Esperanza Rising

ESPERANZA RISING

by Pam Munoz Ryan

Image credit: http://www.pammunozryan.com

1. Bibliography

Ryan, Pam Munoz. 2000. Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 9780439120425

2. Plot Summary

Set during the Great Depression, Esperanza begins her life as a privileged young girl in Mexico growing up on a large ranch with servants and surrounded by a loving family.  When her father suddenly dies, Esperanza and her mother have no choice but to abandon what is left of their burned-down home and flee to California.  They leave Aguascalientes in secret with a family of ranch workers and begin their lives as agricultural laborers.  Esperanza is less than pleased to live in a camp with hundreds of other workers in cramped quarters, where she is expected to do chores and look after younger children each day.  When her mother falls ill with Valley Fever, Esperanza realizes she must  rise to the occasion and begin working to try to bring her Abuelita to California.  Esperanza works hard and saves her wages, until finally her family's former ranch hand Miguel surprises her by bringing Abuelita to the camp.

3. Critical Analysis

In this coming of age story steeped in adversity, the reader gets a taste of the difficult struggle it is to be an immigrant in the United States. As Esperanza must leave her homeland, her friends, and her Abuelita behind, she gets thrown into the reality of working for little wages and living in uncomfortable conditions.  With well-rounded characters and a strong protagonist in Esperanza, this story hooks the reader until the end. Esperanza begins to learn about the injustices of the world as an undocumented worker from Mexico.  As a worker, she witnesses laborers on strike fighting for higher wages and must continually work hard to keep her job packing fruits and vegetables.  Esperanza is forced to grow up quickly and focus on survival in her difficult situation.

The cultural markers are plentiful in this text as it is a story of a Mexican family immigrating to the United States.  From the close-knit relationship of the families to the celebrations that are described, such as the "jamaicas" on Saturday nights in the camps, the Latino culture is clearly depicted.  In the camp, the food enjoyed is distinctly Latino as the women prepare homemade tortillas, large pots of beans, and chorizo with eggs.  Esperanza is motivated to work to help bring her grandmother to California as they are very close, which is often seen in the Latino culture. Ryan is known for seamlessly interweaving the Spanish language throughout her texts to accurately portray the Latino characters, while also exposing the reader to a few Spanish words.  Through this story, the reader will be able to get a glimpse of what life is like as an immigrant new to the United States during the Great Depression while becoming engrossed in a heartfelt tale.

4. Review Excerpts and Awards

BOOKLIST (December 2000) "Set during the Great Depression, the story weaves cultural economic, and political unrest into Esperanza's poignant tale of growing up: she witnesses strikes, government sweeps, and deep injustice while finding strength and love in her family and romance with a childhood friend."

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (October 2000) "Ryan fluidly juxtaposes world events ...with one family's will to survive - while introducing readers to Spanish words and Mexican customs."

Jane Addams Children's Book AwardPura Belpre Medal 

The Willa Cather Award 

ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults

5. Connections

• After reading Esperanza Rising, students could perform the Reader's Theater found here written by Pam Munoz Ryan.
• Students could also listen to Pam Munoz Ryan discuss the story at www.teachingbooks.net.  In this 3 minute audio clip, Ryan shares the backstory of writing Esperanza Rising.