Harvest of Hope

Harvest of Hope is the remarkable autobiography of Dr. Jorge Prieto, a respected physician and former president of the Chicago Board of Health.  Prieto immigrated to the United States as a struggling intern from Mexico and dedicated his life to bringing  medical care to the disadvantaged and displaced Hispanic community in the United States. It is this experience that lends so much credence and compassion to this book.Prieto’s story is one of faith, hope, and love in the face of hardship and discrimination; and it is both a professional and a personal pilgrimage through half a century of dynamic change in medicine and the Hispanic community.

“Jorge Prieto is one of those unusual people who have ‘made a difference.’ Throughout his life, there emerges a strong faith, a total dedication to the poor unfortunate, and a hope that somehow with God’s grace, he could make his dreams come true. I recommend this book highly.” —Reverend Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., President Emeritus, University of Notre Dame, "[Prieto's] account reflects the difficulties Mexican-Americans have faced and the efforts of an older generation to make their way in America while maintaining their heritage. In publishing this simple, charming memoir, Notre Dame Press celebrates one of Notre Dame University's glories, a distinguished public servant inspired as a student there to pursue a medical career in hopes of serving Mexican immigrants in the United States." —Commonweal

Jorge Prieto, M.D., (d. 2001) received his degree in medicine from the Universidad Nacional de Mexico in 1949. Among his many honors and responsibilities he has been Consultant on Family Life to the National Bishops Committee for the Spanish Speaking, a member of the Migrant Labor Advisory Committee for the state of Illinois, and consultant to the U.S. Senate sub-committee on Aging from 1970-1975.