Reyna Grande

Reyna Grande is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Across A Hundred Mountains (Atria 2006) , for which she has received an American Book Award and El Premio Aztlan Literary Award . She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing and Film and Video from the University of California, Santa Cruz . She was born in Mexico and was raised by her grandparents after her parents left her behind while they worked in the U.S. She came to the U.S. at the age of ten as an undocumented immigrant. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. She is a sought-after speaker and lecturer at middle/high schools, colleges and universities across the nation. She is currently finishing her second novel which will be published in 2009.