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Book Review of Esperanza Rising

Esperanza Rising
Esperanza Rising
Author: Pam Munoz Ryan
Genre: Children's Books
Book Type: Paperback
reviewed on + 350 more book reviews


I read this for the Shalom in the City podcast I follow, as they were reading it for the month and it sounded interesting considering my heart against human trafficking.

This book starts out in Mexico where Esperanza is about to turn 13 years old. She is cherished by her parents, spoiled by her grandmother, and treated kindly by her family's servants. Her father runs a business on their land but tragedy strikes them hard. Their only choice is to enter into the US to try to keep their family from death and separation.

Esperanza goes from little girl to a little woman throughout this story. While I liked the story, which is actually based from real events from the author's own family, I was left wanting to know what else happened later.

It kinda ends at a sad spot around issues surrounding the large deportation due to the strikes that went on in the depression era. I enjoyed learning about the history and the sadness of how people were treated due to their race, how little money they made, and how terrible the conditions were where some people lived in the camps where they worked. There were happy moments in the story, definitely. I think it is good for kids to learn about if they live in the US. They need to know that we too have oppressed others just because of the color of their skin and where they came from.