Cuando Era Puertorriquena: When I was Puerto Rican: Amazon.ca: Esmeralda Santiago: Books

Product Description

Book Description

Magic, sexual tension, high comedy, and intense drama move through an enchanted yet harsh autobiography, in the story of a young girl who leaves rural Puerto Rico for New York's tenements and a chance for success. Reprint.

From the Publisher

"Santiago's autobiographical account cinematically recaptures her past and her island culture. What is particularly appealing about Santiago's story is the insight it offers to readers unaware of the double bind Puerto Rican Americans find themselves in: the identity in conflict. Is [she] black or white? Is she rural or urban? Even more importantly, is she Puerto Rican or is she American? [One] can only be grateful that Esmeralda Santiago has chosen to explore her culture and share what she has found."--The Los Angeles Times Book Review

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars THE AMERICAN DREAM..., July 18 2006

By

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Cuando Era Puertorriquena: When I was Puerto Rican (Paperback)

This is a rich and evocative memoir of the author's chaotic childhood. Growing up in rural Puerto Rico, while often living in primitive conditions, the author's lush and lyrical prose paints a vivid picture her early life. The flavor and rythms of her island home come alive under her expert hand, creating an unforgettable picture of her early childhood.

The author grew up in a poor family. During her childhood, she lived in Puerto Rico with her unmarried parents, who were always at war with each other, as her father was a somewhat irresponsible philanderer. It was her mother who centered the family and who always sought a better life for all of her children. When an irrevocable break occurred between her parents, her mother moved to New York during the nineteen sixties, eventually settling with her seven children in the mean streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn in New York City.

The author details her life's journey from rural Puerto Rico to Brooklyn. The author was transplanted to Brooklyn at the age of thirteen, and her description of her life in Brooklyn is every bit as interesting as that of her life in Puerto Rico. Her oftentimes bewildering transition from her native, Spanish speaking Puerto Rico to an English speaking environment is engagingly chronicled. The author takes the reader on her journey through Brooklyn's public school system to the prestigious High School of Performing Arts, where she graduated and went on to attend Harvard University on a scholarship.

This coming of age memoir is so engagingly written that I was left with the desire of wanting to know more about the life of this remarkable woman. I was also very taken with her writing style. So, I went ahead and bought every book that this author has ever written and look forward to reading each and every one.

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4.0 out of 5 stars un libro entretenido, Oct 16 2003

By

ALINA V APONTE (sacramento, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cuando Era Puertorriquena: When I was Puerto Rican (Paperback)

este libro esta escrito en una sinplesa que cualquiera lo puede leer lo que esta muy bien, me gusto mucho este libro lo compre en espanol y lo lei en una semana, me parecio un libro muy entretenido y lo recomiendo

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5.0 out of 5 stars A reveling stream of E.S.'s thoughts, arnieworld@hotmail.com, Jun 20 2003

By

Nathan Arnold - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cuando Era Puertorriquena: When I was Puerto Rican (Paperback)

I give 5 stars, not because I was necessarily challenged in weighty intellectual "profundities" (as one of the critics above states), but simply because the quality of story-telling (at least in the Spanish version) is insurpassable. I was able to see right into the heart of Esmeralda's thinking. She was almost always eloquent beyond her years; at first I thought that this wasn't accurate for a girl of her age; but in retrospect, I think that the author knew this beforehand and realizes that her character is indeed representative of the many children or tíneyers who are absolutely brilliant but are perceived to be not so bright because of a spoken language. I would like to find out if this was a subtility that she wanted to communicate.
With that said, my favorite aspect of Esmeralda's eloquent subtilities is her honest, authentic anger towards haughty and egotistical people. I believe that E. Santiago was intending also to disfrazel the machista haughtiness that existed in Po'rico. I wanted to reach into the story and punch her Papi in the face. What a pig! I grieves me to think that such a man really existed! Another thing, the move to New York, wonderfully contrasted with Macún - and the innocence of perceiving the jews, italians and blacks throught the eyes of a sweet girl with no prejudices - a brilliant girl indeed! How was she able to dislodge herself from all of the enticements of having prejudices so quickly formed? The best part of the entire novel - a definite tear-jerker - is the rapid dénouement punched at me (the first sentence of the epilogue). I didn't expect it; it had sort of a Great Expectations twist there at the end; if there were ever a movie based on this story, I think that that would be the brilliant finish of the story. The human spirit inside of each of us hopes and believes: "Un día de estos, un día de estos." We all relate so well with Esmeralda that I strongly suggest that this book be included in ethnic-american/hispanoamerican classes and reading circles. This is a must. It's already been successful at Pittsburg State University (KS) with Greg Brown and Dr. Edmée Fernández; try it.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Un libro maravilloso- un buen retrato de su propia vida
I read this book three years ago and was very impressed with the way the themes were developed by Esmeralda Santiago. Read more

Published on Jun 30 2002 by Marianopolita2005

3.0 out of 5 stars decent creative writing assignment gets published
An OK read, but there are more impressive memoirs. This seems like a creative writing project that was expanded at the encouragement of an enthusiastic creative writing teacher... Read more

Published on Jun 12 2001 by P. J. Rowan