Renowned Author Villaseñor To Speak at Library Program

Description

Renowned Mexican-American author Victor Villaseñorwill be the guest speaker Sunday, Sept. 18, when the Fullerton Public Library launches its new “Distinguished Speaker series” featuring best-selling authors.

The program will begin at 2 p.m. at the Main Library, 353 W. Commonwealth Ave., adjacent to Fullerton City Hall.
The program, which falls during “Hispanic Heritage Month” (Sept. 15-Oct. 15),is sponsored by the Friends of the Fullerton Public Library and is also supported by Poets & Writers, Inc., through a grant it has received from The James Irvine Foundation.  

Villaseñor, whose autobiographical work “Rain of Gold” was listed on the “New York Times” bestseller list, was born to Mexican immigrants in the barrio ofCarlsbad, California, and raised on a ranch four miles north in Oceanside.  

His struggles as a youth suffering from a reading problem later diagnosed as dyslexia, as well as facing discrimination, language and cultural barriers helped shape the writing style that has earned him numerous awards and endorsements, including the Founding John Steinbeck Chair appointment.
Villaseñor first published novel was “Macho!,” which the “Los Angeles Times” compared to the best of John Steinbeck.  This work eventually led to publication of the national bestseller “Rain of Gold.”  Reprinted in seven languages and used by thousands of teachers and school systems across the nation as required reading, “Rain of Gold” tells the story of Villaseñor’s family from war-torn Mexico during the Revolution of 1910 to the present day.

Villaseñor’s body of work includes a number of nonfiction books used in schools throughout the country;  the trilogy “Wild Steps of Heaven,” “Rain of Gold,” and “Thirteen Senses;”  “Jury: The People vs. Juan Corona;”  and “Walking Stars,” a collection of short stories written especially to inspire youth.

Villaseñor’s“Burro Genius,” a national best seller and Pulitzer Prize finalist, is the first book of a second trilogy. The second book, “Crazy Loco Love” was also nominated for a Pulitzer.  The third book, “Beyond Rain of Gold,” was released this spring. 

He has also written numerous children’s books which have become popular fixtures in classrooms across the nation.   

Villaseñor, who continues to live on the ranch where he was raised, is also a prolific screenwriter.  He wrote the screenplay for “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez,” starring Edward James Olmos, and is collaborating with HBO on a mini-series based on several of his books, including “Rain of Gold” and “Burro Genius.”

Others lined up for the Distinguished Speaker Series are award-winning author and National Public Radio personality Sandra Tsing Loh on Jan. 15, and New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz on May. 6.

Persons requiring special accommodations to attend the program are asked to notify the library staff prior to Sept. 18.