Esperanza Rising
by Pam Muñoz Ryan

5 out of 5 stars

Esperanza is used to living on a wealthy ranch in Mexico with her family. She has always had servants and beautiful clothes and pretty dolls. But when her father is murdered by bandits, they lose their home and all their wealth. Esperanza and her mother travel to California where they get work as harvest laborers. Now Esperanza lives in a tiny shack in a migrant camp, and she has to work hard and learn new skills to survive. Her mother teaches her to have hope, but Esperanza gets more and more discouraged as some of the other workers strike and there is sickness and poverty all around. Eventually, Esperanza has to find her own hope from within, and find the strength to embrace a new kind of happiness.

This was such a beautiful book! It was really emotional to read about the devastation in Esperanza’s life as she loses so much, but it was equally inspiring to see how she grows and gains strength through those trials. I loved how the writing paints this lovely picture of both pain and love intertwined in her heart.

She has to face racism in 1930s California, and she sees some of the Mexican workers deported even though they were American citizens. It’s so tragic and it made me really angry to see people treated so unfairly, especially knowing that it is based on real history from that time period.

The best part of this book is the close relationships between Esperanza and her family. They have such an affectionate connection that was really lovely to read about. You can see that that is the source of their hope and their strength. They cling to that heritage and love in their family, and it becomes a powerful healing light for Esperanza when she is in a dark place.

To see sensitive content in this book, including instances of racism in 1930s California, check out the book on the Screen It First website! https://screenitfirst.com/book/esperanza-rising-1533442