"Simply written but full of beautiful details, this book should inspire every citizen of our diverse and changing world." —VOYA   “From strawberry fields to the Ivory Tower, Santa Clara University professor was a class act.” —San Jose Mercury News   “‘Taking Hold’ is an engaging, inspiring account of a migrant worker turned Ivy League graduate.” —New York Daily News   "There is a humble sincerity and earnest plainspokenness to Jiménez’s prose. His ingratiating storytelling—who else could make these years of adulthood such a compelling read for teens?—make us root for him to succeed." —Horn Book Magazine   "With characteristic grace and insight, [Jimenez] describes his new life in the grit and crush of Manhattan, the initial alienation of being a misfit among peers...and the strain of missing his family and girlfriend in California." —Booklist   "An eloquent work about overcoming poverty to receive an advanced education." —School Library Journal    —