Esperanza Rising

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
2002 Pura Belpre Medal for narrative

Based on a true story from the life of the author's grandmother, Esperanza Rising tells of a wealthy young girl in Mexico and her immigration experience to the US.

The story begins in Mexico, in the luscious grape fields of her fathers land. The love of the land is deep and rich. Her father tells her "Our land is alive! The whole valley breathes and lives!"  Her father shows her how if  you lie on the ground and listen well you can hear the heart beat of the earth. There is a ritual to begin the grape harvest and a fiesta to celebrate the harvest at the end. Esperanza's father owns a vast track of land, "El Rancha de la Rosa." and a team of servants tends to both house and field. Esperanza's life is almost like that of a princess!

A series of unexpected events brings this life to an abrupt end. Having lost everything, Esperanza and her mother find themselves fleeing to the United States. They were forced to leave their abulita, their grandmother, behind because she was not well enough to travel. They journey in the company of some of their servants, a couple and their boy, Miquel, who is about Esperanza's age. But now, they are on equal footing with these servents, all owning nothing, all hoping to find work as laborers in California. They settle in a farm workers camp and begin the hard work and life in their new home.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It deals with issues of class and race, family and love, labor movement and farm workers.

Despite the real hardships of the new life, there are sweet moments of connection with the good things of the past, and a lot of hope for the future. Watching the identities and relationships topple from master/servant to peer/co-workers and seeing everyone help one another and grow in the process makes a good story.

The edition I read also had a bunch of supplemental information at the back of the book  including Authors notes, an interview with the author, recipes and projects to extend the experience.