Ernesto Cisneros is the author of Efrén Divided, a new middle grade novel for kids. He is a teacher in Santa Ana, California.
Q: In the book's acknowledgments, you offer thanks to
your children "for asking me to write this book." How did you come up
with the idea for Efrén and his family?
A: During the 2016 elections, extremely hurtful
misconceptions about the Latino community were handed a national platform. What
had always been an underlying bias against the Latino community began to feel
like an all-out attack.
I knew that I needed to do something to help change
the narrative being created about us. I wanted my children and my students
alike to feel proud of their heritage. It was also during the same year that
three of my students had a parent deported mid-year. I felt obligated to speak up
and help raise awareness of their plight.
Q: Given the ongoing discussions about deportations
and family separations, what do you hope readers take away from your book?
A: Efrén Divided was my attempt at letting students
everywhere know that they were not alone. That there is ample love and support
for them. I also want readers to not lose sight of the humanity of families
like Efrén’s.
Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you
started writing it, or did you make changes along the way?
A: Unfortunately, I did know exactly how the story
needed to end. As much as I would have provided a fairytale ending, I knew that
was not the reality for kids like Efrén. The challenge was finding a way to end
with the story with a feeling of hope—one that would inspire kids everything to
feel empowered to create change.
Q: What do you see looking ahead when it comes to U.S.
immigration policy and its impact on families like Efrén's?
A: As optimistic as I’d like to be, a lot remains to
be seen. These upcoming elections will be crucial beginning for helping children
like Efrén and their families. Fixing the immigration policy is challenging to
say the least, however, blatant biases toward a selected group should have no
place in the decision making.
If people truly want to change the system, we need to
do a better job of embracing each other. After all, we are all more alike than
we are different.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I just completed my sophomore book tentatively titled
One Shot. Two best friends starting middle school, both confronting issues tied
to their families and self-worth.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Yes. To all the aspiring writers who might read
this…KEEP AT IT. DO NOT GIVE UP! The world deserves to hear your story. It took
me well over 14 years of trying before my publication dream came true.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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