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The Daily Insight

Where is Reyna Grande from

Author

Victoria Simmons

Published Mar 25, 2026

Biography. Grande grew up in poverty with her two siblings in Iguala, Guerrero. Her father had come to the U.S. to get money to build a house in Iguala but her father wasn’t successful. Her father called for Grande’s mother, who left Grande and her siblings with her grandmother (Reyna’s father’s mom).

Where did Reyna Grande grow up?

Biography. Grande grew up in poverty with her two siblings in Iguala, Guerrero. Her father had come to the U.S. to get money to build a house in Iguala but her father wasn’t successful. Her father called for Grande’s mother, who left Grande and her siblings with her grandmother (Reyna’s father’s mom).

Is Reyna Grande an immigrant?

Reyna Grande was nine years old when she left behind her native Mexico as an undocumented immigrant to join her parents in Los Angeles. Grande chronicles her arduous journey—and her ultimate path to becoming the first college graduate in her family—in her celebrated 2012 memoir, The Distance Between Us.

Why did Reyna Grande move to the US?

It was too unsafe for Grande to go to her hometown and be with her family. At the age of nine, Grande crossed the border into the United States where she would eventually go on to become the first person in her family to attend college, establish a successful writing career, and raise a family of her own.

Where does Reyna live in the distance between us?

Her other books include the novels Across a Hundred Mountains, winner of a 2007 American Book Award, and Dancing with Butterflies, and The Distance Between Us, Young Reader’s Version. She lives in Woodland, CA with her husband and two children. Visit ReynaGrande.com.

Who is Tio crece?

Tío Crece suffers from schizophrenia, and is subject to fits of madness. He is an odd man and his behavior around Reyna and her siblings is often inappropriate, yet they have a good relationship. Carlos especially grows close with Crece. Reyna, Mago, and Carlos’s uncle and Juana’s second brother.

Where does Reyna Grande live?

She is an active promoter of Latino literature and is a well-known and highly regarded speaker at high schools, colleges, and universities across the nation. Grande is now a United States citizen living in Los Angeles, teaching novel writing at UCLA Extension, and working on her next novel.

Is Reyna Grande related to Ariana Grande?

Some people look so alike, we think they’re related, but then we learn they’re not. Did you know that Ariana Grande has an actual twin, but they’re not related?!

What is Reyna Grandes mothers name?

The children are seeing their mother for the first time in two and a half years. They are overwhelmed by emotions, surprised, happy and a little angry because their mother had promised to return within the year. Juana, Reyna’s mother, which is also seldom called by name, looks different from what Reyna recollected.

Does Reyna Grande have children?

About The Author She lives in Woodland, California, with her husband and two children.

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Why does Mago take Reyna to the place she was born?

Mago attempts to give Reyna a way to feel immune to the neighborhood children’s taunts by empowering through her own story. Mago takes Reyna back up to the house, but Reyna is afraid that Evila will beat her if she returns without a needle for the second time.

How old was Reyna when her mother left Mexico?

Reyna Grande is four-years-old when her mother leaves her poverty-stricken town in Mexico to work in The United States.

Where is Reyna Grande now?

Now, in addition to being a published author, she is also an active promoter of Latino literature and is a sought-after speaker at high schools, colleges, and universities across the nation. Currently Reyna teaches creative writing at UCLA Extension and is at work on her next novel.

What is Reyna's relationship with her father?

Reyna also struggles in her relationship with her father, who was abusive to her and her siblings growing up. Her father constantly told her that she would never make anything of herself or be able to finish school. Reyna felt the need to prove herself and defy all the expectations of her family.

Who is left behind in Mexico when Reyna crosses the border with Papi?

Mila turns a blind eye and offers Reyna and her siblings little comfort. One day, Papi takes a bus downtown and returns with shocking: Mami is living just on the other side of town. More than that, she has come here with her boyfriend, has left Betty behind in Mexico, and is pregnant.

How is Reyna's name important?

Naming is an important aspect of Reyna’s life over time, ranging from real names with deep meaning (such as her own linguistically contradictory moniker, Reyna Grande, and the name of her abusive grandmother, Evila), to nicknames (even for a toe) and terms of endearment, to what designations people can use for others …

When did Reyna Grande graduate?

In 1985, when Grande was 9, she entered the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant. Grande transferred from Pasadena City College in 1996 and went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree in creative writing and film & video from UC Santa Cruz.

What is Reyna Grande known for?

Reyna Grande is the author of the bestselling memoir, The Distance Between Us, (Atria, 2012) where she writes about her life before and after she arrived in the United States from Mexico as an undocumented child immigrant. The much-anticipated sequel, A Dream Called Home (Atria), was released in 2018.

Who did Reyna's father leave her mother for?

Reyna is two years old when her father leaves Iguala for El Otro Lado (the other side). Why does he leave?

What is the name of Reyna's younger sister?

Unlike Mago and Carlos, who are close to Reyna in terms of age and common circumstance, Reyna is separated from her baby sister, whose name is Betty. Betty is distinct among her siblings, as she was born in America.

What challenges did Reyna Grande face?

As Reyna and her siblings Mago and Carlos navigate their adolescence, they struggle to heal the wounds of their past—wounds left by their parents’ abandonment, their grandmother’s cruelty, and the trauma of their dangerous childhoods—while making a future for themselves in the face of continued adversity.

Where does the distance between us take place?

The events of The Distance Between Us span the entirety of Reyna’s childhood and adolescence in Mexico and the United States, covering a period of about 20 years, from 1980—when Reyna was four—to 1999, when she graduated from college at UC Santa Cruz.

Who Is Ariana Grande's twin?

Ariana Grande has reached out to her identical TikTok twin, Paige Niemann, after first admitting she wasn’t sure about the social media star’s impression, and being the nicest pop star around, invited her backstage at a show.

What is the theme of a dream called home?

Determination and Resilience: In both memoirs, the themes of determination and resilience are presented over and over again. In A Dream Called Home, Grande describes how she ultimately won a lottery to buy a house in South Central Los Angeles, and uses the words persisted, tenacity, and endurance.

Why does Reyna's father send for her mother two years later?

The reason why Reyna, Mago, Carlos, and their mother stay back in Mexico is because there isn’t enough money for so many of them to go to America at once. When Reyna turns 4, her father sends for her mother. Reyna, Mago, and Carlos are left to live with their father’s mother (Abuela Evila).

What does Natalio dump on Grandes head?

Book Two: Chapter 4 Quotes As I showered, I cried and thought about my sweet grandmother. She would never have dumped a plate of food on my head. And I wouldn’t have had to tell her why I couldn’t eat the spaghetti. She would have known why right away.

Why does Mago leave school?

oMago takes her out dancing to make her feel better about her boy troubles. oMago has dropped out of college to work full time so she can pay off debt.

What happens to Betty the distance between us?

Betty eventually moves to the United States with Juana, Juana’s second husband Rey, and their child Leonardo, but only sees Reyna, Mago, and Carlos occasionally.

What degree does Reyna Grande have?

She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing and Film and Video from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Antioch University. She is a sought-after speaker at middle/high schools, colleges and universities across the nation.

How long is a dream called home?

Listening Length9 hours and 47 minutesLanguageEnglishASINB07F39LF5SBest Sellers Rank#11,025 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #22 in Hispanic & Latin Biographies #30 in Biographies of Authors #39 in Cultural & Regional Biographies (Audible Books & Originals)

What year did Reyna Grande cross the border?

In 1985, when she was almost 10, Grande crossed the border as an undocumented immigrant.