Reviewed by Sarah Goodman Duffy
Review Source: Teaching for Change
Book Author: María Dolores Águila
Spanish edition available here.
Barrio Rising is a lyrically illustrated account of a San Diego community’s collective action to build Chicano Park. Author María Dolores Águila grew up in a San Diego neighborhood not far from Barrio Logan that faced similar environmental challenges due to industrial businesses and pollution.
The main character, Elana, hopes that construction under the Coronado Bridge in the barrio will be for a new park with swings and a slide. When the people in the barrio learn that instead of a park, the city is planning to build a police station, they come together to block construction. In their 12-day takeover, people from all over the state come to occupy and support the effort to build the park. This organizing led to Councilman Leon Williams confirming that the space under Coronado Bridge will become a park. The story emphasizes that the protest that built Chicano Park was a labor of love. The murals decorating the park commemorate the rich history of Chicano resistance and resilience. They include portraits of Che Guevara, Frida Kahlo, and other notable Mexican/Chicano historical figures and activists. The murals were designed to be a reflection of Chicano history, culture, and activism. They are a lovely representation of the history of Barrio Logan and the people who live there. The story for Chicano Park demonstrates the potential and capacity that communities have to make change.
Sarah Goodman Duffy served as a summer 2025 intern with Teaching for Change as a rising senior at Connecticut College, where she is double majoring in educational studies and art. When she’s not working, she can usually be found at a local coffee joint, drawing people on the Metro, or reading books by or about Queer people.
Find more recommended books on this topic on our Mexican American and Activism and Organizing booklists.
Barrio Rising by María Dolores Águila
Published by Penguin on June 18, 2024
Genres: Activism, Latinx, Mexico, Neighborhoods
Pages: 40
Reading Level: Grade K, Grades 1-2
ISBN: 9780593462072
Review Source: Teaching for Change
Publisher's Synopsis: 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.
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