The Distance Between Us By Reyna Grande

There are an abundance of influential and incenting writers like Reyna Grande whose books are motivationally encouraging. Reyna Grande is an award winning novelist and memoirist who was born in Iguala, Mexico on September 7, 1975. She receives much recognition and awards for her works, including having them publish internationally. The Distance Between Us, a memoir of hers, is coming-of-age story that reveals the growth of Grande from youth to adulthood, and the changes she had made to overcome her past. Her story brings inspiration and is relatable to readers making it intriguing for them to want to read it.

In the first half of Grande’s novel, she states her life before becoming an immigrant where she lives in Mexico of the 1980s expressing

the struggles of poverty, starvation, and mistreatment that she endures. In the second half, she explains life as an undocumented immigrant in the United States in which she desires love from her parents, experiences abuse from an unstable father, and tries to fit in like everyone else. This memoir inspires people to not let the troubles get to you and keep moving on. Although having gone through an indefinite amount of struggle as a child, Grande grows up to become a well accomplished person, “…I realized there was no need to be afraid. I had gotten this far, despite everything. Now, all I had to do was focus on why I was there – to make my dreams a reality.” It can be learned from her experience that instead of plunging her difficulties, she uses it as an escape path to create goals and dreams for herself to achieve. In actuality Grande does attain one of her most prominent goals: “In June of 1999, I became the first person in my family to graduate from college…My family was there to celebrate that accomplishment with me.” Furthermore, Grande’s perspicacity on endeavors is an influence of encouragement to people who have lost their inspiration. Her memoir not only brings inspiration but, it also brings a sense of compatibility to readers.
Grande mentions many aspects during her pre-teen and teenage years that most teenagers go through now as well such as living up to your parents expectations, trying to fit in with other students in school, having relationships, and having a social life.

Despite the fact that it’s relating to two different time periods, not much has changed from then and now. When Grande first comes to the United States, her father states, “I brought you to this country to get an education and to take advantage of all the opportunities this country has to offer. The minute you walk through the door with anything less than As, I’m sending straight back to my mother’s house.” Grande’s father pressurizes her that she will have to have to deal with the punishment if her grades are up to standard, similarly some students now have the distress of attaining grades their parents wish or they will have to face the consequences. In addition, Grande fathoms the coercions of blending in with others to appear normal like everyone else. In the beginning she constantly feels left out because of not knowing how to speak English: “I wished I could understand what she was saying. I wished didn’t have to sit here in a corner and feel like an outsider in my own classroom,” Grande feels as though she does not belong, wishing to blend in like everyone else. As she grows older she still feels the same even though her English is much well but since she is shy and her shyness appears as arrogance to everyone as else making her a social outcast. Many teenagers now care excessively about their appearances so they can become socially acceptable nevertheless everyone has those insecurities about fitting

in.
Although there are many inspirations and relatable factors in Grande’s memoir, one could argue that they would not be able to understand the language perceived in the memoir. Even though the book is written in English there are a couple sentences and phrases in Spanish which one may not understand due to the fact that they do not understand the language. They could argue that it would be needed to learn Spanish in order to read the book and since they do not know the language they should not read it. Yet it could be refuted that one does not need to know the language to read it because it is further explained by the author what it means. Also if it is not explained it doesn’t mean that people should not read it, the Spanish phrase or sentence probably does not have significance to it so it wouldn’t be important to know the definition. Moreover it would be learning experience for those who don’t know understand Spanish because they will be able to learn a new language.