Personal Essays
Los Angeles Times / "McFarland USA" March 2, 2015
My reflections on a disappointing performance at the cross-country state championship depicted in the Disney movie about my team.
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mcfarland-usa-essay-20150302-story.html
Motherwell Magazine / "You Will Always Be Our Little Boy" April 23, 2025
A good-bye to a little boy we cared for as our own son and lost through the legal system after seven years.
Motherwell Magazine / "Taking My Special Needs Child To Holiday
Gatherings Breaks My Heart" December 20, 2023
An essay about the pain of seeing your special needs child subtly rejected by family during holiday "family" functions.
Taking my special needs child to holiday gatherings breaks my heart ·
Los Angeles Times / "Once Again He Has Stars in His Eyes" December 26, 1999
As a reporter at the Los Angeles Times writing about the still fresh- in-my-mind experience of going to college in the natural beauty of Humboldt County.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-26-cl-47568-story.html
Los Angeles Times / "Slow Down and Enjoy the Rain" January 19, 1997
Contrasting how rain in far northwest California rain was an endearing part of life while in Southern California it was reason for chaos, traffic and distress.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-01-19-me-20187-story.html
About the Author
Jose Cardenas is an author whose personal essays explore love, loss, and fatherhood. He is a former staff writer at the Los Angeles Times, St. Petersburg Times, and the Allentown Morning Call. His essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and Motherwell Magazine. He was also one of the real-life athletes depicted in the Disney movie McFarland USA. He enjoys spending time in the open sea.