The Gospel of César Chávez - (Celebrating Faith: Explorations in Latino Spirituality and T) by Mario T Garcia (Paperback)

About the Book

Best known as the leader of the farm workers' struggle and of the Latino civil rights movement, Chávez, like Ghandi and Dr. Martin Luther King, was a deeply religious figure whose faith and spirituality guided his public life. The Gospel of César Chávez uses the prolific leader's own words to bring attention to his profound faith and the way this faith shaped his leadership.

Book Synopsis

Once asked to explain how he had sustained himself over so many years of struggle, César Chávez responded: "I don't think I could base my will to struggle on cold economics or some political doctrine. For me, the base must be faith."

In evaluating the life and struggles of César Chávez, one of the most recognized Latino leaders in the United States and the first labor leader to successfully organize and unionize U.S. farm workers, many historians, journalists, and other writers have largely missed one significant factor of his life-his faith and deep spirituality. The Gospel of César Chávez uses the prolific leader's own words to express his profound faith and the way it shaped his life and leadership.

Review Quotes

"Mario García's The Gospel of César Chávez presents the thoughts and words of one of the leading U.S. Catholic and ecumenical thinkers of the 20th century. Readers will find here many startling meditations on poverty, non-violence, collective action, and social justice, and on their relationship to human spirituality." --Stephen Pitti, professor of history & American Studies, director of Ethnicity, Race, and Migration Studies, Yale University

"This is a book to read slowly and meditatively and let it transform you. Mario García has truly given us Gospel, 'good news, ' a window into the everyday wisdom, dichos, and powerful spiritual vision of César Chávez." --Timothy Matovina, associate professor of theology, director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, University of Notre Dame

"César Chávez was primarily a moral teacher, a man of great faith whose spirit inspired all those who met or heard him. Professor García's beautiful book captures, in César's own words, the depth of Chávez's convictions and the richness of his legacy for all generations. The power of his beliefs about human dignity, social justice, love, and truth is evident in this remarkable volume. This book may help us find a moral direction as we enter the perilous decades of the twenty-first century." --Richard Griswold del Castillo, professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies, San Diego State University

"The Gospel of César Chávez reveals the agony and the ecstasy of a man I was privileged to know, one living an authentic Christian life amidst injustice, suffering and even death-and never losing hope that justice will one day triumph. Like Moses, he did not see that day but never despaired of its dawning." --Moises Sandoval, author of On the Move: A History of the Hispanic Church in the United States

"At this crucial moment in our nation's history-'the immigration moment'-the witness of César Chávez gives us reason to hope. As we face the gift and task of just and lasting immigration reform, this collection of Chávez' writings reminds us that true reform of any kind must be nurtured and sustained by a lively faith and a vibrant spirituality." --Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles

"Garcia heavily annotates each chapter and ends the book with a bibloigraphy....The book dispels any misconception of Chavez's beliefs were simple or unsophisticated....Response to the book has been positive and diverse." --El Paso Times

About the Author

Mario T. García is a professor of history and Chicano studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of several books on Mexican American leaders, including Mexican Americans: Leadership, Ideology, Identity.