Esperanza Rising

After some dense and somewhat heavy books Esperanza Rising, a well-received children's book about migrant workers, was a much quicker and lighter read that also tackled some difficult issues. The title character (based on the author's grandmother) is a young girl displaced from Mexico to California during the Depression, and having to adjust to the loss of wealth and family. This is a thoughtful, beautifully observed book for young readers that will help them understand some of the difficulties faced by immigrants.

4.5 stars. Here's why I like middle-grade fiction so much right now – it has the power and ability to discuss complicated and heart-wrenching topics in an accessible yet direct fashion. You get to the heart of the matter without the neuroses of adulthood adding unnecessary complications.

Esperanza Rising is about a criolla in Mexico who had a privileged early childhood, only to face the hard truths of Mexican laborers and Mexicans in the U.S. There's a hard look at class and how we treat others we believe to be beneath us and there was a moment in the book that felt ruthless in addressing how we perceive the poor and the homeless, or at least ruthless to me.

I read this book a few years ago it is a very interesting story about what people who immigrated to the US go through and all their struggles once they get here.