How does Rodriguez describe his life as a child?

The novel begins with a prologue in which the author gives some information about his background. He was born out of immigrant parents and even though he assimilated the culture in which he was living, he was still looked at with suspicion and pushed to rediscover his parents’ culture and language.

When Rodriguez started school, he only knew a couple of words in English. Despite this, and the struggles he faced in school, he didn't think that bilingual education is the answer. In fact, he believed it to do more harm than good. In private however, Rodriguez used Spanish and the language was comforting to him. Because of this, when he had to enter the English speaking world, he did not felt comfortable.

After Rodriguez started school, the teachers urged Rodriguez's parents to talk English at home as well. Rodriguez notes sadly that this affected the relationship between him and his parents because they struggled to communicate properly. Instead of discouraging him, this only made Rodriguez feel more determined to learn English and to master the language.