Esperanza Rising Review

Munoz Ryan, P. (2000). Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic Press, 253 pp.

Genre and Awards
Migration novel, Coming-of-age novel, Great Depression era
Pura Belpre Honor Book

Synopsis
In the 1930's, Esperanza Ortrega lives in a fairy tale land of large estates, servants, and beatiful gowns in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Her life suddenly changes when her father is killed by bandits on his own sprawling land. Esperanza and her mother must work in America or be forced to live under terrible conditions imposed by her evil step-uncles. Esperanza's mother manages to eek out a small amount of earnings in a hard labor camp in order for them to survive. When Esperanza's mother falls ill, it is up to Esperanza to work among the grown women in the agricultural fields in order to pay for mounting medical bills and survive the impending strike sweeping the Mexican labor camps.

Evaluation
The character of Esperanza Ortega shows true growth, understanding, and maturity in the novel. She is introduced to the reader as a child and, over the course of one year, develops an integrity and strength seldom witnessed in a thirteen year-old girl. She mourns her father, weathers her mother's illness (which is both physical and mental), and grapples with the wrongs of racism. Her mother, written and fully developed as a compassionate person, both before and after her fall from grace, serves as a constant reminder to Esperanza in how to lead her life. Esperanza shakily (and stubbornly) deals with her own fall when she becomes as poor as her former servant, Hotensia, and her family. She grows to accept what was once different between her and the poor are now very much the same. The teachings of Abuelita, Esperanza's grandmother, also serves as a role model for Esperanza; even though her character is not as prevelant in the novel.

Ryan vividly describes Esperanza's Southern California surroundings; including the vast vegetable and fruit fields, the harsh conditions of Mexican labor camps, and the fear of some workers that they will be pushed out of jobs because of the Great Depression. Ryan's central conflict revolves around the threats of a labor stike for better wages and housing from a nearby camp. When worker's finally do strike, the U.S. Government swiftly throws the strikers onto buses for deportation, even if they are American citizens. Esperanza's camp also fears that they will be pushed out of a job because of Oklahomans and Arkansans settling in the area and working for less wages.

Although Esperanza Rising is fiction, Ryan bases a majority of the setting, conditions, and themes in fact. Young readers can gain a sense of the desperation of Mexican-Americans during the Great Depression and the wrongs committed against them by outside cultures and the government. Good discuddion in the classroom can be generated to determine what conditions, attitudes, progress, etc. has been made between the 1930's and today. Some readers may also identify with Esperanza's struggle to hold together her family and grow up quickly admist outside pressure. A fairly prevalent theme, other than hope for a better day, is racism. Ryan addresses this in a rather aggressive way by showing the reader the unsanitary conditions of the labor camps, quick deportation for "troublemakers," and the unfair treatment of multicultural children in public schools. Esperanza struggles to understand why the country believes that Mexicans-Americans are dirty, uneducated, and second-class, while it waves its banner of justice, freedom, and equality for its citizens.

Classroom Use
Esperanza Rising could be used as a read aloud, individual choice, whole group, small group, and as a bridge to Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. I believe that it may be most appropriate for 13-16 year old readers.

Personal Reactions
I absolutely loved this book and found it difficult to put down. I was horrified by the conditions that Esperanza and her former servant's family lived under and was even more horrified to find out that conditions could be worse in outlying labor camps. I found the threat of strike and the implications it could have on, not only the laborers but on the agricultural development of Southern California, to be incredibly fascinating and eye-opening. Most of all, I enjoyed being with Esperanza through all of her ups and downs, growing pains, and discovery of hope in the unseen.