Esperanza Rising

I really enjoyed reading Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. I found it to be a very emotional novel that has the ability to bring out every kind of emotion in the reader ranging from happiness to resentment. I found many different moments that I could relate to. For instance, losing a family member can be one of the most difficult events that a person may experience in their entire life. Esperanza found herself having to deal with one of most difficult deaths, the death of her father. “Esperanza felt her heart drop. A noise came from her mouth and slowly, her first breath of grief grew into a tormented cry” (Ryan 22). When I was in Sixth Grade, I experienced the same event with losing both of my Grandparents with whom I was very close to. Towards the end of the book, Esperanza finds that she can remember her father and deal with her grief through the happy memories that she has of him. On page 38, it states, “She tried to find the dream, the one where Papa was singing the birthday song.” I feel that having good memories of the people you lose, reminds you of the great place that they hold in your heart. The book also can relate to many events and issues that we still experience in our nation today even though there are differences in time. For instance, the way in which corruption leaks into our system through banking corporations, politics, and large corporations. In Esperanza Rising, Alfonso states, “Your uncles are very powerful and corrupt. They can make things difficult for anyone who tries to help you. Remember, they are the banker and the mayor” (Ryan 34). This corruption can be compared to the recent movie, The International, starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts who try to unveil illegal activities that one of the most powerful banks has involved itself in such as money laundering, and destabilization of governments. It is interesting that a children’s book can portray a complicated issue that has occurred in our nation’s history and still occurs today. Overall, the book discussion that I led went very well. All of my group members contributed to the discussion and made it run smoothly. The main topics discussed were: the incorporation of Spanish sentences, the overall theme of the book, adaptation, and overall attitude change. My group as whole agreed that this book is geared towards Fourth Grade through Sixth Grade. However, some of the concepts may be difficult to understand due to the complexity so teachers need to be able to explain the event’s significance. We also agreed that this book would fall under the Historical Fiction genre due to Pam Munoz Ryan’s references towards the Mexican Revolution. It was interesting to see how everyone's life related to an aspect of Esperanza, and I found it enjoyable to listen to their comparisons.