Esperanza Rising (Scholastic Gold)

Book review (for a Children's Literature class): Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan is a wonderful, heartfelt story that grips at your emotions of despair, fear, determination, and hope. The story begins with a young girl named Esperanza who lives in Mexico on a large vineyard with her mother, father, grandmother, and servants in the year 1930. The story takes place after the Mexican Revolution when many of the poorer people were still very angry with the rich land owners. Esperanza is very wealthy and has not a care in the world more than planning her Quinceanera fiesta which won’t occur for another two years. “They still had two more years to wait, but so much to discuss -- the beautiful white gowns they would wear, the big celebrations where they would be presented, and the sons of the richest families who would dance with them” (7). She has many dresses, wonderful food, and does not have to bother with household chores like sweeping or cleaning the house. All of that changes in an instant, however, when a terrible event occurs that forces her mother and Esperanza to immigrate to America. They, along with their former servants, catch the train to California, hoping to start a new life. Esperanza finds herself suddenly poor and without the luxuries in which she had grown so accustomed. “How could she be happy or grateful when she had never been more miserable in her life?” (105). Her mother and her go to work on a farm in the San Joaquin valley where they have many difficult times. Esperanza has trouble adjusting to a life where she is not treated as royalty, and many people in the camp give her strife because of this. “‘Just so you know. This isn’t Mexico. No one will be waiting on you here’” (99). Through the ups and downs in the camp however, Esperanza learns that her loved ones are the only thing she really needs and she takes the difficult times in stride. She grows as a person and finds herself along the way. Overall, I felt that this book was very well written and a wonderful story about a girl who goes from riches to rags. This book would be a wonderful addition to any home or classroom library and could be used to promote historical and cross cultural understanding. The novel deals with many issues, including racism and social class status, which are described in a way that allows children to begin to understand them. Esperanza believes that she is better than the others in the camp for a long time. She does not like the conditions of the camp because she thinks that she should not live as a poor person. “Esperanza felt anger crawling up her throat. ‘Mama, we are living like horses! How can you sing? We don’t even have a room to call our own’” (102). Throughout the story, she grows and realizes the error of her thoughts. This is something that I really enjoyed about the novel. I think that viewing the world through Esperanza’s eyes make readers realize how sheltered she was and how ignorant at times she is, while still maintaining a sense of understanding and empathy for her as well. I also really enjoyed the language used in the novel. The author uses Spanish words many times throughout the story, and in the title of each chapter, and follows the with the English equivalent. This in and of itself allows the reader to better immerse themselves in the story and culture. The reader can learn some Spanish words while reading this story, which is wonderful for children! The writing really helps to bring across a cross cultural understanding, and I think that is one of the best things about this novel. Overall, I would highly recommend this book, both for parents and educators. I also would like to recommend the audio book, as I think it was extremely well done!

Esperanza is a privileged wealthy girl from Aguascalientes, Mexico. After her father is killed just before her birthday, her corrupt uncles make living in her home difficult. After “proposing” to Esperanza’s mother, Ramona, and being immediately shot down, the uncle somehow has the house set on fire in the middle of the night. The mother is no longer financially capable of rebuilding and is left two options, marry her deceased husband’s brother, or flee to the States and try to survive with her daughter. Ramona cannot bear the thought of marrying her corrupt brother-in-law and escapes to the States with her former house servants and Esperanza. From the fire, their beloved Abuelita, Esperanza’s grandmother, is forced to stay behind until she is well and can join them. When they make it to the States, Esperanza struggles to adjust to her new life, the other young girls mock her for not knowing how to do simple everyday tasks like sweeping or doing laundry. In her world everyone did these things for her; her only job was to be a child. She struggled with caring for the babies while her mother left for the day and went to work, but eventually somewhat adjusted. After a sudden dust tornado, her mother falls ill and is unable to work. This is the motivation that drives Esperanza to change her spoiled ways and start to work in the place of her mother. For months Esperanza saves money in the hopes to reunite her Abuelita and her mother. For months Esperanza’s mother showed no signs of recovery, eventually got pneumonia and was no longer allowed visitors. On top of being thrown into this new world the threat of an uprising amongst the workers threatened Esperanza’s hopes of saving enough to continue to help her mother and Abuelita. After all her hard work she discovers that her mother is well again and free to come home, but is still very depressed from the recent events in her life. In hopes to pull her out of depression she tells her mother about the money she’d been saving, only to find it gone. Miguel, her childhood friend and at times her bully of sorts, had stolen her money and gone to Northern California. After a few weeks, Miguel returns and surprises everyone with Abuelita. This is exactly what Esperanza had been hoping for and it healed her mother and they were all together again. Esperanza Rising, by Pam Muñoz Ryan is a fantastic read for an intro high school Spanish class. As a Foreign Language Education Major, with the hopes of becoming a high school Spanish teacher, this book is a perfect avenue with which to learn about Mexican culture. It has many Mexican themes while incorporating some Spanish words, directly translated after in English. There are so many adult themes that many teenage students are unaware of that are incorporated into the book. The way the themes are presented is very accommodating to helping the students understand the content, without being overwhelmed. The story is written from the view of a young girl, Esperanza, and her life from living in Mexico to escaping to the United States. The author does well to tear down and the common stereotype that Mexicans are “dirty” and “under-educated” and instead tells about the hardships that many Mexican immigrants faced and still face when coming to the United States where their skills and education does not matter to the American landowners that they work for. This theme can be controversial, but is one that should be discussed and amended, which would be an excellent way to generate an open class discussion. The section of the book that describes Esperanza’s uncles and their power over the town and how they take advantage of their power for corrupt purposes can easily be related to any time period, not solely the 1930s in Mexico. The book is also written for a younger audience so it is a very quick and easy read which helps the students feel less overwhelmed and hopefully halts any chance of anyone falling behind. The setup of the book is also very conducive to a classroom setting, as it can be broken up into different sections that can be distributed however the teacher wishes. Overall, it is a great read for any class, but especially for a Spanish class studying Mexican culture.

I just started the book, and I am so invested it is definitely one of the best books I have ever read.

You know it’s a good book if you’ve read it back in elementary school and now you’re middle age and still remember how the book made you feel, and still knowing the storyline. I bought this for my 9 yr old stepdaughter as a present. I think it would be a good read for 9-12 year olds.

My 5 star reviews are determined by the lasting effects the books I read have on me. Did they make me stop and think as I read? Do they make me smile or frown? Do I want to share the book with others? How do I feel as I read the last pages, and do those feeling stay with me? A school teacher friend of mine recommended this book to me and said I was missing out if I don't consider middle school books as options when I read. I can now definitely say that I agree with her wholeheartedly. I wish I were more literate and able to better describe the experience of reading this but what it comes down to is the author's ability to invoke in me very pure emotions. Whether it is happiness, frustration, hope, anger, etc. The words are simple, yet poetic and poignant and this really helps drive important messages home.

I love how easy I is to read. I plan to use it with all of my English classes.

Bought for my 8yr and 10yr old boys. Such great life lessons. We were taken away with every page. Buying more books from the author

Excelente calidad, buen tamaño ! Mi hija quedó encantada con el

Best book I ever read. Charming read. Inspirational for all . Especialy all girls must read this book