The Distance Between Us

From award-winning author, Reyna Grande, an eye-opening memoir about life before and after illegally immigrating from Mexico to the United States.

Born in Mexico and raised by her grandparents after her parents left to find work in the U.S., at nine years old, Reyna enters the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant to live with her father. Filled with hope, she quickly realizes that life in America is far from perfect. Her father isn’t the man she dreamed about all those years in Mexico. His big dreams for his children are what gets them across the border, but his alcoholism and rage undermine all his hard work and good intentions. Reyna finds solace from a violent home in books and writing, inspired by the Latina voices she reads. After an explosive altercation, Reyna breaks away, going on to become the first person in her family to obtain a higher education, earning a B.A. and then an M.F.A. in Creative Writing.

At a time when immigration politics are at a boiling point in America, Reyna Grande is an important public voice for Mexican Americans and immigrants of every origin. The Distance Between Us has the power to change minds and hearts.

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Awards & Recognitions

Praise For The Distance Between Us:

“Reyna Grande is a fierce, smart, shimmering light of a writer with an important story to tell.” –Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

“I’ve been waiting for this book for decades. The American story of the new millennium is the story of the Latino immigrant, yet how often has the story been told by the immigrant herself? What makes Grande’s beautiful memoir all the more extraordinary is that, through this hero’s journey, she speaks for millions of immigrants whose voices have gone unheard.”–Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street

“The sadness at the heart of Grande’s story is unrelenting; this is the opposite of a light summer read. But that’s OK, because . . . this book should have a long shelf life.” –Slate

“A timely and a vivid example of how poverty and immigration can destroy a family.”
–The Daily Beast

“A brutally honest book… the “Angela’s Ashes” of the modern Mexican immigrant experience.” –the Los Angeles Times

“A standout coming-of-age story.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Grande captivates and inspires.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review

“…[A] touching and enormously personal memoir… puts a face on issues that stir vehement debate.”—Booklist

“Grande grabs your heart and strums music on it.”  —The Dallas Morning News

“A visceral experience of poverty.”  –The Christian Science Monitor

“Makes palpable a human dilemma and dares us to dismiss it.” –The California Report

“Readers of The Distance Between Us will gain a deeper insight into immigration and also enjoy Grande’s eloquent, honest storytelling. This book would be fabulous required reading for college freshmen or, even better, for freshman members of Congress.” –The Washington Independent Review of Books

“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.”—Sonia  Nazario, Pulitzer Prize winner, and author of Enrique’s Journey

 Resources for The Distance Between Us:

• Order Your Book Today!
• Audio Excerpts
• Downloadable Excerpts (PDF)
• A Conversation with Reyna Grande
• Reviews
• Teacher’s Guide created by the Maryland Humanities Council (PDF)
• Reader’s Guide created by the Maryland Humanities Council (PDF)
• LA TIMES Book Review of the Distance Between Us (PDF)
• Lesson Plans for The Distance Between Us
• Video of Abuelita Chinta
• Storytelling Ideas