The Roads We Travelled

Book excerpt: The Roads We Traveled begins with the chronological journeys that families took in a legendary Latino barrio. It is an idyllic locale that for one brief historical moment brought meaning and even glamorous ambience to the people involved in its story. The story is burrowed in a location with high idealsSan Felipe High School, which resides in a small town in Texas. It was a place bursting with excitement, purpose, and culture, where students from an impoverished community came together to celebrate learning and wisdom, which was inspired by outstanding teachers. The narrative illustrates the various social and environmental barriers students were able to overcome. Because of this, students found a silver lining to their clouds. This silver lining brilliantly outlines where they are today, fifty-five years later, after they went out into society to become architects of their new communities. This book will resonate to Hispanic and other Latino students who have been encouraged and challenged to stay in school, graduate, and pursue higher education. It will also be compelling to all educators who have struggled to find ways to inspire students to believe that education is indeed a stairway to success. Even though The Roads We Traveled is a success story of children who grew up in poverty in a Texas barrio, it is ultimately a universal story about family, friendships, success, failures, disappointments, and setbacks. Significantly, the story is definitely about the powerful importance of superior teachers who are on the frontline to inspire their students to pursue their dreams to the very end.