I was fascinated, enthralled and moved by this compelling self portrait of the Sanchez family. As a former resident of Mexico City I found it a revealing look at a side of life there that I was only vaguely familiar with. Even though the life stories being told were compiled fifty years ago, the book is still very relevant today. I'm not sure why Lewis's Culture of Poverty theory was so discredited - maybe it has to do with a sense that he is blaming the victim - but the evidence he presents is quite convincing, even though the reader does wonder how much he edited the data to make it fit his ideas.