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Summary: A Historical Story from Riches to Rags
Review: Esperanza Rising is a beautifully told story of a 13 year old girl living a storybook life on Rancho del las Rosas with her father, mother and grandmother. Her life consists of private school, parties and the luxuries of Mexico's upper class. However, this all comes to a tragic end when her father is murdered. Her tyrannical uncle now owns the family land and he wants to marry Esperanza's mother and send Esperanza to boarding school. To escape the marriage, Esperanza and her mother emigrate to California with a family of their former ranch workers. Esperanza must live in the labor camp sharing one small house with two other families. Esperanza also must learn how to help out and do household chores. She doesn't even know how to hold a broom! When her mother becomes ill and must be hospitalized for months, Esperanza learns how to work in the fields to pay her mother's hospital bills. This is a story about the strength of family, growing up, the harsh realities of prejudice and hope. The roots for Pam Munoz Ryan's story begin with her own grandmother who told of her experiences emigrating to the US from Mexico and working in farm labor camps. This story illustrates the difficulties of life for farm laborers in the 1930s and is a good link to children's study of California history.
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Summary: Esperanza Rising
Review: Esperanza is a wealthy young girl who lives in a beautiful ranch in Mexico. When her dad is killed by thieves, Esperanza and her mother flee to California and settle in a migrant workers' camp. Esperanza is not ready for this sudden change in her life, especially hard labor. When her mom becomes deathly ill, Esperanza raises to the occasion to save, not only her mother's life but hers as well. This novel is beautifully written. I would highly recommend it to 4th grade teachers and their students during their unit on California history. Definately an uplifghting story of hope, perseverance and resilience.
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Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: Esperanza Rising is the story of a girl gaining maturity as she is forced to experience the bitter side of life. The book is full of love, hope, and inspiration. It gives a wonderful sense of what in would have been like to be a migrant worker during the Great Depression. It was a time of great struggle and that shows through as Esperanza fights to keep her family together. As each chapter focuses of food, it reminds me of Like Water for Chocolate and the wonderful recipes that held that story together. The fruits and vegetables created very strong imagery and really tied the whole story together in the end. I loved this book and would recommend it to young and old. It is a story of struggle and triumph and one that makes your heart sing as Esperanza wins her struggle.
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Summary: Esperanza Rising
Review: Esperanza Rising sends a spring of color into the readers life and mind that could change someone forever. Esperanza's hard work and effort to help her family come together again Shows off her strong will and kind personality that could bring out the best in anybody. Esperanza's life was broken in many ways but with new friends and maybe a bit of luck, her shattered world seems to start coming together for her.
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Summary: A Story of Hope
Review: Esperanza Rising is the story of a young girl who started out very rich, and though she lost everything she owned, such as her beautiful dresses, servants, and her family's estate, ended up even richer. It is ten years after the Mexican Revoloution, and Esperanza Ortega enjoys a life of luxury in El Rancho de la Rosa. When a horrible tradgedy strikes, Esperanza and her mother must flee to California and leave her grandmother, Abuelita, behind. Appalled at the living conditions and "dirty peasents" that she is forced to be in contact with, Esperanza becomes miserable in the labor camp. But when her mother contracts Valley Fever and becomes very ill, Esperanza needs to start working to earn money to keep her in the hospital and pay the medical bills. Esperanza eventually learns to adjust with the major lifestyle change, and learns a lot about maturity and compassion. No wonder Esperanza means "hope" in Spanish. Based on the life of Esperanza Ortega, Pam Munoz Ryan's (author) grandmother, I highly reccomend this book to anyone who likes a fast-paced, sometimes humorous and sometimes sad, novel.
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Summary: History that will make you cry
Review: Esperanza believed her life would be wonderful forever. She would always live on her family's ranch, El Rancho de las Rosas, in Mexico. She thought she would always have pretty dresses and a beautiful home filled with servants. And Abuelita and Papa would always be there with her.
Suddenly tragedy strike and leaves it's mark; Esperanza's father is killed by bandits. Esperanza's life was shattered. Her and her mother flee to California hoping to escape her Tio Luis' wrath of terror. Leaving Abuelita behind. In California Esperanza and her mother settle in a camp for Mexican migrant workers. Esperanza wasn't ready for the hard labor, and financial struggles brought on by the Great Depression, and the lack of acceptance she now faces. When Mama gets sick, and a strike for better working conditions threatens to uproot their new lives, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances; because Mama's life and her own depend on it.
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Summary: More than Just a story
Review: This book is about Esperanza, a teenage girl, living in paradise at her fathers ranch, Rancho De Las Rosas in Mexico. One day while her father was inspecting fences, he is killed by bandits and Esperanza and her mother , Ramona, are forced to move to America with their servants.
In America at the immigration camp, Esperanza is not used to the labor, and unpopularity . But then she is forced to work and earn money so she can save her family.
This book was more than a story to me because it showed me how hard it is for some people, or how hard it used to be. It really gives me a good look at what immigrants had to go through. It's absolutely one of the best books out there!
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Summary: Heartfelt story of immigration
Review: I was interested in this book because many of my students have immigrated from Mexico as the main character, Esperanza, and her family did. Although her story took place about a generation ago, the difficulties she encountered in the U.S. were similar to those faced by immigrants today. But Esperanza had been raised wealthy, and was not prepared for hard work, poor living conditions, and a shortage of food and clothing. Esperanza's hardships shape her into a mature and wise young woman. For those of us who take our bountiful life for granted, this story gives us, both young and older readers, food for thought... about personal sacrifice, sharing, forgiveness, loyalty, compassion and justice. In the taped version, narrator Trini Alvarado has the perfect voice... smooth and easy to listen to, with realistic inflection, and genuine Spanish pronunciation. Her youthful voice brings Esperanza to life.
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Summary: Esperanza Rising
Review: Great book!!! Excellent taste of Hispanic culture. A "MUST READ"!
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Summary: A good Book
Review: Esperanza rising is a good book becuse it teaches us to be thankful for what we have. And not get caught up in our own ways....
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