Customer Reviews

Esperanza Rising

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He who falls today may rise tomorrow.
(Mexican Proverb, quoted from the book's opening)

This powerful and realistic novel is set in 1930's. The main character,Esperanza, is a wealthy young Mexican girl that has grown up on a ranch called El Rancho de las Rosas near Aguascalientes, Mexico. She is used to the care-free life of riches and privileges, surrounded by her loving parents, Ramona and Sixto Ortega, parties, dolls, servants, and silk dresses. But everything changes when one night, a day before Esperanza's 13th Birthday, her father is killed by the bandits.

Esperanza, her mother, and Abuelita (grandmother) find themselves in a very precarious position - they cannot own the ranch without Papa, a man, a head of the family. Espiranza's evil uncles take over the land, and one of them suggests that Ramona should get married to him. When Esperanza's mother refuses the proposal, their mansion gets set on fire at night, leaving them with nothing at all. Esperanza and her mother had no choice but to leave Mexico and flee to a migrate camp of agricultural work in California, leaving behind Abuelita and their riches and privileges. Instead, experiences of loss, poverty, separation, prejudice, humiliation and fear surround Esperanza on the way to her new life. She is no longer a princess but a worker. What's even more, her mother gets very sick, and Esperanza has to work hard to pay the hospital bills. Will she manage the long hours of work and months of separation from her mother and Abuelita? Will she find a way to rise from ashes and make a new life for herself?

Set against the multi-ethnic, labor-organizing era of the Depression, the story of Esperanza remaking herself is deeply touching and emotional. Most of all, It's a story about hope and perseverance (esperanza means "hope" in Spanish). The author also touches upon the the Dust Bowl, social reform, Mexican Deportation Act, discrimination and prejudice to foreigners.

Inspired by the experiences of author's own Mexican grandmother, this compelling story of immigration and assimilation is written in deeply authentic voice. The descriptive writing paints a well detailed picture for the reader. Spanish words, culture and traditions are woven in throughout the story, making it even easier to root for Esperanza.

If you liked this book, you might also like: "Ashes of Roses" by Mary Jane Auch, "Drown" by Junot Diaz, "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides, "From Ellis Island to JFK" by Nancy Foner, "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri, "Imagining America: Stories from the Promised Land" by Amy Ling, "And the Earth Did Not Devour Him" by Tomas Rivera and Evangelina Vigil-Pinon (translator), "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck, "Bread Givers" by Anzia Yezierska, "Rain of Gold" by Villasenor.


Julia Shpak
Author of "Power of Plentiful Wisdom". Available on Amazon.
For more reviews on children's books visit my blog "Julia's Library" at: ForwardQuoteDOTcom

Pam Munoz Ryan's ancestors lived this story, and she has done a great service to write it with such an authentic voice. She has presented a fictionalized account of her own grandmother's fall from wealth and privilege in the aftermath of the revolution in Mexico as she immigrated to the United States to work in a Mexican farm labor camp during the Great Depression. Esperanza, the young protagonist, experiences loss, poverty, separation, prejudice, humiliation and fear on the road to her ultimate rise from the ashes in the manner of the mythical phoenix. Ryan does an excellent job of presenting the dilemma and danger of early attempts to improve the working conditions of the laborer during this period. She points out in the author's notes the grave injustices incurred by the Mexican Deportation Act, which exceeded relocations of the Japanese-Americans during the 2nd World War and of the Native Americans of the previous century. Many of these issues of prejudice and injustice persist today. Adults who enjoy this wonderful children's book should be sure to read "Rain of Gold," by Villasenor.

There are many books and movies out there about young people and their families as they struggle to survive in Mexico and then in California when they decide to cast their lot with the American Dream...Esperanza has everything she could ever want or need on her father's El Rancho de las Rosas near Aguascalientes, Mexico, when he is killed by bandits in 1924. Esperanza and her mother must flee their ranch and her evil uncles, with the help of their loyal servants. She loses every privelege she had when she crosses the river to Southern California, where she must confront her own issues of classism and work to save her mother's life. Very exciting book! The friendship between Miguel. the son of her family's servants, helps Esperanza learn that they are equals in their newly adopted country. The author tells us that this is a fictionalized account of how her real abuelita came to the United States, which makes the story even more enjoyable. Can't wait to have my students read this book!

Winner of the 2001 Pura Belpre Award, "Esperanza Rising" tracts the rising/falling fortunes of young Esperanza Ortega. Forced to flee her father's grand estate in Mexico with her mother, the two make a perilous journey to America and become migrant farm workers in California. The book is a modified, "Little Princess", with a far more realistic and satisfying ending. Characters are presented here with great delicacy. Esperanza herself must sort out her own previous prejudices, while learning to live as, in her mind, a peasant. Children reading this will fully grasp everything that Esperanza has lost while truly appreciating the Mexican proverb Ryan has placed at the book's beginning: "The rich person is richer when he becomes poor, than the poor person when he becomes rich".

Though I appreciate much of what the book says, I had my own personal problems with the presentation. The strikers are presented as alternately foolhardy and violent. They are lead by a girl, Marta, who is introduced by teasing Esperanza for being once so rich, now so low. These strikers are never joined by any of the main characters in this book, save Marta. In the Author's Note, Ryan explains that strikers fought for better living conditions and were sometimes shipped back to Mexico without any justification on the officials' part. In some cases the strikers lost. "In other instances, the strong voices of many people changed some of the pitiful conditions". Yet we do not see any evidence of this in the book. Instead, the reader is left with the very clear feeling that it is easier to be a scab like Esperanza's friend Miguel rather than risk everything for the good of others. I know it is not the author's intent to present this point of view, but this is unfortunately the lesson learned. After all, in a section where Esperanza fights with Miguel in a field about the hopelessness of their situation, Miguel argues that, "everything will work out". Esperanza reacts violently, saying that this way of thinking is not productive. The obvious conclusion being drawn is that Miguel should do something about his situation. Quoth Miguel, " `You are beginning to sound like the strikers, Esperanza', said Miguel coldly. `There is more than one way to get what you want in this country'." Maybe so, Miguel. But that particular way helped improve the lives of countless Latin American immigrants in America. It's just a pity Ryan fails to acknowledge this fact in her story.

First of all, I would like to say that to read this book would not be my first choice. In fact, a book called Esperanza Rising with a picture of a girl floating in the air is probably not any middle-schooler's first choice of a book. But, fortunatly, I have a really cool reading teacher that knows that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.

Esperanza Rising is a story about an 12-year-old girl who lives in Mexico. She is fairly rich, and she lives on a big ranch with her parents.

Then, her perfect life falls apart. Her father dies, her powerful uncle threatens her, and her house is burned down. Esperanza is forced to flee to the United States with her mother in poverty to work in a labor camp. It is the very life she has never known.

This book tells Esperanza's story (A true one!) and how she must adjust to her new life. It is no wonder that in Spanish, Esperanza means, "Hope".

Esperanza Rising first takes place in Rancho de la Rosas in Mexico. The main character, Esperanza, is treated like a princess on the ranch. Everything is going well, until the night before Esperanza's father doesn't return home. Learning that her father was killed by bandits, Esperanza and her mother escape on a train that will take them to the United States of America. They find work on a farm in California with other Mexicans.

Wishing she were back home, Esperanza struggles to adapt to her new life. This is a big conflict that takes place in the story between Esperanza and herself. Not wanting to let go of her past and move ahead with her future, she doesn't try to fit in. After Esperanza's mother is put in the hospital, Esperanza finally works hard and tries to make friends. The story ends with Esperanza's mother coming home from the hospital and her knowing that everything will be alright.

This book was very entertaining to read. The author held my attention throughout the book because of all of the dramatic events that unfold. An example of this is when Esperanza's father dies. There is so much suspense in that chapter that I couldn't put the book down! When I read this book, I really felt as though I was right there beside Esperanza.

Pam Munoz Ryan writes a beautiful and compelling novel of a young girl who begins her teenage years in a way that she would have never expected. Esperanza Ortega is living the privileged lifestyle of a wealthy Mexican girl form a prominent family on Rancho de Las Rosas in Aguascalientes, Mexico, in the early 1930's. After tragedy strikes, Esperanza and her mother lose all of their riches and must flee to California, alone, without their beloved Abuelita (grandmother). With the help of their hired hands, who are more like family, Esperanza and her mother are forced to assume different roles, as agricultural laborers living well below poverty. More tragedy strikes as Esperanza's mother becomes extremely ill with Valley Fever. Esperanza must put all of her selfishness and past behind, in order to gain the strength and courage needed to take care of her mother and some how find a way to bring her Abuelita back to them. Esperanza is faced with the difficult challenges of the Great Depression, labor unions, and the prejudice against the Mexican people
Ryan writes a story that is rich with symbolism and has the ability to stimulate the senses of the reader. Ryan uses Spanish idioms, proverbs, songs, and chalks the text full with Spanish vocabulary, introducing the reader to the customs and culture of Esperanza's people. Ryan titles each chapter with names of fruits and vegetables, which one by one, give the reader a timeline of the harvest and a piece of the story. The story of Esperanza, her family, struggles, and triumphs are loosely based on the life of the author's grandmother. Esperanza Rising is a great read and proves to offer valuable and realistic information surrounding the times of the Great Depression and the struggle of agricultural laborers. Beyond the educational aspect, this well written novel definitely will captivate the interest of pleasure readers.

Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan, is a story of love and hope and adaptation amidst extreme despair. It is 1930. Esperanza lives a rich and privileged life with her parents, her abuelita and servants on their vineyard, El Rancho de las Rosas, in lush Aguascalientes, Mexico. She is a beloved only child and deeply loved by her family and workers on their ranch. Their family is well respected and kind to all around them. On the eve of Esperanza's thirteenth birthday and of the grand fiesta celebrating the bountiful harvest, Esperanza's father is killed by bandits. Then their elegant home is burned down under suspicious circumstances. Esperanza's corrupt and greedy uncles force Esperanza and her mother to secretly flee the rancho and head across the border to California. Abuelita is forced to stay behind because of injuries, intending to meet up with her family later in California (which she does). Esperanza and her mother are suddenly penniless, leaving with only what they could carry in a small suitcase. They flee Mexico with their loyal friends-- housekeeper Hortensia, field boss Alfonso, and their son Miguel, to seek a better life in California with Alfonso's brother. Arriving in the San Joaquin Valley, Esperanza faces a difficult life, one much different from her life in Mexico. She and her mother must live with another family in a small cabin at the Mexican camp. While her mother works in the fields, Esperanza stays back at the camp to take care of the other family's babies. It is extremely hard work for everyone, especially Esperanza, who was used to such a privileged life in Mexico. At first, she rebels, insisting that she will one day have back all that she has lost. When her mother becomes ill with Valley Fever, Esperanza must go out and work in the fields to support her family. It is the Great Depression, and there is little money for food and doctors. It is during this time that Esperanza experiences labor strikes, prejudice, unfairness, and fear as she struggles to survive. However, over time, and with many struggles behind her, Esperanza rises to the occasion and accepts her life as it is and looks ahead with esperanza--hope. Ryan's second novel (her first was Riding Freedom) is a beautifully told tale, peppered with Spanish words and expressions. This engaging novel is too good to put down and sure to be loved by many a young reader. It makes a wonderful read-aloud. In the Author's Note at the end of the book, we learn that this novel is loosely based on Ryan's grandmother's experiences in migrant camps in the 1930s. Life in those camps is vividly described and authentically portrayed. This novel is a wonderful stepping-off point for studying post-revolutionary Mexico, the Depression, migrant camps, and Mexican Repatriation and the Deportation Act.

Esperanza Rising Scholastic, 2000, 262 pp.,... Pam Munoz Ryan ISBN 0439120411

Imagine having a perfect life. Then suddenly everything turns upside down. Well, this is exactly what happened to Esperanza Ortega, a young Spanish girl who grew up on a ranch in Mexico. All of her troubles started out when her father died.
In Mexico at this time woman weren't thought of as important enough to own a house or anything of value, which was the man of the houses' job. Her father's death meant that she and her mother would have to fend for themselves. They would have made it out OK if only Esperanza's uncle, Tio Louis, decided that he wanted to take over the plantation, so he forced Esperanza and her mother out of their ranch. From there they went to work hard, long hours on some one else's ranch for nearly no money. When they finally stared to get used to their new situation the author decides to throw in yet another twist.
Esperanza Rising is based on a true story of a young Mexican girl fighting for her and her mother's lives. I would give this award winning book 4.5 out of 5 stars and I would recommend this easy read to anyone between the ages of 10 and 30. I would especially recommend it to people who get bored in the beginning of a lot of books, because Esperanza Rising gets right to the point, and also people who like adventure books will find this book exciting.

I read the Pura Belpré Award winning book Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. I give it four stars for its sensational plot and amazing characters.
This story hooks you from the very beginning. It's about a teenage girl who grew up on El Rancho de las Rosas, Aguascalientes, Mexico. She has a glorious life with expensive dresses, parties, and a loving Papa, Mama, and Abuelita. Her life suddenly turns upside down when her Papa is killed by a band of angry bandits on his way back from working in the fields. Esperanza, Mama, and the servant family escape from her angry uncles to a work camp in America. Esperanza must learn little tasks, such as sweeping or washing laundry, which she had never been faced with before. Mama's sudden illness of Valley Fever inspires Esperanza and gives her strength to bring her back to good health.
This story is based on the author's grandmother's real life experiences. You become close to the characters and can easily relate to their emotions. It's easy and enjoyable reading that also educates you on a true Mexican's life in an American work camp. It also informs you of striking within the camps; a feared and regular occurrence. Esperanza Rising gives you a foreign view of the important things in life. The story's beautiful ending and persevering characters is why I gave this book four stars. It gives you hope to never be afraid to start over.
Along with this book, I would also recommend The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares.
I am an 8th grader who loves to read.