Barrio Boy, by Ernie Galarza, is the true story of the author’s experience moving from a small village in Mexico to a barrio in Sacramento, California. Galarza describes his memories from when he was four years old until the time he started high school. Ernie belonged to a family of poor farmers, and his life in the Mexican village was defined largely by the tensions that escalated between the working class and the Mexican government. These tensions eventually forced Ernie and his family to leave their farm and village and start a new life in America.

When the Galarza family leaves their village, they move to various towns in Mexico and then to Tucson, Arizona, before they make their home in Sacramento. During the transition, Ernie is exposed to different ways of life and must adjust to different cultural traditions. When they arrive in Sacramento, Ernie has grown somewhat accustomed to change, but life in America brings a host of new problems and insecurities. He has opportunities in America that he never had in Mexico, and as he observes the world and begins to process his observations, he learns to pursue those opportunities and embrace them. As Galarza recounts his childhood memories of assimilating into American life, he reveals cultural divisions that define the immigrant experience, and he highlights the struggles of his people to find their place in a new country without losing touch with their Mexican heritage.