Bryn Mawr School Book Discussion Group discussion

Welcome to the discussion group for The Distance Between Us.

I have not started the book yet but am looking forward to reading it soon. Mary Daily

I finished this memoir quickly. This is a story about a very impoverished Mexican family and the lengths they go to to get to the USA. The lives of the family members, especially the children are related by the author Reyna Grande. Something to think hard about in todays news is what happens to families( elderly parents and young children) left behind when immigrants come to our country to try and forge a better living and send money back to their country of origin. Who minds their children? What happens to the children when they end up here with no parents or family to raise them? Last week, Baltimore City was asked by the Federal Government to house immigrant children who are in America without parents. It is also telling of a relationship the author had with a special teacher who encouraged and inspired her to write.

Patti wrote: "Welcome to the discussion group for The Distance Between Us."

I have not started yet either, but Sunday afternoon this book, a sweet tea and a lounge chair in my back yard are calling my name : )

Excited to get started!

Jackie Burr

Hi everyone! I'm looking forward to reading the book and meeting you all this school year. I'll be teaching seventh grade English. Thanks!
Katie Walsh

Welcome Katie! I teach English in the upper school.

Welcome Katie, I teach Dance in the middle and upper schools.

Oh yes I forgot to mention I am the moderator for "The Distance Between Us" . Any feedback from you all yet?

Just finished the memoir! I laughed and cried with the author and felt really connected and invested to her story. I found it interesting that her voice throughout the entire memoir was very matter of fact, even positive and filled with humor. There was never a sense of "oh poor me, listen to the sad story I have to tell." I think this attitude of "I will not let my circumstances define who I am" combined with her grit and gumption was the driving force in her graduating from high school and becoming the first member of her family to graduate from college. Did anyone else find the author's outlook on tribulation and overcoming obstacles to be somewhat inspiring? This was so much more than just a memoir for me, it was almost a motivational self-help book in disguise!

Thank you! I'm so happy to be joining the Bryn Mawr community. I am trying to finish The Goldfinch (hopefully by tomorrow) before jumping into the memoir. The feedback given so far has me anticipating a great read.

I finished chapter 14 last night, so I'm a little less than halfway through now. It's such an enjoyable read, despite the sadness of circumstances. The imagery is vivid and the characterization believable. I wanted to be angrier at Mago for feeding the puppies the pepper, but I couldn't help but sympathize with her desire to do something with the anger she felt toward her parents. It was interesting to witness her treatment of the dogs, but then see how she is a protector of her siblings. Her responsiveness to Betty's burns, for example, was so contradictory to what she did to the dogs.
I've been haunted by the image of Catalina, Reyna's drowned cousin, hanging from the tree so that "the river would drain out of her." I appreciate that the author doesn't dwell on any of the situations presented. It shows that attitude of moving forward in the face of suffering clearly, rather than merely stating it. I agree with you, Jackie, that this outlook is inspiring. It reminds me of how much I take for granted. Last night, as it stormed outside and I sat safely in my flood-free house, I read about Reyna and her siblings dragging buckets of gravel into their home to decrease the muddiness of the floor.
Looking forward to reading more.

I'm grateful I live in a country where we have access to clean running water and indoor plumbing. Most people in our country have no idea of the hardships developing nations face on a daily basis- reading it is one thing but experiencing quite another. I liked Mago- being the eldest child in my family I could relate to her feeling responsible for her younger siblings. It was a good read and I feel a worthy topic to discuss in the future might be the issues immigrants deal with during integration into the American culture.

One major issue facing Latin American immigrants: Anderson Cooper just did a story on a woman in Florida who has legal custody for 817 American born children whose parents have been deported. It saddened me to learn that support for these families is so limited.