"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.
