Esperanza Rising

After reading Esperanza Rising, the one line that stuck with me the most was the final line of the Author's Note; "it's no wonder that in Spanish, esperanza means 'hope'." Hope is a very powerful word. It's limitless, knowing no bounds. With hope, all things are possible.

Esperanza Rising is the perfect title for this book, especially if we look at “esperanza” as both a common and proper noun. With a "lower case e", esperanza (hope) rises throughout the book as the characters struggle through the many challenges with which they are faced. Hope is exemplified through the characters’ escape to California, the growth of the rose plantings, Mama's recovery from Valley Fever, Abuelita joining the family and Esperanza and Miguel's budding romance. Esperanza, with an upper case E, rises throughout the story as well. We follow her journey, beginning with her life as a privileged, favorite daughter of wealthy Mexican farmers, to the scared girl as her world falls apart after her father’s death, to a teenager making tough decisions when her mother falls ill and finally to the strong young woman who does whatever needs to be done in order to help her family.

Hope was the emotion that ran through me as I read this charming story. I had hope that Papa would return home, hope that someone would stand up to the uncles, hope that Esperanza and the others would make it to California, hope that Esperanza would adjust to her new life, hope that Mama would get getter, hope that Abuelita would arrive and hope that the farm workers’ lives would improve. Of course, we know that not everything we hope for comes to fruition. But Esperanza had hope too and I believe that it was because of that hope that she was able to endure.

This is a wonderful story of an immigrant experience and what word better to represent immigration than hope. Most immigrants leave their homes to move to the United States because they are hoping for a better life. Pam Munoz Ryan paints a vivid picture of what life was like for the immigrants who worked the fields in California in the 1920s and 30s. The life Esperanza expected when she left Mexico was very different from the reality she lived when she began her new life in America. However different that reality was, Esperenza exemplified the hardworking spirit of the immigrant. She lived in hope that life would get better.

I think this book would be a welcome addition to an upper elementary/middle school reading curriculum. It is a fabulous example of historical fiction. That it was based on the life of the author’s grandmother is an added bonus. It stands as an example that writers draw from their own lives for inspiration. This book could also be used in a social studies context e.g. what life was like in California in the years preceding The Great Depression. The history of labor laws could be explored. Rich discussions could ensue about the varied treatment of the different workers groups (Mexicans vs. Okies). In reading this book, I learned something new and disturbing. During the workers’ rights movement American citizens of Mexican descent were captured and sent to Mexico against their will. I was shocked to read in the author’s note that more Mexicans were deported during The Great Depression than the number of Native Americans displaced in the 1800s or Japanese placed in internment camps during World War II. I think it is important for students to learn all parts of American history, even the “not so pretty” parts. We can only hope that they will learn from our country’s collective mistakes and strive to do better.