Almost a Woman
by Esmeralda Santiago
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Book Summary Information
Author: Esmeralda SantiagoEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1999-09-07
ISBN: 037570521X
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Vintage
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780375705212
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Book Reviews of Almost a Woman
Book Review: An amazing and true tale
Summary: 4 Stars
Almost a Woman is a beautifully detailed memoir written by Esmeralda Santiago. In this book she writes of events that occur between her fourteenth and twenty second years, just after she, along with her mother and siblings, moves from a rural town in Puerto Rico to her grandmother's tiny apartment in Brooklyn, New York. Santiago describes her struggles and triumphs in adjusting to a new lifestyle in the United States, embracing her culture, and maturing into the woman she wishes to be.
I really enjoyed this book. Santiago writes in honest detail about the adventures she has in attempt to become independent from her restricting, "old-fashioned" mother and performing in theaters of Manhattan. Most entertaining are her accounts of unique relationships with various men. I didn't know whether to laugh or to remain in shock as Santiago recalled such things as, "he was thirty-seven, the same age as Mami, seventeen years older than me," or, "it hit me that I was about to marry a man who stole planes for a living." The events are amazingly unpredictable and quite engaging. Only the clarity and specification of her words reminded me that I was not reading an imaginative, fictional story, but rather the true and eventful life of quite a remarkable woman!
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand the challenges of moving from one very different environment and country to another, while embarking on the journey into adulthood. This memoir will not fail to entertain, as well as teach the reader many important life lessons.
Summary of Almost a Woman
"Not only for readers who share [Santiago's] experiences but for North Americans who seek to understand what it means to be the other."--The Boston GlobeIn her new memoir, the acclaimed author of When I Was Puerto Rican continues the riveting chronicle of her emergence from the barrios of Brooklyn to the theaters of Manhattan.
"Negi," as Santiago's family affectionately calls her, leaves rural Mac?n in 1961 to live in a three-room tenement apartment with seven young siblings, an inquisitive grandmother, and a strict mother who won't allow her to date. At thirteen, Negi yearns for her own bed, privacy, and a life with her father, who remains in Puerto Rico. Translating for Mami at the welfare office in the morning, starring as Cleopatra at New York's prestigious Performing Arts High School in the afternoons, and dancing salsa all night, she yearns to find balance between being American and being Puerto Rican. When Negi defies her mother by going on a series of hilarious dates, she finds that independence brings its own set of challenges.
At once a universally poignant coming-of-age tale and a brave and heartfelt immigrant's story, Almost a Woman is Santiago's triumphant journey into womanhood.
"A universal tale familiar to thousands of immigrants to this country, but made special by Santiago's simplicity and honesty."
--The Miami Herald
"A courageous memoir. . . . One witnesses. . .the blessings, contradictions and restraints of Puerto Rican culture."
--The Washington Post Book World
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