a dream called home a memoir by reyna grande

'Grande ( The Distance Between Us) writes with strength and passion of her life's journey.This uplifting story of fortitude and resilience looks deeply into the complexities of immigration and one woman's struggle to adapt and thrive in America.'-Publishers Weekly (starred review) 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) 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. She deftly evokes the searing sense of heartache and confusion. Grande captivates and inspires in her memoir.

Told in Reyna's exquisite, heartfelt prose, A Dream Called Home demonstrates how, by daring to pursue her dreams, Reyna was able to build the one thing she had always longed for: a home that would endure. Through it all, Reyna is determined to make the impossible possible, going from undocumented immigrant of little means to 'a fierce, smart, shimmering light of a writer' (Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild) a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist whose 'power is growing with every book' (Luis Alberto Urrea, Pultizer Prize finalist) and a proud mother of two beautiful children who will never have to know the pain of poverty and neglect. Again, she finds solace in words, holding fast to her vision of becoming a writer, only to discover she knows nothing about what it takes to make a career out of a dream. Although her acceptance is a triumph, the actual experience of American college life is intimidating and unfamiliar for someone like Reyna, who is now estranged from her family and support system. Taking refuge in words, Reyna's love of reading and writing propels her to rise above until she achieves the impossible and is accepted to the University of California, Santa Cruz. 'Here is a life story so unbelievable, it could only be true.' -Sandra Cisneros, bestselling author of The House on Mango Street From bestselling author of the remarkable memoir The Distance Between Us comes an inspiring account of one woman's quest to find her place in America as a first-generation Latina university student and aspiring writer determined to build a new life for her family one fearless word at a time.As an immigrant in an unfamiliar country, with an indifferent mother and abusive father, Reyna had few resources at her disposal.

A dream called home a memoir by reyna grande