Reyna Grande came to the United States at age nine to join her father, who had left her behind in Mexico for several years. She went on to become the first person in her family to obtain a higher education. She holds a B.A. and an M.F.A. in creative writing. Her first novel, "Across a Hundred Mountains", received the El Premio Aztlan Literary Award in 2006 and an American Book Award in 2007. Her novel has been required reading at various high schools and colleges across the nation. She is currently at work on a memoir.