Esperanza Rising

come home from the fields. She paced in the area where the trucks unloaded, and wrapped the wool tighter against the early winte ...

He was quiet and Esperanza could tell he was thinking. “But what could you do? And who would take care of the babies?” “I could ...

She nodded. “Can you tell me one more thing, Miguel?” “Claro.Certainly.” “What are potato eyes?” < Esperanza huddled with Jos ...

ahead, the truck rumbled slowly on the dirt roads. They passed miles of naked grapevines, stripped oftheir harvest and bereft of ...

With all the clothing they were wearing, he barely looked at their faces. Josefina had told Esperanza that if she was a good wor ...

“To the fields. They plant the eye pieces and then the potatoes grow.” Esperanza picked up a knife. Now she knew where potatoes ...

have their papers with them, the immigration of- ficials send them back to Mexico. We have heard that they have sent people whos ...

cannot stay with us. We can’t risk being asked to leave the camp or losing our jobs because of our niece.” Heads nodded in sympa ...

< Afew nights before Christmas, Esperanza helped Isabel make a yarn doll for Silvia while the others went to a camp meeting. ...

dried grapevines and flowers, instead of ribbons. On Christmas Eve, the house was always filled with laughter and people calling ...

time ago, uncuento de hadas, a fairy tale. She could see the illustrations in her mind: the Sierra Madre, El Rancho de las Rosas ...

holidays of her past, and repeated what was be- coming a nightly ritual of silent tears. She didn’t think anyone ever knew that ...

poinsettia plant and wearing a beautiful red wool coat with a rhinestone Christmas tree pinned to the lapel. Esperanza’s eyes ri ...

that the color from the blanket would slowly seep into Mama’s cheeks. She put the stone on the night table and kissed Mama good- ...

E speranza’s breath made smoky vapors in front ofher face as she waited for the truck to take her to tie grapevines. She shifted ...

Abuelita’s travel. Her problem then would be how to reach Abuelita. The men went down the rows first, pruning the thick grapevin ...

Hortensia rubbed the avocado mixture into Esperanza’s hands. “You must keep it on for twenty minutes so your hands will soak up ...

better, but still looked red and weathered. She took another avocado, cut it in half, swung the knife into the pit and pulled it ...

tired and susceptible to other infections. We are treating her with medications. She is weak. I know this is hard for you, but w ...

Mama nodded, her eyelids slowly falling back down, as if it had been a burden to keep them up. Esperanza felt Miguel’s hand on h ...