An Evening with Reyna Grande: Immigration in Literature

Nearly three decades ago, Leon Mugesera gave an incendiary speech targeting the Tutsi minority in Rwanda. Mugesera dehumanized the Tutsis, calling them cockroaches, vermin, pests, a nuisance, far less than people. Two years later, in 1994, 800,000 Tutsis were slaughtered in the Rwandan Genocide. In a rant this month, President Trump referred to migrant groups crossing the Mexican border as less than human, animals. As history teaches us, this is the kind of language that leads to violence and destruction. 

Reyna Grande, in her fluid and rich prose, also harnesses the power of language. Her novel The Distance Between Us and her most recent work A Dream Called Home counter the violent words of President Trump with a humane telling of her border crossing at age 9 and about the sacrifices made for the offerings of America. Ms. Grande’s stories articulate a voice and an experience often shunned or disregarded despite the frequency with which the proprietors of these stories appear in the news and in the mouths of politicians. It was not until she was introduced to Latina writers by a college professor that Ms. Grande dreamt of telling her stories as her life’s work. Years later Ms. Grande has received countless awards and acclaims. 

Reyna Grande recognizes the power of language to shift perspectives. In her time with us she spoke of representation in literature, the transformative ability of a book, and the singularity of the migrant narrative in our country right now. In turbulent times, Ms. Grande has taught her audience the importance of setting the narrative straight through storytelling. Her voice and those alike will continue to counter the hate spewed about. I impatiently await her next published work.