Burro Genius

A Memoir

By: Victor Villaseñor

Narrated by: Robert Fass

When Victor Villaseñor stood at the podium and looked at the group of teachers amassed before him, he became enraged. He had never spoken in public before. His mind was flooded with childhood memories filled with humiliation, misunderstanding, and abuse at the hands of his teachers. With his heart pounding, he began to speak of these incidents. To his disbelief, the teachers before him responded to his embittered recollection with a standing ovation. Many could not contain their own tears.

So begins a touching memoir of an extremely angry adolescent. Highly gifted and imaginative, Villaseñor coped with an untreated learning disability (he was finally diagnosed with extreme dyslexia at the age of 44) and the frustration he felt growing up Latino in an English-only American school system that had neither the cultural understanding nor the resources to deal with Hispanic students.

Often beaten by his teachers because he could not speak English, Villaseñor was made to feel ashamed about his heritage, and even questioned the core values prioritized by his tight-knit family. Villaseñor's dyslexia, and growing frustration over not fitting in, fueled his dream to one day become a writer. He is now considered one of the premier writers of our time.

©2004 Victor Villaseñor (P)2019 Tantor

A story about true perseverance

I didn’t like talk about gun violence. The anger behind it, while warranted made this story a book I couldn’t recommend to an adolescent.

Captivating and real!

A fan for many decades now, I can't imagine living a life without Victor's stories.

If you’re Chicano read this book

I loved this story, it is very touching. Justice for Victor and all our Mexican American brothers and sisters who deal with discrimination everyday.

Eye opening!

This was a great telling of our school system from the perspective of someone who learned English as a second language. There's a variety of lessons one could take away. The narrator did a fabulous job telling the story. I sure felt like I was listening to the author.

Another excellent book by Villaseñor

I’d highly recommend reading “Rain of Gold” to give you a stronger understanding of “Burro Genius” but this book is strong on its own.