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
Book Reviews of Almost a Woman
Book Review: Stunning Coming Of Age Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
Esmeralda Santiago was born in Puerto Rico, and spent her early years there. Her mother moved with her children to New York City (Brooklyn) to start a new life, hoping for newer and greater opportunities after various setbacks in the Caribbean island. Esmeralda tells the story of her beginnings in New York, her struggle to learn English, to cope with the school system, to cope with a new culture and to deal with gangs and crime. The book portrays a strong and proud mother who struggles to maintain her family in the midst of poverty, and who despite an already large family keeps adding to it. The author, in a sort of painful honesty, describes her own passage through adolescence which includes her efforts to earn money,have friends, pursue drama, date and form relationships with men. The one relationship in particular is rather unusual and interesting and I won't spoil the pleasure of reading it for the first time by providing more details. Nor will I spoil her most heroic moment of triumph in the book, a moment which truly leaves one gasping in awe. All in all this is quite a moving and interesting book, written simply and directly but with passion and power.
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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