Esperanza
A Latina Story
by Sandra C. Lopez
Genre: Teen Fiction
Fourteen-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,
where the graffiti chiseled more the souls and character of the residents than it impacted the exterior
looks of the buildings. 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 formers- former
drug-addicts, former gangsters and gang-bangers, former alcoholics, former everything. Yep, her life was
nothing but a huge load of crap. And she hadn't even started high school yet.
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. Now, she has made herself the
prime target for a main course. And, to top it all off, she has to see this girl everyday in P.E! P.E.-the one
class Esperanza truly despises the most. Could life be any worse for her? Well, her family could take in a
relative hopped up on drugs, a probable shooting can take place right in front of her, and Esperanza
could also sit and listen to the crazed ranting of her loud psychotic mother. Oh, wait, all that does
happen. 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
persistent Latino youth can achieve when they get back up after a fall and keep on walking straight into
college.
"Esperanza is an admirable and too real story of many Latino youths lacking role models, who find
themselves lost and isolated in the paved jungles of the inner cities and overwhelmed by the dissonance
of barrio life. Sandra C. Lopez has created a resilient and likeable character, Esperanza, who seems
closer to a naked truth-seeker than to a barrio kid-desperately trying to get out of a crappy world, but not
knowing exactly where she was going to. Highly Recommended."
Andrea Alessandra, University of California, Berkeley
"Sandra López is a fresh and resonant voice from the Hispanic rainbow."
Ray Michael Baca Author-"Brotherhood of the Light"
Book Trailer
Sandra C. López is a writer, artist, blogger, and book reviewer. She is one of today's funny and influential
authors in YA and chick lit. Her first novel, Esperanza, was published in March 2008 WHILE she was still
in college. Her most recent and bestselling book is Single Chicas, a collection of humorous short stories
about zany chicas. She is currently working on the next installment of the Single Chicas series called
Holiday Chicas. Release date coming soon! When not writing her stories, Sandra supports the art and
literary communities with freelance work, book promotion, and running a Read and Review Program. For
more info, see below:
$10 Amazon Gift Card
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
No comments :
Post a Comment