Module 5: Esperanza rising

Book Summary: This is a book about Esperanza.  She and her wealthy family are forced to migrate from Mexico to the United States.  Her family goes from having everything to working in the fields.  This book describes the struggles of migrant workers and the sacrifices their families had to make to adjust to their new lives.

APA Reference of Book: Ryan, P. M. (2000). Esperanza rising. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Impressions: This book opened my eyes to what happens in other countries and how people coming over to the United States are treated.  I know this is not a true story, but to me it felt very true.  I read this book with my students and many of them could relate to the character, as some of them also had to leave Mexico because of the violence and come here to search for asylum.  Esperanza is humbled throughout her experiences and I think that it shows that she becomes a better person because she has to work hard for the things that were given to her freely before.

Professional Review:  Gr 6-9 --Ryan uses the experiences of her own Mexican grandmother as the basis for this compelling story of immigration and assimilation, not only to a new country but also into a different social class. Esperanza's expectation that her 13th birthday will be celebrated with all the material pleasures and folk elements of her previous years is shattered when her father is murdered by bandits. His powerful stepbrothers then hold her mother as a social and economic hostage, wanting to force her remarriage to one of them, and go so far as to burn down the family home. Esperanza's mother then decides to join the cook and gardener and their son as they move to the United States and work in California's agricultural industry. They embark on a new way of life, away from the uncles, and Esperanza unwillingly enters a world where she is no longer a princess but a worker. Set against the multiethnic, labor-organizing era of the Depression, the story of Esperanza remaking herself is satisfyingly complete, including dire illness and a difficult romance. Except for the evil uncles, all of the characters are rounded, their motives genuine, with class issues honestly portrayed. Easy to booktalk, useful in classroom discussions, and accessible as pleasure reading, this well-written novel belongs in all collections.

Goldsmith, F. (2000). Esperanza Rising (Book Review). School Library Journal, 46(10), 171.

Library Uses: The kids would discuss the challenges in their lives that they themselves may have faced and talk about how these challenges have changed them and if there are things that they would have done differently knowing what they know how these things have affected them.