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A ROBERT "CARLOS" FUENTES BOOK
A ROBERT "CARLOS" FUENTES BOOK
The Vacation
The Vacation
$24.95
PURCHASE
Or through your favorite bookstore
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Vacation: A Teenage Migrant Farmworker’s Experience Picking Cherries in Michigan is a coming-of-age story that intertwines the bonds of family and friends, emphasizes the importance of heritage, captures the sweetness of first love, and showcases the quiet dignity of hard work. As Bob learns to navigate the crossroads between his past and an uncertain future, he discovers the true value of family, friendship, identity, taking risks, and dreams that extend beyond the orchard. It is ideal for young adult readers and adults alike.
REVIEWS
"Sensitive reminisces of a Mexican American teenager on a cherry-picking 'vacation' in the summer of 1969 with his family in northern Michigan. Provides a window to family, religion, race relations, and short-term community life among migrant farm working families through the experiences of an adolescent boy who is coming of age in a migrant camp and the orchards of cherry growers."
―Rubén Martinez, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus
"Many families who migrated to Michigan as farm workers settled in various areas of the state to find jobs in industry and business. Ours was one such family, but in the summer, we joined hundreds of migrants returning to the orchards in Traverse City, Hart, and Ludington to harvest the cherry crop. We lived in tents, garages, and barns, picking from dawn until sunset.
In the fall, we returned to school, where teachers would often assign the first writing task: "My Summer Vacation." So we wrote about Lake Michigan, the Cherry Festival, the parade, and the beaches but omitted the daily work in the hot sun. That work provided shoes, clothes, and school supplies, and a kind of vacation. This book brings back those memories."
―Rachael Elisa Moreno
NEWS AND EVENTS
Author Talk at Defiance Public Library, September 6, 2025, 320 Fort St, Defiance, Ohio, 11:00-Noon
Author Talk at Maria's Bakery, September 12, 2025, 715 N Clinton St, Defiance, Ohio, time to be announced
Fiesta Defiance, Saturday, September 13, 2025, Triangle Park, Defiance, Ohio, 11 am to 11 pm
Capital Area District Library - South Branch, October 14, 2025, 3500 Cedar Street, Lansing, MI, 6:30-7:30 pm
MEDIA
MSU Today, July 1, 2025, Growing Up Picking Cherries In Michigan
Glen Arbor Sun, August 10, 2025, Teenagers Picking Cherries: A Migrant Farmworker's Memoir
BIO
Robert “Carlos” Fuentes retired from Michigan State University and the U.S. Army and now resides in Lansing, Michigan. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Central Michigan University and a Master of Arts from Michigan State University. The Vacation: A Teenage Migrant Farmworker’s Experience Picking Cherries in Michigan is the first book he has authored. As a migrant farmworker, Carlos has experience picking cherries, strawberries, blueberries, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
CONTACT
CONTACT
Email carlosfuentesmsu@gmail.com for more information
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