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Reyna Grande "A Ballad of Love and Glory"

Author Event and Book Signing

Bestselling author Reyna Grande discusses her new novel "A Ballad of Love and Glory" with bookstagrammer Lupita Aquino (@Lupita.Reads). Co-presented with the Prince George's County Office of Human Rights.

"A Long Petal of the Sea" meets "Cold Mountain" in this sweeping historical saga following a Mexican army nurse and an Irish soldier who must fight, at first for their survival and then for their love, amidst the atrocity of the Mexican-American War—from the author of the “timely and riveting” (People) "Across a Hundred Mountains" and "The Distance Between Us."

“Reyna Grande has given us an epic and exquisitely wrought portrait of the Americas and Mexico’s battle for freedom. A Ballad of Love and Glory astonishes with its passion and historical precision. A simply mesmerizing and unforgettable novel.” —Patricia Engel, New York Times bestselling author of "Infinite Country"

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. Her other works include the novels, "Across a Hundred Mountains," (Atria, 2006) and "Dancing with Butterflies" (Washington Square Press, 2009) which were published to critical acclaim. The Distance Between Us is also available as a young readers edition from Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Division–Aladdin. Her books have been adopted as the common read selection by schools, colleges, and cities across the country. She has two forthcoming books due to be published in 2022: "A Ballad of Love and Glory" (Atria, March 15), a novel set during the Mexican-American War, and an anthology by and about undocumented Americans called "Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival and New Beginnings" (HarperVia, June 7). Reyna has received an American Book Award, the El Premio Aztlán Literary Award, and the International Latino Book Award. In 2012, she was a finalist for the prestigious National Book Critics Circle Awards, and in 2015 she was honored with a Luis Leal Award for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature. The young reader’s version of The Distance Between Us received a 2017 Honor Book Award for the Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature and a 2016 Eureka! Honor Awards from the California Reading Association, and an International Literacy Association Children’s Book Award 2017. Writing about immigration, family separation, language trauma, the price of the American Dream, and her writing journey, Reyna’s work has appeared in The New York Times, the Dallas Morning News, CNN, The Lily at The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, among others. In March 2020, she was a guest in Oprah’s Book Club. Born in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico (where 43 college students disappeared in 2014), Reyna was two years old when her father left for the U.S. to find work. Her mother followed her father north two years later, leaving Reyna and her siblings behind in Mexico. In 1985, when Reyna was nine, she left Iguala to make her own journey north. After attending Pasadena City College for two years, Reyna became the first person in her family to set foot in a university. She went on to obtain a B.A. in creative writing and film & video from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She later received her M.F.A. in creative writing from Antioch University. 

Please request accessibility accommodations at least 72 hours in advance by emailing pr@pgcmls.info or calling (240) 455-5451.

Books available for purchase through Mahogany Books. Borrow the book from PGCMLS (eBook). 

Event Format

This event will take place indoors, in-person at the Hyattsville Branch Library as part of the PGCMLS COVID-19 Phased Reopening Plan. Please be advised that the status, location, or format of this event may change based on COVID-19 pandemic conditions. Please visit this page prior to traveling to the branch/venue for the program.

Face masks and physical distancing are required for all participants over the age of 2.

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Capacity limits may apply.