Counting My Blessings

Grande, R. (2012). The Distance between Us: A Memoir. New York, NY: Washington Square Press.

In this memoir, we see a great example of maturing from a young girl to an independent woman. Reyna had to learn how to grow up and make adult decisions without her parents. Now, of course, she got left with her grandmother but she was no help on account that she neglected Reyna and her older siblings. Her mother and father left Mexico to go the United States when she was just 8 years old. Children that age need a father, but she unfortunately did not have that in her life. However, the coming together of her with her older siblings helped her to mature and grow into a mature woman.

When Reyna finally moves to the United States with her mother and father, she is finally able to get a good education for herself and finds solace in reading and writing, so at least there is a happy ending. When you stop and think about it, it is really crazy to imagine having to grow up without your parents to teach you important life lessons and basic life necessities. Can you imagine learning how to cook on your own, wash your clothes, cope with stress, or any other trial that life can throw at you without the wisdom and guidance of your parents? In Reyna’s case, you throw a life on poverty on top of that and you have a situation where the vast majority of people would fail in life. However, Reyna was different. She was able to overcome all the hardships and that is something that she can be proud of for the rest of her life.