Barrio Rising

By María Dolores Águila, Magdalena Mora (Illustrator)

A community fights to reclaim their promised park, sparking a powerful movement.

4.2/5 Goodreads · 203 ratings

40 pages

$18.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

In 1970, a young activist in San Diego's Barrio Logan discovers a promised park is set to become a police station. As the neighborhood unites, they embark on a daring twelve-day occupation to reclaim their land. Will their resilience transform the area into a vibrant symbol of cultural pride, or will their dreams be crushed by the city's plans? Dive into a tale of courage and community in the heart of Chicano Park's creation.

From the publisher

A vivid historical fiction account of the community activism behind San Diego’s Chicano Park–home to the largest outdoor mural collection in the U.S.–and just one example of the Mexican American community’s rich history of resistance and resilience. Barrio Logan, one of San Diego’s oldest Chicane neighborhoods, once brimmed with families and stretched all the way to the glorious San Diego Bay. But in the decades after WWII, the community lost their beach and bayfront to factories, junkyards, and an interstate that divided the neighborhood and forced around 5,000 people out of their homes. Then on April 22, 1970, residents discovered that the construction crew they believed was building a park–one the city had promised them years ago–was actually breaking ground for a police station. That’s when they knew it was time to make their voices heard. Barrio Rising invites readers to join a courageous young activist and her neighbors in their successful twelve-day land occupation and beyond, when Barrio Logan banned together and built the colorful park that would become the corazón of San Diego’s Chicane community. Also available in Spanish/también disponible en español: El barrio se levanta Two starred reviews!*“A marvelous testament to barrio-based might.”–Kirkus Reviews, starred review

At a glance