Summary

In Chapter 14, “Celio Sánchez Valdivia,” the author describes placing a phone call to José’s brother, Celio, who is now living in San Diego. Celio then refers the author to José Sanchez González, who was José Sánchez Valdivia’s best friend. To avoid confusion, they will be referred to here by their last names: Valdivia and González. González’s brother answers the door and explains that he just recently died. To the best of his ability, González’s brother describes the friendship between González and Valdivia. They met while working in the San Joaquin Valley. The chapter concludes with Valdivia’s reflections on the differences between his hometown, La Estancia, and the San Joaquin Valley. Here, in San Joaquin Valley, he never gets enough sleep.

The author then flashes back to the years 1932 to 1940 in Chapter...