Reaching Out (The Circuit Book 3)

Reaching Out is the third book in Francisco Jiménez's series following Breaking Through and The Circuit. From the perspective of his younger self, Jiménez describes the challenges he faced while pursuing higher education. During his college years at Santa Clara University, the family bonds that sustained him through childhood are tested. He must leave his family behind, and while he is away, his father abandons the family and returns to Mexico. The book explores how Jiménez coped with poverty, guilt over leaving his family in financial difficulty, academic self-doubt, and separation from those he loved. Jiménez's account addresses the continuing struggle to succeed in America for immigrant families and those living in poverty. The narrative uses spare, detailed episodes of daily life to convey experiences of work, anger, sorrow, and hope. Reaching Out was named a Smithsonian Magazine Best Book of the Year.