In his introduction to this collection of 23 poems, Gary Soto tells his readers that he thinks of his poems as a "working life, by which I mean that my poems are about commonplace, everyday things..." Arranged in a chronological order beginning with childhood and moving up through adolescence and young adulthood, the poems celebrate small, significant moments in the life of a working-class Chicano male. Each poem is introduced with a brief anecdote that places it in the context of Soto's life. In a four-page section at the book's end, he answers some of the questions young people have about poetry. (Age 11 and older)