Hunger of Memory

Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez (ISBN 0-553-27293-4) is a 1982 autobiography by Chicano intellectual Richard Rodriguez and published by David R. Godine, Publisher. The book, written as several separate essays, narrates Rodriguez's educational history.

In general, Rodriguez laments that as he furthered his education, eventually finishing a Ph.D. in English literature, he became increasingly alienated from his family. As his interests grew, his family's generally stayed the same, resulting in a diverse gap in shared interests. Having become fluent in the language of the intellectual community, he lost touch with the cultural values that he once held in common with his family. His autobiography also includes the occasion that he turned down a potentially lucrative job offer because of the implication that it was extended on the basis of his race and not his scholarship. Between the two experiences, Rodriguez warns about the dual kinds of alienation felt in bilingual studies and higher education.