Press release
🔗 http://www.reynagrande.com/books/distance/media/
Story Behind The Book
When Reyna was two years old, her father left her in Mexico when he left for the U.S. to search for work. Two years later, her mother made her own journey north. It would be eight years when Reyna would finally come to the U.S. herself as an undocumented child immigrant, but by then her family had disintegrated and immigration had taken its toll. This experience left Reyna deeply scarred, but with a strong desire to succeed. She chose to tell the story of her childhood and young adulthood to encourage others to pursue their own dreams.
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Reviews
<p><span style="color:#222222;">“…Grande captivates and inspires in her memoir…[She] deftly evokes the searing sense of heartache and confusion created by their parents’ departure…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.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review</span></p><p></p> <p><span style="color:#222222;">“…[Grande] consistently displays a fierce willingness to ask tough questions, accept startling answers, and candidly render emotional and physical violence. Even as a girl, Grande understood the redemptive power of language to define…and to complicate…</span>A standout immigrant coming-of-age story.”—Kirkus Review<span style="color:#222222;"></span></p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="color:#222222;"> </span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#222222;">“…[A] touching and enormously personal memoir…Filled with stories of hunger and sorrow, Grande’s recollections focus on the tension of the Mexican/American border through the eyes of those left behind, bringing a whole new definition to what it means to grow up in a ‘broken home.’ The poignant yet triumphant tale she tells of her childhood and eventual illegal immigration puts a face on issues that stir vehement debate. Grande is affecting and<span class="apple-converted-space"><em> </em></span>sincere… the powerful emotions and important story will carry readers along.”<em>—Booklist</em></span></p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">"Reyna Grande's extraordinary journey towards the American dream will be an inspiration for anyone who has ever dreamed of a better life."—Ligiah Villalobos, writer/executive producer of Under the Same Moon/La Misma Luna</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#500050;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:#ffffff;">“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.”</span>—Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer Prize winner, and author of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Enrique's Journey</em></p>