A Dream Called Home (Unabridged)
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4.4 • 17 Ratings
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
“Here is a life story so unbelievable, it could only be true.” —Sandra Cisneros, bestselling author of The House on Mango Street
From bestselling author of the remarkable memoir The Distance Between Us 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.
As an immigrant in an unfamiliar country, with an indifferent mother and abusive father, Reyna had few resources at her disposal. Taking refuge in words, Reyna’s love of reading and writing propels her to rise above until she achieves the impossible and is accepted to the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Although her acceptance is a triumph, the actual experience of American college life is intimidating and unfamiliar for someone like Reyna, who is now estranged from her family and support system. 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.
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 whose “power is growing with every book” (Luis Alberto Urrea, Pultizer Prize finalist); and a proud mother of two beautiful children who will never have to know the pain of poverty and neglect.
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.
Customer Reviews
Great story
Impactful book, she wrote the story of our lives.
Beautiful representation
“A dream called home” by Reyna Grande was an enjoyable experience for me. I read this book for my English class, not really expecting it to be for me, but I was pleasantly surprised when I read it. The memoir detailed Grande’s journey through both her college experience, adult life and a tricky relationship with her family.
She goes into depth with her struggles over her identity as she was born and raised for a part of her childhood in Mexico and was brought across the border by her father, living out the remainder of her life in the United States. Grande states that she has trouble fitting into either identity, as on both sides people don’t see her as either fully American or fully Mexican, but a funny in between. I really liked this aspect of the book, as I could definitely see myself in her struggles. I think it’s a powerful thing to be able to relate to someone of your own culture who has had similar experiences.
I also really enjoyed how self aware and reflective she was. A complaint made by my classmates often was that Grande was quite ‘annoying’ throughout the story, making all the wrong choices and, at times, making things much harder for herself. Yet, I found this quite a nice touch. She is able to go back and see that her actions might not have been the best. liked that she wasn’t afraid to show her bad sides too, vent her frustrations and show her bad choices. Grande doesn’t try to paint herself as a saint, but as a person who has made mistakes in her life that have shaped her up to the person she is now.
The only problem I had with the book was the way she handled her so-called ‘daddy issues’. Her father was not the best person or father figure a child could have. He was an alcoholic who severely scarred Reyna and her siblings. But it seems like these daddy issues controlled a good chunk of the choices she made. Like choosing to have a child with a man who kinda reminded her of her father when their relationship was failing.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and Reyna’s story. I think that having more Latina and immigrant writers is a great way to showcase the diversity of stories within the United States. Not only that but people are able to see themselves within her story, just like I was able to see myself and my struggles.