The Barrio Boy is a long and vivid memoir of the author’s childhood. It is a story of a young boy, Ernesto, living in Jalcocotan (Jalco) a small Mexican village where he, his divorced mother, and his uncles, José and Gustavo,living with their other relatives. He describes the layout of the village and the simple lives of the people living there. As a toddler, Ernesto learns the importance of work by running errands and looking after the family’s chickens along with his cousins. Since there are no schools in the village, so his education comes from learning and watching the behavior of those around him