by Pam Munoz Ryan
A coming of age historical fiction, a tale of never giving up and making the most of a bad set of events. Meet Esperanza, a young wealthy girl in Mexico, she is the apple of her parents' eyes. An only child, Esperanza loves spending time with her father, loves the ranch and can not envision ever leaving. She is reared to be the lady of the manor and never does any manual labor. On the eve of her birthday, her father is viciously attacked and killed. The events that follow have Esperanza and her Mother escaping from her Uncles and running to the United States with their former servants.
When they reach the company camp that is to become their new home Esperanza is expected to learn how to work for her living, Her mother and the other women go to the sheds and help pack the produce out for shipment. Esperanza remains at the camp tending the babies and doing small jobs. At first, she can barely do these common household tasks. She is ridiculed when she attempts to sweep the platform, the first time, but it is the first time she has held a broom. The first time that she is left alone with the twin babies, she feeds them plums and they end up with horrible diarrhea and stomach cramps. Over time, however, she begins to find her way. This is hurried along when her mother becomes deathly ill and Esperanza needs to learn how to work in the sheds.
Concurrent with her arrival in the United States, there is an uprising among the migrant workers and a demand for fair wages and better housing. The other workers at her camp just want to make money to feed their family and want nothing to do with the strike, but others camps in the area are in a turmoil. The strikers try to incite Esperanza and others to join their cause since there is power in numbers. Initially, Esperanza just wants to continue making money in order to pay for her mother's medical bills. But when she witnesses a round up when immigration officers herd all of the strikers into busses to return to Mexico, whether or not they are citizens, she slowly begins to change her mind. Especially when she hears how "Okie" are coming to her camp and getting better housing and a pool, that she can use only on Friday afternoon, before it is cleaned. She is upset with the disparity and is vocal about her displeasure. Finally, she accepts her new reality and no longer dwells on her past wealthy life.
I'm giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I think that this is a very good book and I enjoyed it, but in writing this blog I realized that it left parts of the story unresolved. There is no conclusion to the drama with the striking and disparity; when Abuelita, Esperanza's Grandmother, gets to the camp all of the problems seem to fade away and Esperanza is content. I do feel that this is a remarkable read for anybody fourth grade and up and it is a good representation of a time and place in United States History. Enjoy your copy today!
Links
No comments:
Post a Comment