Dr. Sonia Kania

I chose this book because it is one of my favorite novels. For me, it is an ultimately hopeful story about overcoming adversity and the importance of family ties. Even though we all lose the innocence of childhood, and come to realize that our adult caretakers are not perfect, if we are lucky, they instill in us many core values that help us during our own journey to adulthood.



I would like to dedicate this book to my parents, Esperanza García and Walter Kania. Both were immigrants who came to the U.S. in the 1950’s, my mom from Mexico and my dad originally from Poland. I grew up in a modest, working-class household. My parents taught my eight siblings and me the importance of taking initiative, being responsible, and persevering. Most importantly, we learned from them the value of an education. Like Francie Nolan in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I am a first-generation American, and was a first-generation college student. I was able to achieve my goals in part due to my parents’ hard work raising me, and I would like to take this occasion to thank them for everything.