Award-Winning Author Reyna Grande Discusses New Book at City College – City Times
Grande also discusses life after immigrating to America and becoming a writer
Student Alexander Daumas has his book signed by author Reyna Grande at City College. Photo by Sophia Traylor/City Times Media
Students and faculty at San Diego City College gathered at the Education Center on October 4 to hear guest speaker Reyna Grande introduce her new book, “A Ballad of Love and Glory.”
The event was organized by English teacher Elva Salinas and funded by Cultures of the worldthe Puente Program and the Equity and Student Success Grant. Reyna shared the panel with Paola Hernandez-Jiao, community relations manager for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
“A Ballad of Love and Glory” is set during the Mexican-American War in 1848. It tells the fictional love story of a Mexican woman and an Irish soldier from St. Patrick’s Battalion. The soldier broke his alliance with Irish forces and fought alongside Mexican soldiers.
Grande said the book is not just a love story surrounded by war, but also a story of immigrants.
“I was shocked when I started researching 19th century Irish people and their immigration experience,” Grande said. “It was so similar to what Latino immigrants experience.”
The audience broke the silence in a union of finger snaps as they heard Grande reminisce about how she felt like an outsider as a Spanish-speaking Mexican after immigrating.
Social and behavioral science major Dia Soto can relate.
“Many of us have faced prejudice, discrimination and fear,” Soto said as his eyes widened.
Soto refers to Grande as one of his literary “heroes”.
“Being here with her is just an honor,” Soto said. “She inspired me to write a poem about some of my challenges (being undocumented) because I also crossed the border when I was a little girl alongside my mother.”
Attendees, moved by the power and relativity of Grande’s words, crowded around her to buy a book and have it signed when she finished speaking.
“As someone who grew up in Mexico and moved to the United States,” said ASG member and math student Alexander Daumas, “you start to see them (authors like Grande) as personalities. far away, and you think “I’ll never go” be like that.
“But then it’s here at City College, and I can just raise my hand and ask questions.”
For more information on Reyna Grande and her books, visit her website.
