Victory Is in the Struggle - by Carlos Muñoz (Paperback)

About the Book

Victory is in the Struggle: From Barrio Boy to Revolutionary and Scholar is a memoir by Chicano activist-scholar Carlos Muñoz, Jr.

Book Synopsis

Personal memoir of Chicano educator and social justice activist Dr. Carlos Muñoz, Jr. He was born in the "segundo barrio" in El Paso, Texas, and raised in the barrios of East Los Angeles, California. He is the son of poor working class Mexican immigrants. He earned his AA from Los Angeles City Community College, his BA with honors in Political Science from California State University at Los Angeles and his PhD in Government from the Claremont Graduate University. He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Ethnic Studies and Adjunct Faculty, Center for Latin American Studies, University of California, Berkeley. After 47 years of teaching in higher education, he has gained international prominence as political scientist, historian, journalist, and public intellectual.

Review Quotes

"An intense, captivating look at one of the most important human rights activists and scholars of the 20th century, Victory is in the Struggle is brave and challenging. In a moment when we need our elder voices to share how to struggle, Carlos Muñoz leaves us with this regalo. May we all have the audacity to ignite matches of justice and liberation that Muñoz leaves us with."

-Pablo Gonzalez, Continuing Lecturer Chicanx and Latinx Studies Program UC Berkeley

"Carlos Muñoz, Jr.'s memoir, Victory is in the Struggle, is the simple story of a remarkable man whose commitment to social justice, courage, and compassion are rooted in a life of overcoming poverty and racial injustice and helping others to do so as well. A Chicano Movement leader and cofounder of its student and scholarly organizations and of the first Chicano Studies Department in the country, and its first acting chair, Carlos's life is a list of meaningful firsts. This is the moving, inspiring, and historically significant life of a man of integrity."

-Laura E. Pérez, Professor of the Chicanx Latinx Studies Program and the Department of Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley

"Carlos Muñoz has given us a concise first-hand account of the leaders, events, and organizations that comprised the movement for Chicano(a) identity, justice, and equality. His moving personal story of overcoming poverty and a lack of support from his parents to rise to the heights of academic achievement should inspire all who read it."

-Charles Henry, Professor Emeritus of African American Studies, UC-Berkeley

"Carlos Muñoz's compelling political memoir brilliantly illuminates a remarkable personal journey within the long, complex, and enduring Chicano Freedom Struggle. At the same time, this deeply moving work insightfully explores the broader historical significance and impact of this essential human rights struggle. A must read!"

-Waldo E. Martin, Jr. Alexander F. and May T. Morrison Professor of American History and Citizenship, Department of History. UC Berkeley

"Victory is in the Struggle is an intimate look at the life of a veteran of the Chicano Movement, a pioneering Ethnic Studies scholar, and a true organic intellectual, Carlos Muñoz Jr's commitment to building an "authentic revolutionary multiracial democracy" were shaped by war-his grandfather's involvement in Pancho Villa's revolutionary army, his experiences conducting military intelligence during the Korean War, which opened his eyes to violent machinations of U.S. imperialism, and his work as a scholar and activist challenging "internal colonialism" in Chicano communities. As "Profe" would often remind his students, "victory is in the struggle!"

-Michael Schulze-Oechtering Castañeda. Assistant Professor of History, California State University, East Bay