Esperanza Rising

Reader reviewed by Bookworm9

Esperanza is the priveledged daughter of a rich Mexican rancher-- that is, until her father's sudden death and the unscrupulous proposals of her malicious step-uncle force her and her mother to flee to California with three of their former servants. There, they assume new lives as migrant fruit pickers, and Esperanza must assume new dreams and values.

While the premise of this story is intriguing (and based on the story of the author's grandmother), the book itself was predictable and rather dull. Esperanza is a stereotypical brat who transforms into a caring girl, with little insight given into the transformation. As a reader, I never found myself liking her or even understanding her. The historical situation is interesting, but I felt like it was a watered down version. This was like a Hispanic, "children-ized" version of "The Grapes of Wrath"-- it has a good message, but unlike "TGoW," it's not executed well.