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Pam Muñoz Ryan is a Mexican American writer.
Muñoz Ryan was born Bakersfield in the San Joaquin Valley of California on December 25, 1951. She began writing when she was encouraged by a professor during graduate school. "It took me a number of years to make that leap of faith," she states when commenting on becoming a full-time writer. That came in 1994 after she published her first picture book that changed so much from the writing she had done for adults.
She is the author of the bestselling books Esperanza Rising and Becoming Naomi León. Her other novels include Riding Freedom about Charley Parkhurst, which has won numerous awards, and Paint the Wind. Muñoz Ryan has also written several children's books.
The inspiration for Esperanza Rising came from her grandmother. An immigrant from Mexico, she faced family complications, the death of her father, and the prejudice for her Hispanic heritage. She also won many awards including the National Education Associations Author recipient of the civil and human rights award. Also a twice recipient of the Willa Cather literacy award for writing. Becoming Naomi León came from a 1997 visit to the Mexican city of Oaxaca to an annual Christmastime event called the "Night of the Radishes".
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