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 “speak for millions of immigrants whose voices have gone unheard” (Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street) 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. With so few resources at her disposal, Reyna finds refuge in words, and it is her love of reading and writing that propels her to rise above until she achieves the impossible and is accepted to the University of California, Santa Cruz.Īlthough her acceptance is a triumph, the actual experience of American college life is intimidating and unfamiliar for someone like Reyna, who is now once again estranged from her family and support system. Instead, she found an indifferent mother, an abusive, alcoholic father, and a school system that belittled her heritage. When Reyna Grande was nine-years-old, she walked across the US–Mexico border in search of a home, desperate to be reunited with the parents who had left her behind years before for a better life in the City of Angels. A heartfelt, inspiring, and relevant memoir.”įrom bestselling author Reyna Grande-whose remarkable memoir, The Distance Between Us, has become required reading in schools across the country-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.

“Candid and emotionally complex, Grande’s book celebrates one woman’s tenacity in the face of hardship and heartbreak while offering hope to other immigrants as they “fight to remain” and make their voices heard in a changing America. “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. 2022 California State University Channel Islands Common ReadĢ021 One Book Project Selection–CSU Bakersfield/ Kern County, CAĢ021-2022 San Juan College One Book/One Community Selection, NMĢ021 One Campus/One Book Club, Palo Verde College, CAĢ021 Entering Student Experience, University of Texas, El PasoĢ020-2021 Common Reading Selection Florida International UniversityĢ020-2021 Common Reading Selection Concordia University, TXĢ020 Las Positas College Campus Wide Read Selection, CA

A dream called home