Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan is a historical fiction book. Esperanza’s life
seems perfect. She lives on a beautiful family ranch in Mexico with everything she could ever
want. That is until one night her father does not return. Esperanza and her family escape to
California with the hope of building a better life for themselves. The only problem is life at a
Mexican farm camp during the Great Depression is nothing like Esperanza’s old life. She must
quickly adapt to her change in social status and learn what is now expected from her. When a
sudden dust storm changes Esperanza’s future, she begins to wonder if she is strong enough to
pull her family through the hard times. I really liked this book, and I would definitely recommend
it. I liked that it included many parts of Mexican culture into the book. I also liked that it shed a
light on many of the struggles Mexican immigrants experienced during the Great Depression.