Rudolfo Anaya: The Magic of Words

Gr 8 Up—This documentary on Rudolfo Anaya, a founding author of Chicano literature and a National Medal of the Arts recipient, holds an important role for English language arts and social studies classrooms. The film focuses on Anaya's life story and accomplishments, recounted in a manner that clearly reveals his values. The narration is set against beautiful and current images of rural New Mexico, juxtaposed with those of its past, including photos of the author and his family. Through interviews, Anaya shares his memories and musings, while his wife, Patricia, and others capture this man's multifaceted life with sensitivity. Various quotes can serve to prompt rich classroom discussions around issues of power and censorship, the driving force of story, and the anchoring capacity of Chicano values, together with more specific themes of Anaya's rationale for his work, perseverance, and success over injury, poverty, and artistic hurdles. He has written books appropriate for a range of readers, which, when examined together with the film, create a highly complex unit of study and opportunities for deep connections for those from similar cultural backgrounds. (The DVD is available in English and in a dubbed Spanish edition.)