• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

José Mujica is a former revolutionary, past president of Uruguay and climate activist.

José’s speech to the UN is famous for criticizing the contemporary economy, the inequalities of the world and the consumerism that drives our daily lives and pushes us to buy more and more.

José condemns our wasteful way of life, explaining that if we all lived like the average American we would need three earths. Today, he says, it is time to consider the planet as a home where we are all equal. Only through governing ourselves as a species will we be able to make way for a world that focuses on what is truly important: our relationships with each other, and how we relate to the world we live in.

José’s famous speech, translated for middle-grade readers, is strikingly illustrated by acclaimed illustrator Guridi and followed by an analysis written by Dolors Camats, showing young readers the greater context of who José is, the audience he was addressing and what made this speech so powerful.

The Speak Out series publishes the most inspiring speeches of our times, then deconstructs them to give young readers a deeper understanding of global issues and the power of language to influence them.

Key Text Features

biographical information

definitions

explanation

facts

headings

historical context

illustrations

informational note

Correlates to the Common Core States Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.3

Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6

Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

JOSÉ MUJICA served as the president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former revolutionary and contemporary climate activist, he became known as “the world’s poorest president” for living in a small home, driving an old car and giving away 90 percent of his presidential salary. José's modest lifestyle reflects his criticism of rampant consumerism, a theme of some of his most well-known speeches.

José Mujica's profile page

DOLORS CAMATS is an executive director in the NGO sector and former deputy in the Parliament of Catalonia. She lives in Barcelona, Spain.

Dolors Camats' profile page

GURIDI’s children's books have been translated into a dozen languages and have won many awards, including the Middle East Book Award, and have been included on the USSBY Outstanding International Books list. He studied painting and drawing at the University of Seville, Faculty of Fine Arts. He lives in Spain.

Raúl Nieto Guridi's profile page

SOFÍA JARRÍN is a copyeditor, proofreader, sensitivity reader and translator. She is a nonbinary Latine, a mother, and an advocate for Indigenous rights and environmental justice. She lives in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Sofía Jarrín's profile page

Mujica's powerful and stirring speech will inspire young activists and be useful for both speech classes and debate clubs.

Booklist

José Speaks Out both introduces a political figure who may not be familiar to high school readers but also clearly articulates an anti-consumerism perspective that is often missing from North American discourse ... A welcome addition to classes studying political theory.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials