of his books. As Soto writes about these experiences and the feelings and experiences of kids from all cultures, he is considered to be a prominent contemporary author in America. ====