Transformative Writing"In the piece Coming into Language, Jimmy Santiago Baca reflects on his time in prison, where he battled illiteracy and experimented with personal writing. Orphaned at the age of two, Baca spent most of his life in the barrio and on the streets. He dropped out of school in the sixth grade and became a criminal at the age of seventeen. Completely illiterate, Baca discovered his heritage in a picture book of Chicano history. images from the book. This discovery motivated Baca to become literate and able to express his thoughts freely. Jimmy Santiago Baca published his first collection of poems, Immigrants in our own land, and later wrote Working in the dark: Reflections. of a barrio poet. Baca's writing is an inspiration for all, especially Chicanos, to find identity and aspire to personal expression life.Th...