Esperanza Rising

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Esperanza Rising. Scholastic, 2000. Tr. $ 16.25, ISBN-10  0-439-12041-1.

What’s it about?

Esperanza Ortega, a very wealthy girl in Aquascalentes, Mexico, has a sudden change in fortune when her father dies and her family must flee the country to find work in the fields of the San Joaquin Valley in California. 

Find out more: Esperanza Ortega is about to turn thirteen. She lives a life of luxury on a beautiful plantation called El Rancho de las Rosas in Aquascalentes, Mexico. Servants do everything for her, even bathe her. But everything changes for her when her beloved father, Sixto, is murdered. The house and its contents were left to Esperanza’s mother Ramona, but since women couldn’t inherit land, her uncle, Luis, the banker on the loan, owns it. He tries to force marriage upon Ramona so that he can own the house as well. When she doesn’t consent, he sets fire to the house, nearly killing Esperanza’s grandmother. Ramona sees no choice but to flee. With the help of her servants Alfonso, Hortensia and their son Miguel, Esperanza and Ramona go up north to become agricultural workers. Esperanza is shocked by the poverty and grueling work that she must face, but just as she begins to adjust, her mother becomes extremely ill and strikers threaten the jobs of her friends. Despite these trying times, Esperanza stays strong and keeps the seeds of hope alive.

Ryan’s characters are compelling and believable, and her writing style is simple yet poetic, and flavored with Spanish words and phrases. Ryan tells her readers that the real Esperanza is her grandmother in the afterward and gives the reader more historical context, and includes the startling fact that the Mexican Repatriation removed more people than the Native American and Japanese-American removals. This is a story of hope in the face of extreme tragedy and struggles. Esperanza changes quite dramatically during the course of this novel—she is definitely a bit high and mighty, even as the family is fleeing up north. She won’t even let a child on the train ride to the valley touch the beautiful doll her father gave her, because the girl is dirty. It is clear that she feel that she is better than “peasants,” even though she is now an impoverished migrant worker. Her attitude changes as she realizes that how hard life can be, and how important her help is. She is humbled by the knowledge and strength of eight-year-old Isabel, who must teach Esperanza how to do something as basic as washing clothing. The change in Esperanza is clear when she generously gives her doll to the little girl, as consolation for not becoming the Queen of May.

Genre: Historical fiction, Multi-cultural fiction

 Reading level: 5^th grade

Interest level: Grades 4-10

Read-alikes:

Lenski’s Strawberry Girl

Subjects: Agricultural laborers, Strikes, Poverty, Immigration, Mexican workers, Mexican Repatriation, Racism

Awards:

Pura Belpre Award (2002)

2002 Notable Children’s Book (ALSC)

Characters:  

Esperanza Ortega—13-year-old who grews up a priveleged  “reina” (queen) and lost everything when her father was murdered 

Miguel—Alfonso and Hortensia’s 16 year old son and Esperanza’s childhood friend

Isabel—the energetic eight year old child of Juan and Josephina, a very capable worker who shows Esperanza how to take care of the babies

Josephina—Alfonso’s sister in law, lives in the labor camp where Esperanza, Hortenisa, Miguel, Alfonso, and Ramona settle

Juan—Alfonso’s brother, lives in the labor camp where Esperanza, Hortenisa, Miguel, Alfonso, and Ramona settle

Marta—a 16-year-old who lives in the same camp as Esperanza. A leader of local labor strikes who is hateful towards Esperanza

Hortensia—the Ortega’s housekeeper, later helps and flees with the family

Alfonso—the boss of the field workers on the Ortega plantation, later helps and flees with the family

Ramona Ortega—Esperanza’s mother, who is later stricken with Valley Fever

Sixto Ortega—Esperanza’s father, murdered by bandits

Tio Luis—Esperanza’s evil uncle, who tries to force Ramona into marriage

Abuelita—Esperanza’s beloved grandmother, who stays behind in Mexico because of her health

The Skin I'm In

Flake, Sharon. The Skin I’m In. Jump at the Sun, 1998. Paperback $5.99 ISBN-10 0-7868-1307-5

What’s it about?

Maleeka Madison didn’t use to hate the dark skin she was born in—but lately, she has been assaulted with taunts about her blackness. Her disfigured teacher Miss Saunders helps her find her voice through her talent for writing.

Find out more:

Maleeka Madison, a seventh grader being bullied because of her dark skin and because her clothes are hand-sewn by her mother, a very poor seamstress, has a bad feeling inside when she first sees her new English teacher Miss Saunders, who has a large swath of unpigmented skin across her face. Since Maleeka works full time to fit in, the last thing she needs is to be associated with her—which is a danger, since her attracts “strange characters.”  Last year, Maleeka was a good student, a nice kid who flew under the radar—until Caleb, the smartest boy in school began to express interest in her. The girls in her class began to pick on her mercilessly. The bullying escalates until the entire class taunts her. Caleb stops associating with her (which Maleeka finds out later was to protect her, not to insult her), but the torment doesn’t stop. Finally Maleeka takes the initiative to get protection by doing homework for Char, the toughest, meanest girl in her class—who has already flunked seventh grade twice. Char gives her new, stylish clothes, and gives Maleeka a tough-girl confidence. But her attitude begins to rub off on Maleeka, who begins cutting class, getting poor grades and getting in fights. Miss Saunders is undaunted, though, and works patiently with Maleeka, helping her find her voice through her writing, and accept the skin she’s in.

Flake’s debut is stunning in its spare, powerful prose. Maleeka’s voice is realistic, and raw with pain from the death of her father, the depression and grief of her mother, and the constant barrage of insults from her peers. Much of the bullying Maleeka endures is a type of racism, black-on-black racism, which is particularly harsh on women, a topic not often addressed in literature written for the middle school crowd and something that some ethnic groups may be unaware of.  Maleeka makes some incredibly bad choices, but the reader roots for her, just as Miss Saunders does, because she is full of grit, intelligence, and determination.  Her anger at herself for stressing out her mother is particularly poignant. Clearly Maleeka is a very empathic person, despite her tough act.  This book is an amazing character study not only of Maleeka, but of Miss Saunders, a woman so tormented by her disfigurement she feels the need to compensate by being the best dressed, the hardest worker, the most successful person wherever she goes. It’s no wonder this book was awarded the 1999 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent; it is a work of art, and belongs on the shelves of every library serving youth.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Multi-cultural, Problem Novel, Urban Fiction

Reading level: 4^th grade

Interest level: Grades 5-9

Read alikes:

Myers’ Autobiography of My Dead Brother

Wolff’s Make Lemonade

Awards:

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent (1999)

Subjects: Bullying, racism, teachers, self-esteem, African-Americans

Characters:

Maleeka Madison: intelligent, troubled protagonist with a talent for writing, bullied mercilessly for her dark skin and unstylish clothing

Miss Saunders: a disfigured, passionate English teacher who patiently works through Maleeka’s tough exterior

Charlese (Char):  a tough, mean girl who lets Maleeka borrow her expensive clothing in exchange for Maleeka doing her homework assignments for her

Caleb: the smartest, most popular guy in school, likes Maleeka great deal 

Tai: a quirky teacher at McClenton Middle School, friend of Miss Saunders