Scan barcode
birdinflight1's review against another edition
5.0
A modern coming-of-age story that speaks to the trauma that poverty and crossing the border can have on families. I loved her tenacity to hold onto her dreams of pursuing a writing career at UC Santa Cruz among the redwoods with absolutely no support from her family. I was saddened by her disillusionment with adulthood---achieving her dream of getting a college degree doesn't mean good jobs are easy to come by or her parents will suddenly want a relationship with her. It was hard to read about how she struggled teaching middle school, temporarily lost her energy to write, faced loneliness, made poor relationship decisions, and learned more about the cycles of abuse and generational trauma, especially against women, in her family history.
This book made me acutely aware of my privilege of having a supportive and stable family, both the one I grew up in and the one we are trying to provide our kids.
I enjoyed reading about her first Wisconsin winter Christmas celebration, her appreciation of the snow, and her confusion when the snow wasn't the right kind to build a snowman!!
The way she described her complicated situation with Cory, who had a committed girlfriend, but whom she was deeply attracted to was moving and poignant. I found it both sweet and heart-wrenching at the same time.
This book made me acutely aware of my privilege of having a supportive and stable family, both the one I grew up in and the one we are trying to provide our kids.
I enjoyed reading about her first Wisconsin winter Christmas celebration, her appreciation of the snow, and her confusion when the snow wasn't the right kind to build a snowman!!
The way she described her complicated situation with Cory, who had a committed girlfriend, but whom she was deeply attracted to was moving and poignant. I found it both sweet and heart-wrenching at the same time.
jesy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
A beautiful, beautiful memoir. Relatable, eye opening, and a great read after finishing Across A Hundred Mountains.
nickscoby's review against another edition
4.0
This book is far more complex than I expected and initially gave it credit for. Of course, it is a continuation of the author's own story, this time focusing on her experiences as a college student and then an adult. One of the things that I did not like is that the concepts of "dreams" and "homes" are nearly beaten to death and tend to appear at the end of a chapter, rendered in a hopeful, optimistic way. But the content itself is quite nuanced and the story goes into places that are perhaps rare for Latina writers. For instance, Reyna openly discusses her sexual experiences and her physical desires for men. Additionally, she captures many of the anxieties that first-generation professionals face, including a failed job search despite having obtained a college degree. I will be gifting this book to many of my students who are in the same situation.
kikipix's review against another edition
4.0
If you’re a fan of Educated, consider this memoir for your TBR. It’s a memoir with emotional introspection, familial relationships, and systemic experiences that are way too common yet not commonly discussed.
shirleytupperfreeman's review against another edition
I have not read Grande's first memoir so I can't comment on the synthesis of the two, but this memoir stands alone as an interesting look at one immigrant's life. Grande was born in a very poor village in Mexico. At age 2, her father came to the US to try and make a better life for his kids. Two years later, her mother followed, leaving the kids with grandparents. Those experiences, plus coming to the US, undocumented, at age 9 are the subjects of the first memoir. This one picks up as Grande goes to college and covers young adulthood through her first publishing success and her best relationship success. One might also say that this book outlines her sometimes bumpy path into the middle class. Reyna Grande is a good writer and a good story teller. I admire her perseverance. Her memoir would be a great basis for a discussion about immigration.
bookreviewswithkb's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
4.0
a beautiful memoir that explores Grande’s individual and familial experience with immigration from Mexico to the united states, focused mostly on the impact. the way Grande discovers an understanding of the decision her father made to leave her behind when he first left Mexico in order to create what he perceived would be a better life for his family. the grounding that writing and reading gave her when she felt lost and hurt within the abuse she experienced, when her identity wasn’t honored, when she couldn’t quite figure out how to put the pieces together
i now have to read Across a Hundred Mountains as soon as possible after reading about all of the heart, dedication, and sacrifice Grande put into her first novel!
gayathiri_rajendran's review against another edition
2.0
A Dream Called Home by Reyna Grande is about her life as an immigrant in America after crossing the border illegally from Mexico. It was interesting to read about various parts of Mexico and the culture. The book mainly focuses on the author's journey through adulthood.
I'm rating the book and how it was written, not the life of the author. The writing fell kind of flat for me. The story moved so fast with a lot of details and several points were told beforehand and killed any sort of suspense which could have been developed later. I wish a lot of the incidents in the book could have been explored in detail. It felt as though I was just skirting the surface most of the time. Details about her romantic life made little sense since the main focus was on the life of an immigrant. I also wish her relationships with her family were explored in depth. It would have made for a more interesting read.
Even though this was a good book about how to persevere even though the odds are against you and how being a first-generation graduate in a new country is difficult, the writing lets it down most of the time. However, such stories are very much necessary in today's world and have to be told.
I'm rating the book and how it was written, not the life of the author. The writing fell kind of flat for me. The story moved so fast with a lot of details and several points were told beforehand and killed any sort of suspense which could have been developed later. I wish a lot of the incidents in the book could have been explored in detail. It felt as though I was just skirting the surface most of the time. Details about her romantic life made little sense since the main focus was on the life of an immigrant. I also wish her relationships with her family were explored in depth. It would have made for a more interesting read.
Even though this was a good book about how to persevere even though the odds are against you and how being a first-generation graduate in a new country is difficult, the writing lets it down most of the time. However, such stories are very much necessary in today's world and have to be told.
naviajack's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
My sister in law recommended this book. It was interesting, informative, and insightful.
rafa_el_bibliotecario's review against another edition
4.0
As a Mexican, there were many family dynamics and issues that are very relatable.