And The Earth Did Not Devour Him

And the Earth Did Not Devour Him

• Genre: Novel; autobiographical fiction
• Originally Published: 1971
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 690L; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 14 chapters; approx. 152 pages
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Over the course of a year, the young narrator observes important moments in his community of Mexican migrant workers. He recounts struggles and strength as he ponders memory, dream, reality, and their intersection.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Suicide, racism, anxiety attacks; discriminatory labor conditions; guns and shooting 

Tomás Rivera, Author

• Bio: Born 1935; died 1984; worked with his family as a farm laborer; earned BA and M.Ed. from Southwest Texas State University; earned PhD from University of Oklahoma; taught in high schools and universities; wrote poems, short stories, novels, and scholarly works; participated in civic activities and groups with a focus on education and youth; became first Mexican American chancellor in the University of California system; And the Earth Did Not Devour Him adapted to film in 1994
• Other Works: Always and Other Poems (1973); This Migrant Earth (1985); The Searchers: Collected Poetry (1990)
• Awards: Quinto Sol Prize

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Power of Storytelling
• The Interdependence of Paradoxical Elements: Hope/Despair, Good/Bad, Light/Dark

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the historical and sociological contexts regarding the history of migration’s effect on the perception of migrant workers that incites the narrator’s dilemma.