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Book of the Month: When I was Puerto Rican

07/04/2012 By 25 Comments

Book of the Month

when i was puerto rican

Join us as we delve into July’s Book of the Month: When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago.

Esmeralda’s essays and opinion pieces have appeared in numerous publications, such as The New York Times and The Boston Globe.  Along with a novel and a children’s book, she has written three memoirs, but When I was Puerto Rican was her first.

The blurb on the back cover of the book gives us a taste of what we can look forward to this month:

In When I was Puerto Rican, Esmeralda tells of a childhood in Puerto Rico full of both tenderness and domestic strife, a childhood bursting with tropical sounds and sights.  And mired in poverty.

As she grew up, Esmeralda discovered the proper way to eat a guava, listened to the sound of tree frogs in the mango groves at night, savored the taste of the delectable sausage called morcilla, and learned the formula for ushering a dead baby’s soul to heaven.  But when her mother, Mami, a force of nature, decides to take off for New York with her seven- soon to be eleven- children, Esmeralda, the oldest, must learn new rules, a new language, and eventually a new identity.

Join our book club group on Facebook to partake in our discussions throughout the month.

As always, suggestions for subsequent Books of the Month are welcome and appreciated. Click here to submit your book suggestion.

Happy reading!

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: , , ,
About Cindy Tovar

Born in Flushing, Queens to Colombian parents, Cindy has always loved reading and writing. For this reason, she entered Montclair State University to pursue an English degree, but instead fell in love with and graduated with a B.A. in Psychology. During her time at Montclair State, Cindy joined the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) on campus. She immediately felt comfortable surrounded by peers that shared both love and pride for the Latino culture, something she had never experienced before. She ultimately became president of LASO. Since then, Cindy has earned her M.S. Ed. in Early Childhood Special Education from Bank Street College, and works as a bilingual Special Education preschool teacher in Brooklyn. Despite feeling exhausted by the time she reaches her New Jersey home, she still uses her spare time to write. Joining the Being Latino family is one of the best things that has happened to Cindy because it fulfills her in two ways: She can write to her heart’s content while reaching an engaging audience, and it helps her stay connected to her Latino culture. You can find more of Cindy’s writing on her personal blogs: Dagny’s Dichotomy, and Cindy’s Chronicles.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.

Comments

  1. Sarah Valdez-Tate says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:06 pm

    Great book!!

  2. Nelson O Figueroa says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:07 pm

    Heard so much about it but I’ve never read it. Definitely gonna make it a point to read it this month.

  3. Neomi Rodriguez says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:09 pm

    love this book!!… i bought it over12years ago and my teenage daughter read it. its a good read

  4. Neroliza Valdera says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:09 pm

    ON our book club “To be read” list with Evelyn M De Leon, Yajasmin Pichardo, Miosoty Dotel-Gallant, Aury Gonzalez , & Nana ….so excited about our first meeting ;)

  5. Vivian T Diaz says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:10 pm

    Great Book!!! Read this a long time ago definitely a re read for me :)

  6. Tracy Sherman says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:11 pm

    My daughter & I got to meet her in Sept at the National Book Festival in DC. She was nice enough to take a pic with us & autograph our copy in Spanish. I’m saving it for my daughter when she grows up (she’s 4 now)

  7. Raquel Winslow says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:12 pm

    LOVE this book!!! Looks like I’ll be re-reading it ;-)

  8. Annette Padilla says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:13 pm

    I have this book and it’s amazing.

  9. Rita Montalvo Gomez says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:13 pm

    Great book. Read it many yrs.ago, loved it.

  10. Anita Galiano says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:14 pm

    Great book!

  11. Inis Pabon says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:14 pm

    Reading his book remind me of my childhood…love the book.

  12. Maura Coco Strathern says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:14 pm

    I love this book. Read it in English & Spanish! ;-)

  13. Kira Julianne Martinez says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:15 pm

    This is an amazing book. Enjoy everyone. :) i also recommend The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

  14. Sheila Sierra says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:16 pm

    love this book!

  15. Schimen-Renee' Scott says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:16 pm

    Great book!

  16. Gina Severino says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:17 pm

    I love this book

  17. Michele Cruz says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:17 pm

    Good read.

  18. Zabrina C. Mathews says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:19 pm

    I read this book a long time ago – good read. It really makes you understand the culture shock we go through.

  19. Diany Mejia says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:19 pm

    I love that book :)

  20. Jocelyn Rodriguez says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:19 pm

    A classic and must have for my collection.

  21. Zena Fernandes Shivers says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:19 pm

    i had to read that book in high school for a requirement!

  22. Efrain Diaz says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:20 pm

    Still Puerto Rican Looks Like a good Reading book will get…

  23. Sapphire S. Serrano says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:20 pm

    Love this book.

  24. Jahaira Zagarell says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:22 pm

    I love this book.

  25. Camille Escamilla Ornelas says:
    07/05/2012 at 8:25 pm

    I liked this book but felt like the ending was a bit abrupt.

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