Jose Antonio Villarreal was born in California, where he spent most of his life, although he traveled extensively over the course of the years. The son of a Mexican migrant worker, he received a degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1950 after four years in the navy. He then lived and taught in Mexico, Colorado, California, and Texas. He is the author of The Fifth Horseman, Clemente Chacon, and Pocho. He died on January 10, 2010.
