Drawn by the gold rush, they brought with them skills and goods and a view of the world that, though still Chinese, was transformed by their long journeys back and forth. Soto currently lives in Berkeley, California. During the nineteenth century, tens of thousands of Chinese men and women crossed the Pacific to work, trade, and settle in California. Several of his books have been translated into French, Spanish and Italian. Gary Soto is also one of the youngest poets to appear in the Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry. His other credits include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the California Arts Council. IHe has also received the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video for Pool Party, and was nominated for a National Book Award.
His short story collection Baseball in April, was named an American Library Association's Best Book for Young Adults, and he received the Bura Belpre Award for Chato's Kitchen.
Award for International Poetry Forum in 1977 for his first published book of poetry, The Elements of San Joaquin, to a Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award in 1985 for Living Up the Street, his first published work of prose recollections. The awards for this multi-talented author are many, ranging from the U.S. Gary Soto is an acclaimed poet, essayist, and fiction writer. His hard work paid off at California State University at Fresno, from which he graduated with an English degree, and later at the University of California at Irvine, where he earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.
Born in Fresno, California to Mexican American parents, Gary Soto learned the hard work ethic through his share of chores, including mowing lawns, picking grapes, painting house numbers on street curbs, and washing cars.