Structure

The autobiography is divided into 24 chapters of varying lengths. Each chapter is identified by title only. A chapter about midway through this memoir is titled “Reaching Out,” which is also the title of the book. In this chapter, when Francisco's father was ill, he locked himself in a small room away from the family, refusing to come out or let anyone in the room. Francisco convinced his father to let him in. While they talked, Francisco's father said that he was tired as he was “reaching out to touch me” (71). This moment affected Francisco, and he remembered it later. At that point, Francisco was thinking through a series of memories, and his father's physical pain and his effort to reach out toward Francisco was one of those.

The main story line of the autobiography flows in chronological order, though there is historical information about Francisco's earlier life...