Classic Multicultural Book: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz

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Esperanza Rising
By Pam Munoz Ryan, Pam Munoz Ryan

Esperanza Rising is a moving story about a migrant worker during the Great Depression. Itopens a world seldom seen with authenticity, and without seeming politically motivated. Real, not a soapbox.

The actual writing I found slightly uneven. The foreshadowing was blunt and obvious especially at the beginning where emotions were “told.” Plus an emotional connection to the characters was assumed but without the groundwork having been done to create it. Maybe the author is so horrified by suffering that she couldn’t put her characters through it, so wrote it in this emotionally distant way? I don’t know. At other times the language was rich with metaphor, “monstrous lions’ paws resting at the edge of the ridge” (94).

A major plus and point to applaud: Esperanza’s character change is subtle and deftly done—gradual and shown through actions rather than narration. A Beautiful book.

Rebecca Grabill

Rebecca has been writing since childhood, her first book about a kitten published between homemade cardboard covers in second grade. Although she studied religion and philosophy in university, she continued writing, earning an MFA from Hamline University and publishing multiple picture books (no longer with homemade covers) and a collection of poetry with a variety of New York and independent publishers. She has also published a wide array of fiction, essays, and poetry in magazines and journals and photographs for Getty Images. She balances writing with homeschooling the younger of her six children, launching her young adults, church activities, and overseeing a small flock of chickens in rural West Michigan.

www.rebeccagrabill.com
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