The
Distance Between Us Reading Journal
Letter
to the Reader
After
reading her letter, I thought that Grande’s American Dream was to have her parents by her side, the whole family.
PART 1
Chapter 1:
In the first chapter, Grande mentioned about her father had left them to go to a place which everyone thought never come back from, and then her mom also left them behind to go to help him, when she was 4.5 years old, her brother Carlos, 7 years old, and her older sister was 8.5 years old. They had to stay with her grandmother Abuela. Before leaving, her mother said to her grandmother that "For as long as necessary, only God knew how long it was going to take to build the house Natalie wants.". This quote made me think deeply about its meaning. At that time, men might have more power than women, so the mother had to listen to the father. I also guessed that the mother didn’t want to leave her children behind to go to the US. She didn’t really need the house that her husband wanted; she just wanted the family to live together. It also predicts that the children would have to suffer during difficult times because they had to live without their parents, who didn’t make sure about what would happen in the future.
Chapter 2:
The chapter described about their difficult life and unfair things in their grandmother's house and their neighbors. However, the owner of a bakery Don, one of their neighbors, said that it was because the parents loved their children very much that they had left. This quote made me think deeply about the situations in the books. The situation at that time might be very difficult to make this decision. There was not enough food, money, and the house. And I thought about my parents, about things they made for me. All of things they did contained a story which I need more time to understand and thank to them.
Chapter 3:
It still was their harsh times with the grandmother. Grande's grandmother said that might-be kids weren’t even her grandchildren. When I read this quote, I felt miserable. The emotions rose up and filled my mind. How could your own relatives treat you like this and say it directly to your face? She is not just a neighbor or a stranger; she is the children’s grandmother. And even if she were a stranger, should the children be treated this way? Society is so dangerous, even in their own home, children are always harmed.
Chapter 4,5,6:
The life was continuous, and it was worse than a prison in her grandmother house, and missing their parents. Her mom was going to have a baby. This made them sad and angry because they thought that their parents would forget all of them. Grande waited for school to be out of her grandmother's sight.
Video Journal: Chapter 4,5,6
Chapter 7:
In the chapter 7, Grande shared that “our parents hadn’t realized that while they’d gone, we had grown, as if somehow in El Otro Lado time stood still and over there I hadn’t yet turned six, Mago ten, and Carlos almost nine’’ (p.49). This sentence showed the distance between them. The children didn’t know what happened around their parents at the US, and their parents also didn’t know their life in grandmother’s house. It would make the reader guess that misunderstanding would hurt their feelings. The kids would feel that their parents forgot them, and no longer love them.
Chapter 8:
It was four years after her father had left for the United States, and two years after Mami had left, the construction for their house finally began. Mago asked Grande that “Just think about what is going to be built right there on that spot.” (p.53). When I read this sentence my mind is filled with many questions. At the beginning of the book, Grand mentioned this story would be about her new life in the US. I wondered why her parents were building the house in Mexico, whether the house would be completed? I was curious about what happened next, and I really wanted to read more and predict the sequence events. It might be her grandmother continuously took their money, which led to their parents decided to pick them up the US.
Chapter 9:
This was the stage, Grande is in a dangerous situation when she had been stung by a scorpion, and without parents around, only them and their aunt. However, Grande’s grandmother shared with them that “ They won’t come back. Trust me. Look at Maria Felix. It’s been nine years, and every time Elida asks her when she’s finally coming back, she gives her excuses as to why she can’t yet. But that’s all they are. Excuse. And then it’s me who has to find ways to lessen the pain’’ (p. 580). This sentence made me think deeply about what her grandmother was meant, and helped me realized why her grandma acted in ways she did in previous chapters. Everything happened in the same ways to her. Her son and daughter gave her a responsibility of taking care of their children with the promise that they would come back soon. However, nobody did it, and she was 70 years old. She could have disappointed with her kids, but she could do nothings, so she expressed her sadness toward to her grandchildren. At this sentence I felt that ok I got it.
Chapter 10:
Grande's mother come back with them. After hearing about another woman who made her mom had had a fight with her Papi, Grande said that '‘But it can’t be true. Papi cannot love another woman.” (p.66). There was not enough information about this woman, but I could understand that her Papi loved another woman in the US which made her mom sad and come back here.
Chapter 11:
Her mother became angry because life was difficult in Mexico at that time. Grande’s mom said that “I should have stayed. He left me there on my own, and I knew no one, but I should have stayed. There were jobs. Maybe not Great jobs, but at least we weren’t starving. And here in Mexico, with the cost of everything going up, how are we to survive?’’ (p71,72). The quote was very important for this chapter. It not only connected with the previous chapter, but also impacted this whole chapter. It described her different time in the U.S., but it was still better than life here. Therefore, we can see how difficult life was and how her family worked hard in this chapter. All these difficulties changed her, making her different from she was before, which Grande mentioned at the end of Chapter 10.
Chapter 12:
Her mother found the job and had a boyfriend. When the children knew about this, Grande told to her mom: “Mami, don’t leave us again” (p.81). This quote made me surprised. I was surprised many times when reading this chapter. I didn’t need to think deeply about anything. New Information appeared constantly. First, it provided me with the reason why Carlos was sad, and then, her mom left all of us to go with the new boyfriend. In my opinion, this quote was the most impactful one of the chapter because she would leave us again and difficult things would occur to them again.
Chapter 13:
After the mom left, Mago once again become their little mother. Mago had to work to be able to take care of them, including Betty, the baby was born in the US. Mago said that “Never” after Grande told to her that Grande had thought Mago had been leaving her. This quote was very short but it contained a long meaning for me and might be Grande. I wanted to praise Mago from beginning chapter. I wondered myself that if I could do as what Mago did for her sisters and brothers. Why her parents couldn’t do it, but she could.
Chapter 14:
Her cousin, the river took her cousin, Catalina, away them forever. In the end of the chapter, Grande thought that “ what if something happened to me, or Mago, Carlos, or Betty? What if by the time Papi finished his dream house, there would be no one left for him to keep safe? Or what if he never finished it, what if he never returned and we were left here to face the wolf all on our own?” (p.93). This quote appeared in her mind when her cousin died, which made her scared of and think about her life. This thoughts also reflected the reality that on the path to success and happiness, we will have to trade off many things. It can be loss. Though the quote was in the end of chapter, it was very important of the chapter. It mentioned the risks which the children had to face when they lived without their parents’ s protection.
Chapter 15:
After 6 month, the mom ran off with her boyfriend, they were in accident, and her boyfriend died, so she come back with them. She obtained the previous job, and planned to get her dream house because she knew about Government was giving away land .Grande’s mom mentioned that “Here’re where we’re going to live. I’m going to show your father I can build my own dream house too.” (p.97). From her mention, it
seemed like that she just wanted to tease the previous husband. I wondered if
she had thought her children. At the first time, the father left them to build
the dream house, and the consequence was the breakdown of their parents. Now,
their mom wanted to build the dream house, so it made me think about the next
consequence. After many days watching the land, Carlos got sick and they gave up to watch the land. However, Carlos told to his grandmother that “No, no, no. I’ll
help Mami with her dream house” when she asked him go home (p.100). From this sharing, I could say that the mom was truly changed, she was so crude. I remembered that I hadn’t had this feeling before at the beginning of the book. She didn't worry about her kid's illness. She just wanted a home. The house could trade by her son’s life. I wondered that why she didn’t make a suitable plan. She can stay at here to guard the land, and her children could bring water and food for her.
Chapter 16:
Failing to get the land, the mom desperately and decided to live with her sister and left the children behind. However, Grande's mom said that “The cab fare is seven times the bus fare. That’s money we can use for food. If I stay at my sister’s, I can walk there from work.” (p.102). I thought that she wanted to show her angry with the children and want to leave them as a punishment for them. At the Christmas Day, her mom come back to visit them, but she brought a new boyfriend with her which made Mago lost of control. Mago yelled that “I want to die. I want to die!” in this chapter (p.105). This might be the limit in endurance when her mom brought her new boyfriend home. I was curious about how was her mom beautiful? How could she have new boyfriends quickly?
Chapter 17:
They met their after about 7 or 8 years. Now, Mago was 13 years old. But they knew that their father wouldn't come back. At the end of the chapter, their father shared that “I’ve decided
I can’t come back here. Even though the house is finished, there are no jobs
here. If I come back, we’ll still live in this miserable poverty.” (p.117). When I read this
paragraph, I was surprised by the house, it was finished. Why their parents
didn’t discuss anything after breaking. At least, the father could allow the
mother and their children to live in here.
If he did, the children might have a better time.
Chapter 18:
Their father pointed out the fact that “I don’t have enough
money to take all of you with me. I can only take one of you” (p.118). The father’s thoughts
might be acceptable. At least, he showed his responsibility with the kids,
though it was not perfect and fair for all. After hearing their father’s decision, Mago shared that “I
won’t go with you if you don’t take Rayna” (p.121). Everything from Mago
has never made me disappointed. She always made me surprised with what she did.
I admired her. Now, she was just thirteen years old, but she thought and
actioned as an adult. Even, she was better than her mother and her father. She
took care of her sisters and brother. She worked to earn money for them.
Chapter 19:
In this chapter, Mago, Carlos, and Reyna took the trip to Tijuana where they would start the journey to the US. Unfortunately, their father disappeared and three children got lost. Only Mago trusted Papi, when Papi disappeared Rena and Carlos assumed that he left them in the middle of nowhere. Mago mentioned that “There has to be an explanation. Papi wouldn’t leave us” when they lost their father (p.127). I wondered why Mago trusted her father so much and if it had any explanations. Why their father disappeared while they were on the same bus.
Chapter 20:
It described how dangerous the trip was. When they started the trip, the coyote said to Papi that "It’s hard making this journey with children" (p.132), and it was true. They got caught two time by patrol border agents. However, Papi didn't give them up.
Chapter 21:
It was the last time, they tried to across the border. Papi said that “ Tonight will be our last time. If we don’t make it, you’re going back.” (p.138). This quote made me think deeply. Although the father hadn’t spent too time beside them, but at this time, he took care of them careful. He tried to do the best things he could. Finally, they succeeded to arrive in the Los Angeles.
The End of Part 1
