Growing Up Aleluya

The village of Jesus Maria in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico was at once a quiet, in a sense bucolic environment where young people did the normal things expected of them. Conversely, there was a revolution going on that disrupted life on a regular basis. In this setting, Lupita Felix and Polo Garcia made their plans to emigrate to "El Norte" and seek a better life in California. Their lives began to change when Methodist missionaries greeted them at the border and offered food, shelter and spiritual support. A few years after settling in Colton, California they became members of a Baptist congregation. There were few Protestants in the Mexican barrios of Southern California and discrimination by the Catholic majority was sometimes harsh. Ernesto (Neto), the youngest sibling in the family writes about growing up "aleluya," often in a humorous vein, and includes vignettes on life in the barrio, during the 40s and 50s, where things were always interesting. Education in segregated schools through the 8th grade actually resulted in a solid foundation for the future."