In Esperanza Rising, Pam Munoz Ryan tells the story of Esperanza Ortega, only daughter of a wealthy Mexican landowner and his wife. The story begins in 1924 in Aguascalientes, Mexico, on El Rancho de las Rosas, the ranch where Esperanza's father cultivates grapes and raises cattle. The day before Esperanza turns twelve, her dad is killed by bandits, and the her life of wealth, privilege, and security is shattered. Esperanza and her mother leave Aguascalientes with the people who were previously their servants and travel by train to California. There they find work on a company farm, picking and packing produce. Esperanza and her extended family struggle through the hardships of the Depression.
In this book, the Spanish phrase increases the level of reality in the story, and Ryan is always careful to translate the phrases so that even someone who does not speak Spanish may easily comprehend. This book is a good choice for anyone interested in the Depression-era United States, the change in fortunes of immigrants from Mexico to the US or the life of migrant workers in the past and present however it's not an interesting choice to read when you're reading books.
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