We Never Asked for Wings

A Novel

By: Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Narrated by: Emma Bering, Robbie Daymond

From the beloved New York Times best-selling author of The Language of Flowers comes her much-anticipated new novel about young love, hard choices, and hope against all odds.

For 14 years, Letty Espinosa has worked three jobs around San Francisco to make ends meet while her mother raised her children - Alex, now 15, and Luna, six - in their tiny apartment on a forgotten spit of wetlands near the bay. But now Letty's parents are returning to Mexico, and Letty must step up and become a mother for the first time in her life.

Navigating this new terrain is challenging for Letty, especially as Luna desperately misses her grandparents and Alex, who is falling in love with a classmate, is unwilling to give his mother a chance. Letty comes up with a plan to help the family escape the dangerous neighborhood and heartbreaking injustice that have marked their lives, but one wrong move could jeopardize everything she's worked for and her family's fragile hopes for the future.

Vanessa Diffenbaugh blends gorgeous prose with compelling themes of motherhood, undocumented immigration, and the American Dream in a powerful and prescient story about family.

Praise for We Never Asked for Wings

“Deftly blends family conflict with reassurance: Wings is like Parenthood with class and immigration issues added for gravitas.” (People, Book of the Week)

“This poignant story will stay in readers’ hearts long after the last page.... Diffenbaugh weaves in the plight of undocumented immigrants to her tale of first- and second-generation Americans struggling to make their way in America. Moving without being maudlin, this story avoids the stereotypes in its stark portrayal of mothers who just want the best for their children.” (RT Book Reviews, Top Pick)

“Diffenbaugh is a storyteller of the highest order: her simple but poetic prose makes even this most classically American story sing with a special kind of vulnerable beauty.” (Bustle)

“[A] gripping, heartfelt exploration of a mother’s love, resilience and redemption.” (Family Circle)

“Satisfying storytelling... Diffenbaugh delivers a heartwarming journey that mixes redemption and optimistic insight [and] confirms her gift for creating shrewd, sympathetic charmers.” (Kirkus Reviews)

©2015 Vanessa Diffenbaugh (P)2015 Random House Audio

Beautifully written

Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s first novel is my ultimate favorite book. I was looking forward to reading her follow up novel and it didn’t disappoint. Her ability to research her story tops and leave you without a nicely tied bow type of ending but still leaving the reader feeling satisfied is nothing short of a work of art.

a wonderful story

Thank you for enriching my life
with compassion and understa ending for the next generation

Home

This was a very good story. I enjoyed it very much. would recommend to everyone. production, story telling was very intriguing.

fantastic book

I love the language of flowers I may have loved this book even more highly recommended read this book

Wondering how it was going to end.

The narration was very easy to follow. I enjoyed the story line and how it was all wrapped up.

Worth the time, overall good

I LOVED the author's first book. I didn't like this one at first; it felt too negative & depressing. I couldn't identify with Letty, because she kept making so many appalling choices....she wasn't likable to me. No mother needs to be perfect, but as a mother myself, I always have tried to do what was best for my kids. I haven't been perfect because that's not possible, and kids are resilient. But I don't understand any parent whose primary motive isn't the thought of what is best for their kids. But then Letty began to grow as a mother, and did begin to make choices based on what was best for her kids. I liked the second half or so of the book, and look forward to the author's next book. I like stories that are "real life," which include the hard parts of life, but which see the characters growing and having hope for the future. I think this book would appeal most to women who have made serious mistakes but then turned their lives around.

A must read particularly at this point in time

If you could sum up We Never Asked for Wings in three words, what would they be?

very well written

What other book might you compare We Never Asked for Wings to and why?

her other book " Language of Flowere"
both works cover important issues of the day

Which character – as performed by Emma Bering and Robbie Daymond – was your favorite?

Lettie

If you could take any character from We Never Asked for Wings out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Rick because he played such a vital role in the story

Any additional comments?

keep these books coming.
thanks

Love this author

The Language of Flowers was my favorite book until I read this. Very interesting! Loved the ending.

A lesson to all

we must be tolerant of others . people must be tolerant. all lives matter. amen

Enjoyable!

made me laugh and cry. would read it again! very real characters and situations. heartwarming!