Reviews
eoeGrande never flinches in describing her surroundings and feelings, while her resilience and ability to empathize allow her to look back with a compassion that makes this story one that everyone should read.e, Eloquent, honest storytelling. This book would be fabulous required reading for college freshmen or, even better, for freshman members of Congress,, eoePersonal, heart-wrenching, and ultimately triumphant. . . . An engaging writer with a talent for infusing her narrative with personal and affecting characterizations and stories, Grande truly offers an unprecedented look into the immigration experience. . . . The Distance Between Us has the power to change minds and hearts.e, Told in simple, easy to read--yet descriptive--prose. . . . An inspirational book for young Latinos or anyone who has faced adversity. Just keep those tissues handy., The poignant yet triumphant tale Grande tells of her childhood and eventual illegal immigration puts a face on issues that stir vehement debate., eoeA brutally honest bookeakin to being the eoeAngelae(tm)s Ashese of the modern Mexican immigrant experience.e, "She never flinches in describing her surroundings and feelings, while her resilience and ability to empathize allow her to look back with a compassion that makes this story one that everyone should read,"- School Library Journal, Grande never flinches in describing her surroundings and feelings, while her resilience and ability to empathize allow her to look back with a compassion that makes this story one that everyone should read., Many of us find it difficult to practice diplomacy with our relatives. But when typical family squabbles are complicated by national borders-as they are in Reyna Grande's excellent new memoir-the stakes are raised far higher than 'Who's cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year?', "A brutally honest book…akin to being the "Angela's Ashes" of the modern Mexican immigrant experience." LA Times, eoeIn this poignant memoir about her childhood in Mexico, Reyna Grande skillfully depicts another side of the immigrant experiencee"the hardships and heartbreaks of the children who are left behind. Through her brutally honest firsthand account of growing up in Mexico without her parents, Grande sheds light on the often overlooked consequence of immigratione"the disintegration of a family.e e"Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer Prize winner, and author of Enrique's Journey, eoeIe(tm)ve been waiting for this book for decades. The American story of the new millennium is the story of the Latino immigrant, yet how often has the story been told by the immigrant herself? What makes Grandee(tm)s beautiful memoir all the more extraordinary is that, through this heroe(tm)s journey, she speaks for millions of immigrants whose voices have gone unheard.e, eoeMany of us find it difficult to practice diplomacy with our relatives. But when typical family squabbles are complicated by national borderse"as they are in Reyna Grandee(tm)s excellent new memoire"the stakes are raised far higher than e~Whoe(tm)s cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year'e(tm)e, eoeGrande consistently displays a fierce willingness to ask tough questions, accept startling answers, and candidly render emotional and physical violence.e, "In this poignant memoir about her childhood in Mexico, Reyna Grande skillfully depicts another side of the immigrant experience-the hardships and heartbreaks of the children who are left behind. Through her brutally honest firsthand account of growing up in Mexico without her parents, Grande sheds light on the often overlooked consequence of immigration-the disintegration of a family." -Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer Prize winner, and author of Enrique's Journey, I've been waiting for this book for decades. The American story of the new millennium is the story of the Latino immigrant, yet how often has the story been told by the immigrant herself? What makes Grande's beautiful memoir all the more extraordinary is that, through this hero's journey, she speaks for millions of immigrants whose voices have gone unheard., Award-winning novelist ( Across a Hundred Mountains ) Grande captivates and inspires in her memoir. Raised in Mexico in brutal poverty during the 1980s, four-year-old Grande and her two siblings lived with their cruel grandmother after both parents departed for the U.S. in search of work. Grande deftly evokes the searing sense of heartache and confusion created by their parentse(tm) departure. Eight years later her father returned and reluctantly agreed to take his children to the States. Yet life on the other side of the border was not what Grande imagined: her fathere(tm)s new girlfriende(tm)s indifference to the three children becomes more than apparent. Though Grandee(tm)s father continually stressed the importance of his children obtaining an education, his drinking resulted in violence, abuse, and family chaos. Surrounded by family turmoil, Grande discovered a love of writing and found solace in library books, and she eventually graduated from high school and went on to become the first person in her family to graduate from college. Tracing the complex and tattered relationships binding the family together, especially the bond she shared with her older sister, the author intimately probes her familye(tm)s history for clues to its disintegration. Recounting her story without self-pity, she gracefully chronicles the painful results of a family shattered by repeated separations and traumas (Aug.), "Reyna Grande's extraordinary journey towards the American dream will be an inspiration to anyone who has ever dreamed of a better life." -Ligiah Villalobos, Writer and Executive Producer of La Misma Luna ( Under the Same Moon ), Told in simple, easy to read-yet descriptive-prose. . . . An inspirational book for young Latinos or anyone who has faced adversity. Just keep those tissues handy., Heart-warming. . . . Even with the challenges of learning English, earning good grades and fighting her way through turbulent adolescence, Grande emerged as a successful writer whose prose has the potential to touch the generation of youth whose story is so reminiscent of her own., "Reyna Grande's extraordinary journey towards the American dream will be an inspiration to anyone who has ever dreamed of a better life." --Ligiah Villalobos, Writer and Executive Producer of La Misma Luna ( Under the Same Moon ), I've been waiting for this book for decades. The American story of the new millenium is the story of the Latino immigrant, yet how often has the story been told by the immigrant herself? What makes Grande's beautiful memoir all the more extraordinary is that, through this hero's journey, she speaks for millions of immigrants whose voices have gone unheard., "Reyna Grande's extraordinary journey towards the American dream will be an inspiration to anyone who has ever dreamed of a better life.e e"Ligiah Villalobos, Writer and Executive Producer of La Misma Luna ( Under the Same Moon ), eoeThe poignant yet triumphant tale Grande tells of her childhood and eventual illegal immigration puts a face on issues that stir vehement debate.e, "In this poignant memoir about her childhood in Mexico, Reyna Grande skillfully depicts another side of the immigrant experience--the hardships and heartbreaks of the children who are left behind. Through her brutally honest firsthand account of growing up in Mexico without her parents, Grande sheds light on the often overlooked consequence of immigration--the disintegration of a family." --Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer Prize winner, and author of Enrique's Journey, eoeIe(tm)ve been waiting for this book for decades. The American story of the new millenium is the story of the Latino immigrant, yet how often has the story been told by the immigrant herself? What makes Grandee(tm)s beautiful memoir all the more extraordinary is that, through this heroe(tm)s journey, she speaks for millions of immigrants whose voices have gone unheard.e, The poignant yet triumphant tale Grande tells of her childhood andeventual illegal immigration puts a face on issues that stir vehement debate., eoeThe sadness at the heart of Grandee(tm)s story is unrelenting; this is the opposite of a light summer read. But thate(tm)s OK, because . . . this book should have a long shelf life.e, eoeA deeply personal coming-of-age story that extols the power of self-reliance and the love of books.e, Captivates and inspires . . . . Tracing the complex and tattered relationships binding the family together. -- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review).|9781451661774|, eoeHeart-warming. . . . Even with the challenges of learning English, earning good grades and fighting her way through turbulent adolescence, Grande emerged as a successful writer whose prose has the potential to touch the generation of youth whose story is so reminiscent of her own.e, "A brutally honest book...akin to being the "Angela's Ashes" of the modern Mexican immigrant experience.", eoeShows off Grandee(tm)s exceptional writing skill. . . . The writere(tm)s economy of detail enriches the reading. . . . Anyone who reads The Distance Between Us will find the distance between their insularity and the humanity of immigrants is the two inches occupied in the memoire(tm)s 322 pages.e, Shows off Grande's exceptional writing skill. . . . The writer's economy of detail enriches the reading. . . . Anyone who reads The Distance Between Us will find the distance between their insularity and the humanity of immigrants is the two inches occupied in the memoir's 322 pages., Many of us find it difficult to practice diplomacy with our relatives. But when typical family squabbles are complicated by national borders-as they are in Reyna Grande's excellent new memoir, The Distance Between Us -the stakes are raised far higher than "Who's cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year?"- Texas Observer, Award-winning novelist ( Across a Hundred Mountains ) Grande captivates and inspires in her memoir. Raised in Mexico in brutal poverty during the 1980s, four-year-old Grande and her two siblings lived with their cruel grandmother after both parents departed for the U.S. in search of work. Grande deftly evokes the searing sense of heartache and confusion created by their parents' departure. Eight years later her father returned and reluctantly agreed to take his children to the States. Yet life on the other side of the border was not what Grande imagined: her father's new girlfriend's indifference to the three children becomes more than apparent. Though Grande's father continually stressed the importance of his children obtaining an education, his drinking resulted in violence, abuse, and family chaos. Surrounded by family turmoil, Grande discovered a love of writing and found solace in library books, and she eventually graduated from high school and went on to become the first person in her family to graduate from college. Tracing the complex and tattered relationships binding the family together, especially the bond she shared with her older sister, the author intimately probes her family's history for clues to its disintegration. Recounting her story without self-pity, she gracefully chronicles the painful results of a family shattered by repeated separations and traumas (Aug.), "Grande deftly evokes the searing sense of heartache and confusion created by their parents' departure . . . . Recounting her story without self-pity, she gracefully chronicles the painful results of a family shattered by repeated separations and traumas." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review), eoeEloquent, honest storytelling. This book would be fabulous required reading for college freshmen or, even better, for freshman members of Congress,e, eoeTold in simple, easy to reade"yet descriptivee"prose. . . . An inspirational book for young Latinos or anyone who has faced adversity. Just keep those tissues handy.e, Award-winning novelist ( Across a Hundred Mountains ) Grande captivates and inspires in her memoir. Raised in Mexico in brutal poverty during the 1980s, four-year-old Grande and her two siblings lived with their cruel grandmother after both parents departed for the U.S. in search of work. Grande deftly evokes the searing sense of heartache and confusion created by their parents' departure. Eight years later her father returned and reluctantly agreed to take his children to the States. Yet life on the other side of the border was not what Grande imagined: her father's new girlfriend's indifference to the three children becomes more than apparent. Though Grande's father continually stressed the importance of his children obtaining an education, his drinking resulted in violence, abuse, and family chaos. Surrounded by family turmoil, Grande discovered a love of writing and found solace in library books, and she eventually graduated from high school and went on to become the first person in her family to graduate from college. Tracing the complex and tattered relationships binding the family together, especially the bond she shared with her older sister, the author intimately probes her family's history for clues to its disintegration. Recounting her story without self-pity, she gracefully chronicles the painful results of a family shattered by repeated separations and traumas (Aug.) , " The Distance Between Us is an inspirational book for young Latinos or anyone who has faced adversity. Just keep those tissues handy,"- The Hispanic Reader, The sadness at the heart of Grande's story is unrelenting; this is the opposite of a light summer read. But that's OK, because . . . this book should have a long shelf life., "In this poignant memoir about her childhood in Mexico, Reyna Grande skillfully depicts another side of the immigrant experience--the hardships and heartbreaks of the children who are left behind. Through her brutally honest firsthand account of growing up in Mexico without her parents, Grande sheds light on the often overlooked consequence of immigration--the disintegration of a family." --Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer Prize winner, and author of Enrique's Journey, eoeGrande connects readers with intimacy to the enormous emotional dislocation children suffer when parents leave them behind. She grabs your heart and strums music on it. She gives a pulse to her profound statistic that 80 percent of Latin American children in U.S. schools have been separated from a parent in the migration process. It is one of very few stats in a book of simple prose and ironic metaphor.e, Grande consistently displays a fierce willingness to ask tough questions, accept startling answers, and candidly render emotional and physical violence., "A brutally honest book…akin to being the "Angela's Ashes" of the modern Mexican immigrant experience.", Personal, heart-wrenching, and ultimately triumphant. . . . An engaging writer with a talent for infusing her narrative with personal and affecting characterizations and stories, Grande truly offers an unprecedented look into the immigration experience. . . . The Distance Between Us has the power to change minds and hearts., Shows off Grande's exceptional writing skill. . . . The writer's economy of detail enriches the reading. . . . Anyone who reads The Distance Between Us will find the distance between their insularity and the humanity of immigrants is the two inches occupied in the memoir's 322 pages., Grande connects readers with intimacy to the enormous emotional dislocation children suffer when parents leave them behind. She grabs your heart and strums music on it. She gives a pulse to her profound statistic that 80 percent of Latin American children in U.S. schools have been separated from a parent in the migration process. It is one of very few stats in a book of simple prose and ironic metaphor., A Deeply Personal Coming-Of-Age Story That Extols the Power of Self-Reliance and the Love of Books., Many of us find it difficult to practice diplomacy with our relatives. But when typical family squabbles are complicated by national borders--as they are in Reyna Grande's excellent new memoir--the stakes are raised far higher than 'Who's cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year?'
