American Family - Journey of Dreams PBS' widely acclaimed drama series chronicles the multigenerational saga of one family's pursuit of the American dream. The new miniseries interweaves the Gonzalez family's courageous escape from the Mexican Revolution in 1915 to seek a better life in America with the sacrifices the family made in the 1990s to send their first-born son to medical school, and the consequences of those sacrifices as seen through the war in Iraq. When's it on? Visit the Site With which of the characters in this drama do you most identify? Why? Do you think that people with widely divergent political views can learn to live together? Why or why not? What do think of Jess Gonzalez? How do you react when Cisco says you should put your life on "cruise control?" Or, when Shady says that life should be like a wave - nothing can stop it? How important do you think it is for underprivileged families to sacrifice heavily for the success of one family member? What do you think that member owes the family in return? What do you think is the purpose of interweaving the various war stories? Do you agree that it's time for Nina to move on? Why or why not? Young Roberto's romanticized vision of America was often shared by late 19th and early 20th century immigrants. How do you think this myth arose and was perpetuated? How much do you think the Gonzalez family resembles other American families? What kinds of issues, if any, does the Gonzalez family deal with that you find in your family, too? Why did your forebears leave their home country (or countries) to come to the U.S.? Talk about how that experience has affected your family today.
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