What is the importance of language and literature in the memoir, The Distance Between Us: A Memoir?

This book demonstrates how language can be a powerful tool. Learning English is the way to better one’s circumstances, and we see that as Reyna passes her ESL program and goes to college, knowing English opens many professional doors for her. Meanwhile, her mother and youngest siblings do not learn English and therefore never fully take advantage of the American Dream. Furthermore, literature is a powerful vehicle for healing. Reyna turns to reading and writing as an escape from her abusive home life but also as a form of personal expression. Once she discovers the genre of Latino literature, she finds characters and stories she can identify with, and this changes her life. She later pursues a career as an ESL language teacher and also as an author.