Gary Soto was born April 12, 1952, in Fresno, California to Mexican-American parents. His grandparents emigrated from Mexico during the Great Depression and found jobs as farm laborers. Soto grew up poor in the San Joaquin Valley and learned that hard work pays off through chores, such as moving lawns, picking grapes, painting houses, and washing cars.

When Gary was five his father died as the result of a factory accident, and his mother was left to raise her three children with the help of her parents. Soto describes his family as an "illiterate" family. They did not have books and were not encouraged to read. In fact, Gary did not start writing poetry until he was in college. He also is an author of fiction, nonfiction, and picture books.

Soto earned an English degree at California State University at Fresno in 1974. He continued his education...