Parrot in the Oven

Victor Martinez was born in Fresno, California on February 21, 1954. He was the fourth of twelve children in a family of migrant farm workers. He attended California State University at Fresno and Stanford University. Before becoming a full-time author, he worked as a field laborer, welder, teacher, and office clerk. He wrote culture reviews for El Tecolote and published a magazine called Dinton. His poems, short stories, and essays have appeared in several journals and anthologies. His books include Caring for a House and Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida, which won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 1996 and the Pura Belpré Award. He died of cancer on February 18, 2011 at…  More the age of 56.  Less