Gary Soto author and poet living in Berkeley California at the age of 64 with his wife, Carolyn of thirty-three years, and his daughter Mariko. The Genre of Mr. Soto’s books are poetry, novels memoirs, and children’s literature. Mr. Soto was born to Mexican-American parents (Manuel and Angie Soto), on April 12, 1952 in Fresno California. At five year’s old Mr. Soto lost his father to an accident at Sunmaid Raisin Company. This left his mother with financial problems. She was forced to raise three children Rick, Gary and Debra. His family later moved to a rough neighborhood nearby. Jobs were difficult to find. Mr. Soto and his mother, grandparents and siblings had to work in grape, orange and cotton fields, so they could eat. Gary had difficulties in school he attended Roosevelt High School where he barely graduated with a D average. Mr. Soto was able to find his way to Fresno City College in 1970. He started college as Geology major, but two years later …show more content…
Mr. Soto found his mentor who he studied under Mr. Philip Levine. He taught him how to appreciate poetry. Helped him to find style and flow for his poetry. Soto graduated from Fresno State in 1974. His next step was graduate student at University of California. Soto was an assistant professor teaching English and Chicano Studies at University of California, Berkeley during 1979-85. He also became an associate professor of English and Ethnic Studies during 1985-91 at UC Berkeley. At UC Berkeley, Gary was a part-time senior lecturer in English department during 1991-93. He finally became a writer in 1974, Soto published his first book of poetry, The Elements of San Joaquin. Soto reflects heavily on what he went through as a young child and what he saw while he was picking fruit in the fields. The elements that he writes about are in relation to the four classical elements of the universe. He became an associate professor. In 1975 he married his wife Carolyn