Now that school is about finished (just waiting on the actual graduation ceremony) I've had some extra time for leisure reading. I was in Corpus this last weekend to visit my husband's family, and had a free afternoon to lay out on the beach and decided to take something to read. I was looking through my mother-in-law's library of books and she recommended "Esperanza Rising". She said it was a great book they had used in her graduate studies (education) and that she got the chance to get her copy signed by the author. She also mentioned that it was a favorite among her students. I was skeptical, her students are fourth graders....I wasn't sure if something a fourth grader was reading would really appeal to me, but i gave it a chance and was hooked immediately, I was half-way through it by the time we left the beach. I finally finished the last chapter less than an hour ago and have ordered my own copy in English and Spanish and an extra copy for my grandma. I totally recommend it.
Summary
A Tragedy strikes a wealthy young girl and her family in Mexico and forces them to flee to California where they settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. She isn't use to the new life she now has but finds a way to rise above her difficult circumstances. It's a beautiful story of family and friends sticking together and being there for each other through hard times and finding the true things that bring satisfaction in this life.
So many people have similar stories to this, I admire their
courage and the hope they cling to during difficult situations to provide a better life for their families.
read it.
