14 year old Esperanza Ignacio
could only think of a few words to sum up her life: crap, crap, crap! She was
born into a poor Latino family living in a small crummy apartment in the barrio side of town. Her
father was a drunken, gambler, and wife-beater who, one cold night, got
arrested after a violent intrusion. Her entire circle of relatives consisted of
nothing but gangsters and drug-addicts. Yep, her life was nothing but a huge
load of crap.
After surviving a scorching
summer heat, Esperanza enters the unfamiliar world of high-school with a tight
knot in her stomach. On the very first day, she is sucked into a blunder of
catastrophic events beginning with accidentally running into the world’s
BIGGEST bully. To make things even easier, her best friend, Carla, won’t stop
trying to marry her off to her twin brother, Carlos. And she has these two puny
siblings constantly vying for her attention. God, it’s a wonder she doesn’t
strap herself in a straight jacket and pretend to be Elvis.
Nonetheless, Esperanza attempts
to get through it all. She is a smart and ambitious young kid struggling to
survive her life while fighting to make her mark on the world. Her story is
filled with pain, strength, and too much loud bickering. It carries a voice
enriched with barrio slang and sarcastic humor. Esperanza illustrates what a persistent Latino
youth can achieve when they get back up after a fall and keep on walking
straight into college.
Available at:
Born and raised in Hawaiian Gardens, CA, Sandra C. López is
one of today's influential Latina authors in Young Adult literature. Her first
novel, Esperanza: A Latina Story,
was published in March 2008 WHILE
she was still in college. Shortly after that, she wrote the follow up title, Beyond the Gardens, starring her
inspirational heroine. Now, this young writer is a full graduate of Cal State
University Fullerton with a BFA in the arts. She was named as one of "2011
Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch" by Latino Stories. Find out more
at www.sandra-lopez.com
Connect with her on:
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