Reyna Grande
Born in Guerrero, Mexico, Reyna Grande was left behind for years before embarking on a perilous journey to join her parents in the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant at age nine. These experiences with family separation and migration became the heartbeat of her work. Her acclaimed memoirs, The Distance Between Us and A Dream Called Home—recently named a “Best Book of the 21st Century” by Kirkus Reviews—illuminate the realities of childhood immigration. Her diverse body of work includes the novels Across a Hundred Mountains, Dancing with Butterflies and the historical epic A Ballad of Love and Glory, and the anthology Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration,Survival, and New Beginnings. An American Book Award winner and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, Grande has been featured in The New York Times and on Oprah’s Book Club. Her memoir-in-essays, Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget, will be published in May 2026. Learn more about her at reynagrande.com.
