The book Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan follows the tribulations of thirteen-year-old Esperanza Ortega and her family. Esperanza was born and raised on her father’s vineyard in Aguascalientes, Mexico. She lives at the vineyard with her mother, father, grandmother and their servants, who are also very good family friends. Esperanza lives in the lap of luxury in Mexico, with beautiful dresses, dolls, and “fiestas”! Esperanza’s birthday takes place right around harvest time every year, and they host a huge fiesta to celebrate Esperanza’s birthday and the harvest. Before they were able to have the fiesta though, tragedy befalls on the family.
While Esperanza’s father was out repairing a fence on the far ends of the vineyard, he was murdered by “bandits”. Bandits were people who still held resentment towards wealthy landowners, and would often rob and murder them. Later that night the family got the news of their loved one’s …show more content…
Late one night Esperanza, Ramona, Hortensia, Alfonso and Miguel all leave for the United Sates, leaving their grandmother behind due to an injury she got during the fire. Life in the United states proves to have hardships of its own. Esperanza and her family move into labor camps, which provides them with shelter and a source of income. Esperanza and her mother are not accustomed to the labor or the conditions, and eventually Ramona falls sick. With her mother gravely ill and in the hospital, Esperanza is forced to work in the fields in order to pay her medical bills. After several months Esperanza’s mother is able to return home, but is still very weak. After Esperanza’s mother returns from the hospital, Miguel surprises the whole family by bringing their grandmother from Mexico to the United States. The family is finally reunited and ready to start a brand new life, with hope for what the future