Esperanza Rising

Rating:
Summary: To the challenge
Review: Winner of the 2001 Pura Belpre Award, "Esperanza Rising" tracts the rising/falling fortunes of young Esperanza Ortega. Forced to flee her father's grand estate in Mexico with her mother, the two make a perilous journey to America and become migrant farm workers in California. The book is a modified, "Little Princess", with a far more realistic and satisfying ending. Characters are presented here with great delicacy. Esperanza herself must sort out her own previous prejudices, while learning to live as, in her mind, a peasant. Children reading this will fully grasp everything that Esperanza has lost while truly appreciating the Mexican proverb Ryan has placed at the book's beginning: "The rich person is richer when he becomes poor, than the poor person when he becomes rich".

Though I appreciate much of what the book says, I had my own personal problems with the presentation. The strikers are presented as alternately foolhardy and violent. They are lead by a girl, Marta, who is introduced by teasing Esperanza for being once so rich, now so low. These strikers are never joined by any of the main characters in this book, save Marta. In the Author's Note, Ryan explains that strikers fought for better living conditions and were sometimes shipped back to Mexico without any justification on the officials' part. In some cases the strikers lost. "In other instances, the strong voices of many people changed some of the pitiful conditions". Yet we do not see any evidence of this in the book. Instead, the reader is left with the very clear feeling that it is easier to be a scab like Esperanza's friend Miguel rather than risk everything for the good of others. I know it is not the author's intent to present this point of view, but this is unfortunately the lesson learned. After all, in a section where Esperanza fights with Miguel in a field about the hopelessness of their situation, Miguel argues that, "everything will work out". Esperanza reacts violently, saying that this way of thinking is not productive. The obvious conclusion being drawn is that Miguel should do something about his situation. Quoth Miguel, " 'You are beginning to sound like the strikers, Esperanza', said Miguel coldly. 'There is more than one way to get what you want in this country'." Maybe so, Miguel. But that particular way helped improve the lives of countless Latin American immigrants in America. It's just a pity Ryan fails to acknowledge this fact in her story.

Rating:
Summary: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
Review: Summary: In the book Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, Esperanza is a rich girl living in Aguascalientes, Mexico on her father's ranch (El Rancho de las Rosas). After several calamities, her life as a rich 13-year-old girl takes a sudden turn. She is suddenly a field worker in California living in a small space with many others. Esperanza begins to realize that she had taken many things for granted.

My Opinion on the Book: The book was a bit easy for me (I'm in 8th grade), so I recommend it for 5th-8th graders (I'm at a 12th grade reading level). It really helped me to understand the conditions of the Great Depression. I also liked how it introduced the reader to new Spanish words. I got really attatched to Esperanza because she is a free spirit and stands up for herself. She also loves and adores her family through everything. I enjoyed reading it and again, would recommend it to 5th through 8th grade students (ages 9 - 13?).

Rating:
Summary: Esperanza Means Hope
Review: "Ten stitches up the mountain and ten stitches down," Esperanza's abuelita would tell her while teaching her to crochet. Here is also a metaphor for life, which is full of its ups and downs. And both in crocheting and living one's life, one should not be afraid to start over; all along one must have esperanza, hope. Pam Muñoz Ryan weaves a masterpiece of a story; her writing is as full of life and beauty as the rich landscape of Aguascalientes itself. She tells of the hardships and the hopes of migrant workers, both of her grandmother's day and her own, and how these hard-working people plant not only the seeds of what we eat, but also the hope for the futures of their families.

Rating:
Summary: Esperanza Rising
Review: Name: Kensie Date;11-30-03
Esperanza Rising by:Pam Munoz Ryan

Have you ever thought about how your life would be as a teenage child with out a father or with out a mother because she was sick? Well, Esperanza never did. Esperanza is a teenage girl who was brought up with a rich family. She had every thing that she could ever what. Until one day when her father had gone out to do something and never returned.After esperanza had a very tragic thing happen to her they had lost all of there money because her father had owned a business and they had to shut it down. Esperenza and her mother had to move away because they didnt have any money to take care of themselves. I would say this is a really good fiction story.

I think that the story was tops because there was never a dull moment. I would recommend this book to any people who like fiction books because you get really into the book. Esperanza Rising was a real page-turner because there was so many great things happening throughout the story. It was very easy to keep your mind set on the story because you get so involved, you dont want to concentrate on anything but the story. I really like the genre[fiction] of Esperanza Rising because you get to make things up in your head of what everything looks like. The style of writing is nice. Some things were set in Spanish, then translated to English which made it very interesting. I think one of the things in Esperanza Rising that surprised me was that how quick she had adapted to her new surroundings. Not every chapter ended with a cliff-hanger, but a majority of them did. one example is when her father didnt return, and you had to keep reading the next page to see what would happen. The story had so many exciting parts that there's not a chance to get bored as you are reading. When you read the story, all you want to do is pay attention because every part is important and you never want to miss it.the plot was unbelievable because there was never a dull moment. I think readers who like great fiction stories and stories that take place with a different background/culture would enjoy Esperanza Rising.

Rating:
Summary: a life gone from good to bad
Review: ESPERANZA RISING IS A FABULOUS BOOK!!
I READ IT IN THE 5TH GRADE. IT IS ABOUT A RICH GIRL ESPERANZA
WHO'S FATHER SUDDENLY DIES AND HAS TO GO WORK FOR MONEY WITH HER MOTHER. THIS STORY PROVES THAT LIFE WASN'T ALWAYS EASY IN THE PAST AND TO BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE !

Rating:
Summary: Esperanza Rising
Review: Esperanza Rising is a book about a 13 year old girl who is starting over. Esperanza is the main character. In the beginning, Esperanza loses her dad and her home. Esperanza along with her mom and some of their servants decide to help them get to California to look for a better life. After a life of a big home and many servants, Esperanza has to adjust to life as a peasant.
Esperanza Rising is easy book to understand, very interesting, and makes you want to read more and more. You could have seen images of the story as you read. The book has a very deep plot with new surprises at every corner both good and bad. Pam Munoz Ryan has outdone herself with Esperanza Rsing.

Rating:
Summary: Esperanza life.
Review: Esperanza is a girl who had everything in her life.But from one day to the other day she almost lost everything in one day befor her birthday.First her dad died by some bad people when he was working in the farmer, then her uncle who tried to marry her mother after Esperanza's father died, he burned Esperanza house.Second her grandmother felt a little bad and Esperanza and her mother run away from EL rancho de las rosas.Then they went to california and started a new life.

Rating:
Summary: Esperanza Raising
Review: This book is a good pretext for to raed a good history that is fun.When i started reading this book i knew that it will be fun even interesting. This book is interesting from the beginning to the end, it contains a lot of experiences that i think are true.
Esperanza wasa rich girl in Aguascalientes, Mexico she has everything she some things like Muñecas, Vestidos and betters schools. She had her parents.Thaey love her and she was like the Reina for them. One day her father went to the camps whith the workers but he didn't came back because in that time it was the revolution and the people kill him.
Then Esperanza and her mother were alone but Esperanza have her grandmother. Tio Luis wont to marrie Esperanza's mom but they don't want that Tio Luis marrie her.
They decide to go to Los Angeles, California and they get there.
In Los Angeles esperanza's mom could work sometime but she got sick and Esperanza had to work to pay the bills and everything needed.
Finally esperanza's mom gat better, they get her home and there was a surprice for them Abuelita was in Los Angeles.
The money that Esperanza made served to get Abuelita to Los Angeles.

Rating:
Summary: ORALE!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Eperanza Rising is a history that show us two faces, the rich girl who become to be poor and the pool girl who become to be rich which is esperanza .In fact, this book talk as a girl who has every thing in his hands does not have to work hard for to get something and as not really care so much what people who doesn't have the same opportunity has to work harder than her. Also, as that girl who had everything in one second all of that disappear and she becomes to see the life in other point of view because now she needs to do things for to get somenthing that she never did( in tha begin i told you that as a girl become to be rich, i am not talking about money.I am talking that her becomes to be rich in feelings such as love for everything,thanks,and many more(if you want to know what else read tha book ok)
In particular, when is was reading Esperanza Rising in some parts of this story i felt like her when she describe her life in U.S.A because i am an inmigrant, so this book show me that when you want to achive the "amerca dream"(title for to say when people who comes to other country to USA for a better life, better future for them and their child or for to have freedom. The last one is the case of Eperanza she came to USA for be free)you need to work hard hard everyday for it.

Rating:
Summary: the best book ever!
Review: I think this book is the best that I have read.Because Esperanza Rising is a story about the real life.When I started reading Esperanza it remind me everything from Mexico.Also I have never known before about the Mexican life in the united states.
Also,how difficult was the migrants situation.On the other hand, I learned about how the things had changed to all the migrants from different countries.this book also, tells you about how being rich you think that you have everything and that is not true.I learned about Mexican revolution when people had to imigrate fro Mexico to the united states to have a better life.finally,with Esperanza Rising youn will learn alot of things about mexico and how a rich girl who lived in mexico thought that she was going to live her whole life with her parents.this book tells tha esperanza means in English hope so that is what espetanza needed to have to get a better life.