Stephen D. Gutierrez's essays and stories recreate the Mexican-American culture of Fresno and the working-class East LA of his youth in the 1970s, offering memories as both poignant and sharp, painful and funny. The Mexican Man in His Backyard is the third and culminating volume in Gutierrez's trilogy of essays and stories, which also includes Elements (winner of the Nilon Award) and Live from Fresno y Los (winner of an American Book Award sponsored by the Before Columbus Foundation). Writer Alejandro Murguia praises the book: "Stephen Gutierrez captures the mood, language, and unexplainable sadness of places we all know. Sometimes essays, sometimes fiction, sometimes both: Modern and postmodern, these pieces paint a vivid picture of Fresno and LA and offer sharp portraits of Chicano poets and others, laced with irony and beauty."